Cooper, Abby Bubbles, 262pgs. Farrar
Straus Giroux (Macmillan), 2017. $17.
Sophie
has a mind that never stops and when things get complicated in her life, she
starts to see thought clouds (like in comics) about the heads of people around
her. In her home life, her mom has gone through a breakup and has become closed
off and sad, making Sophie feel the same way, even her friends have noticed. At
school they are given the assignment to do something that is a risk for them,
so in an effort to get back to her old adventurous self Sophie (and her
friends) decide to run a triathlon. But everything just gets more confusing and
Sophie must find a way back to herself.
Honestly
I liked this book a lot, but it was just so chaotic. Being in the brain of
Sophie is just exhausting, like ADD, jumping from one thought to the next. While
it creates a very unique and well fleshed out character, I think some readers
will relate to her and others will just feel confused and give up. I like that
it features quite a few true to life themes, like single parenthood, parent/child
relationships, depression, change, friendship, and perseverance. The ‘magical’
(or mental health issue) component of the bubbles is very much off in the
sidelines as the day to day thought chaos of Sophie proceeds. I think this nonchalantness
about the bubbles will disappoint many readers hoping she had gained a magical
power, along with the fact that she doesn’t ever try to take advantage of it. 5-6 graders will be your choice audience.
EL
-OPTIONAL. Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author
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