Keller, Tae The Science of Breakable Things, 304 pages. Random House, MARCH 2018. $17.
Content: G.
Content: G.
Middle school student Natalie has been hiding her mother’s
battle with depression from even Twig, her best friend. While she likes her science teacher, Mr.
Neely, she can’t embrace his enthusiasm for their science projects, so he
suggests to her that she make a team and join a local egg drop contest. When Natalie sees that the winners earn a
cash prize, she jumps on it as a way to maybe also help her mother. So Natalie, Twig, and Dari, a boy in their
class, form an alliance. Just as easily
as a dropped egg can crack, cracks form in the team and at home. Can these cracks to repaired?
When I think about truly great books about middle school
girls dealing with mental illness in parents, what comes to mind are Rocky Road
by Rose Kent (2010) and Road to Tater Hill by Edith Hemingway (2009). Keller comes close to joining those
ranks. I guess my big question is why is
it always girls who are confronting these issues in tender ways? Where are the books that show boys that they
too can be a force for good?
Frustrating.
EL, MS - ADVISABLE.
Cindy, Library Teacher
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