The Light Jar by Lisa Thompson - ESSENTIAL

The Light Jar by Lisa Thompson, 240 pages. Scholastic, 2019. $18. 

Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

When Nate’s mum wakes him up in the middle of the night to go on holiday, it doesn’t take him long to figure out something isn’t right. He’s happy to be away from his mother’s controlling boyfriend, but the dilapidated cottage they arrive at is anything but cozy. Then his mum runs to town to get food and doesn’t return. Nate is sure she’ll walk in the door any minute. The next day he wakes to find his imaginary friend has returned, and a mysterious girl wants his help finding a treasure, but his mother is nowhere to be found.

This one's a page turner. You won’t be able to stop reading until you are sure Nate is going to be ok. He's an endearing character. He’s surrounded by dysfunctional adults, his mom, his dad, and his mom’s boyfriend, yet he manages to stay strong and survive on his own for days with the help of his imaginary friend and mystery girl. The setting is perfect. Nate is all alone, in the dead of winter, in a run down cottage. There’s a lot to think about in this book and would be my pick for a middle grade book club.

Valerie McEnroe, Media Specialist