Give and Take by Elly Swartz - ESSENTIAL

Give and Take by Elly Swartz, 301 pages. Farrar, Straus, Giroux (Macmillan), 2019. $17

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Since the day her Nana stopped recognizing her, Maggie has tried to hold tight to every memory – which means she holds onto a thing to help her remember.  Maybe it’s the necklace her grandmother gave her, but maybe it’s the milk carton from a great lunch with her friends. Her locker is full; her closet is full. Then her mom announces that they are fostering a baby before her adoption placement – how do you hold onto a baby? Luckily Maggie’s family is there for her and the therapist they find is – slowly – able to help Maggie let go of things she has been hoarding and process her feelings.

Fans of Elly Swartz will love meeting Maggie.  While I not fond of books where the main character (pretty much always a 12yo girl) as the driver for her conflict, I must admit that Swartz has tackled a diversity of issues and really tries to show the main character dealing with that issue in a realistic way. There are a few books about kids dealing with a parent who hoards, but this is the first that i have seen with the child being the hoarder.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS