All He Knew by Helen Frost - ADVISABLE

 All He Knew by Helen Frost, 254 pages. Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2020. $18

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (abuse, death of children) ; Violence: PG (threats, talk of war, child slapped)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Due to a high fever, Henry has been deaf since the age 4. Economically stressed from both the Great Depression and now the start of World War II, Henry’s family doesn’t have the means to educate a deaf child, so Henry is sent to a state institution for “unteachable” children. Conditions here are terrible, but Henry makes friends and learns to survive. After several years a young man named Victor comes to work at the facility. He can see Henry’s intelligence and doesn’t just stand by to allow conditions to stay the same.

This story is loosely based on actual events in the author’s family’s past. Frost writes a beautiful novel-in-verse of a child who never loses hope, and of the family that continues to love him. The abuse, death, and violence that are part of the plot are handled delicately and without a lot of detail, as seen through the eyes of young Henry, who doesn’t fully understand what’s going on around him. While the setting is dark, Henry’s innocence and spirit never dim. This is a quick yet powerful read that sheds light on actual events from U.S. history, and includes themes of kindness, acceptance, hope, and choosing peace over violence. The characters in this novel are implied to be white.

Tammie H., Librarian