Content: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
11yo Will was badly bullied by the kids at his old school when they found out his grandmother was a famous picture book artist - the bullying revolving around the plots and titles of her books - so when his new friends at his new school assume his grandparents are dead, he doesn’t try to correct them. Grandma has moved nearby, though, and Will’s parents insist that he spend each Wednesday with her so that he isn’t home alone. At first Will resents this forced close time, but each Grandma has a new, exciting story to tell him about what life was like for her growing up. But what will Will do when his friends discover he has been lying to them all this time?
I enjoyed the peeks back into Grandma’s 1960’s years - her stories are really good. Will’s story is not quite strong enough to hold it all together - but neither part feels right without the other. Will struggle to admit the terrible extent of the bullying to everyone who cares about is wrenching and eye-opening; bullies are very creative and have so much power over everyone around them.
Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS
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