Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (school shooting, not graphic - sounds, broken glass, aftermath)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
12yo Bea is the special friend of one of the littles at school. Josie, who hates school, won’t talk to other children and generally doesn’t participate. But Bea is smart and has great ideas to help Josie come out of her shell. But when her school is attacked by a shooter, Bea isn’t as able to take care of herself. In fact when her teacher tells them to get down, Bea freezes. She has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair and when she finally does get down, the floor is covered in broken glass. Now, Bea can't sleep from the nightmares and is worried about even being inside, let alone going back to school.
I wondered if a book about a school shooting would traumatize the reader - this topic is hard for me to read about. However, the shooting itself is well handled, and Bea has loving, caring adults who know what kind of help and how much time she needs. A quick read, as it's in verse; the message is great. I love that Bea is writing a letter to someone (Dear Sir), and the reader needs to presume the recipient until the end. I liked it.
Lisa Librarian
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment