Gr 7 Up—The most remarkable thing about Judy Blume's book (Atheneum, 1982) is how well it has stood the test of time-it's as relevant today as it was 30 years ago. This is the story of 15-year-old Davey who finds her father shot during a hold-up in his store. Davey and her mother have trouble coping with their violent loss, but when Davey begins to have panic attacks in school, her mother decides to move the family temporarily to Los Alamos, New Mexico, to stay with relatives. Living with her overly strict aunt and uncle makes Davey angry. When her mother starts dating, Davey is furious that her father could be forgotten so swiftly. Davey and her mother are both deep in the grieving process but working through it in very different ways. Too young to work, Davey volunteers at the hospital where she meets an elderly man dying of cancer. When she meets the man's son, their friendship and common sense of loss helps Davey begin to heal. Emma Galvin's narration perfectly voices Davey's escalating emotions and teen angst. A well-told and well-performed story.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
For some of us—okay, for three generations of kids who loved reading—Judy Blume is untouchable. Name something tough, or confusing, or mildly embarrassing, that you went through in childhood, and she has a book to make you feel less alone about it. But we’ve been wondering about something for a while now: is there a […]
If you were a child of the 80s, you have a lot to be thankful for. Awkward photos of slouch socks and perms; Z. Cavariccis and tie-dye; the leftover cassette tapes of Janet Jackson and Tiffany. And if you were a bookworm in the 80s, you likely wandered past school library shelves or the aisles […]