Five-year-old little brother Jeffrey is annoying to 8th grader Steven, but even more annoying is Steven's whole life, after his little brother is diagnosed with leukemia. His mother has to quit her job and practically lives at the hospital while Jeffrey is getting treatment. His father has sunk into a miserable emotional void and can't communicate at all with Steven. The only real part of his world is being able to escape into his music as a drummer, getting ready for the All-City concert. Now, even that may be in jeopardy as Steven has been "space-walking" through school and is failing his classes.
Throughout the book Steven's internal dialogue is revealed in italics - about girls, his feelings about his family and friends - giving a lighted tone to a very serious subject. The feel-good ending had me in tears and wishing that all 8th graders had amazing friends like Annette and Renee!
No comments:
Post a Comment