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Reading age
8-12
Genre
Realistic fiction
Publisher
Balzer + Bray
Publication date
January 5, 2021
A boy and a girl want to keep their special place.
Ware, an introverted eleven-year-old boy, has to go to the rec center, the worst place in the world according to him, because his grandmother, whom he calls Big Deal, broke both hips when he was visiting her. So, Ware sneaks into the old church, where he finds a girl named Jolene planting her garden. Their relationship started rocky until they became the best of friends. One day, they hear from a girl named Ashley that the church will be sold in an auction. It’s up to Ware to figure out how to save Jolene’s garden and the church.
Because I read Leeva at Last a couple of months ago (which was hilarious), I didn’t expect this book to be such a moving story. This book was intense, and it had little humor. It’s about a summer adventure with a central theme of friendship and acceptance of others.
Ware is imaginative and tends to drift into his world as I sometimes do. He likes to be alone, and he is a dreamer. He taught me a bit about papayas, knights, etc. I loved Ware’s imagination of renovating a church into a medieval castle. Though, he shows his loyalty in a very courteous manner.
Jolene is a realist and occasionally harsh.
Big Deal is a fun grandmother. The nickname of his grandmother was cute.
Give this marvelous book to any out-of-this-world readers; introverts, dreamers, outsiders, misfits; it’s ok to be different!
My rating
