Rating: Very GoodHarperCollins, 2008, $16.89
ISBN: 9780061470783
Age/Grade Level: Gr. 3-5
ISBN: 9780061470783
Age/Grade Level: Gr. 3-5
Nobody loves Mitch. Not his father, who left his mom for another woman. Not his mother, who is too busy to hide her true emotions. Not his grandparents, who are forced to provide a temporary place for Mitch and his mom, by the Bird Lake.
Spencer is depressed. He’s fed up with his younger sister’s “weird” behavior, and upset by his mother’s paranoia, ever since they made a trip to the Bird Lake. The thing is that Spencer lost his elder brother, Matty, by drowning in Bird Lake several years ago and around his parents, Spencer is trying to be sensitive.
It is Jasper, Spencer’s dog, who brought these two frustrated boys together. Will the new friendship help these two frustrated boys cope with their struggle?
Caldecott medalist Kevin Henkes is well known for the mouse characters he created in Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and Wemberly Worried. Now older children will enjoy his latest novel that is full of intriguing emotions.
Reviewer: Tracy Li, Orange County Public Library/Laguna Niguel Branch
