Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Ever since Jack can remember, his mom has been unpredictable, sometimes loving and fun, other times caught in a whirlwind of energy and "spinning" wildly until it’s over. But Jack never thought his mom would take off during the night and leave him at a campground in Acadia National Park, with no way to reach her and barely enough money for food. Any other kid would report his mom gone, but Jack knows by now that he needs to figure things out for himself - starting with how to get from the show more backwoods of Maine to his home in Boston before DSS catches on. With nothing but a small toy elephant to keep him company, Jack begins the long journey south, a journey that will test his wits and his loyalties - and his trust that he may be part of a larger herd after all. show less

The bravery of people always surprises me because I don't consider myself particularly brave. Choosing to uproot to a small town where job prospects are few, the work to do is endless, and the people are conflicted about whether they even want you there ... that takes courage. The adventures of Lowen and his family are engaging - I found myself rooting for them and wondering how they would manage to cope with everything. On top of that I felt such empathy for Lowen who was trying to cope show more with the tragic loss of his friend and his own guilt about how he treated that friend at times. The ending says a lot about how real success is found. show less

*I was provided a free copy of this book from the publisher through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.*

The Dollar Kids starts off strong, with the first scene happening in comic-book format; the main character’s friend is shot during a trip to the corner store. It was a bit abrupt for me, and I was worried about how dark the book was going to be overall, but I shouldn’t have worried at all, because while this provides the backdrop for everything show more that follows, the story as a whole is genuinely heartwarming, focusing on family and the importance of helping others out.

The Grover family decides to buy a house in a small town for just $1 in exchange for them fixing up the house and contributing to helping the town stay afloat, by having their kids participate in school sports and by boosting the local economy. In part, they do it to help Lowen heal from his best friend’s death, but also to get a new start for themselves. They are joined by a few other families who also buy dollar-houses for various reasons.

I loved all the characters in this; I appreciated that Jacobson includes a diverse cast of characters who come from a variety of racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. I especially appreciated how finances are dealt with in this story; most of the characters are going through tough times and Jacobson does a good job in portraying the delicate situations that surrounds competing businesses, or how someone can be embarrassed to need help. All of this rang true to me, and I just loved how “real-life” this story seemed. It’s about real issues and is incredibly well constructed.

One of my favorite parts about this novel is that Lowen likes drawing comics; however, after his friend Abe dies, he stops drawing for a while. Except for the beginning scene, we don’t see comics in the first part of the book. However, as Lowen starts to process his trauma and starts to heal from what happened to his friend, we see more of his comics throughout the novel; it’s a brilliant visual way to show Lowen’s growth and healing process and I found it very effective. The illustrations are absolutely wonderful and add so much to the story.

There are so many great lessons packed into this story, and it all feels completely organic and just well done. I never once felt like anything was forced just to teach a lesson, which is what makes this book great. It’s genuine and heartwarming and feels so real. I would highly recommend this for any lovers of middle grade and also think it would be an amazing classroom library addition.

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less

When Ari’s older brother, Gabe, doesn’t want to live with their guardian anymore, Ari chooses to leave with him and they become homeless. Gabe can’t find a steady enough job to get an apartment, so Ari and Gabe switch between staying with Gabe’s girlfriend and two roommates, Gabe’s friend in a tiny apartment, and sometimes a juvenile homeless shelter. All of this change makes it hard for Ari to keep up with school and her friends, particularly when she is trying to apply to Carter, show more the middle school for gifted students. The only constants in her life are Gabe and her paper things, the people from catalogs she cuts out to be her paper families. When things are getting too hard in her turbulent life, Ari manages to make new friendships and realize that she wasn’t alone through any of what she has been through, enabling her to get out of her homeless situation.

Paper Things is a beautiful book that will have the reader thinking more thoughtfully about homelessness. Ari is a strong, thoughtful character in spite of everything she goes through. She’s always positive and tough. Gabe is a great character too, willing to do whatever it takes to do what he thinks is best for Ari, even though he might not be right all of the time. The relationship between Gabe and Janna (their guardian) is never fully explained, so the reader is left wondering why Gabe is putting himself and his sister in such a difficult situation to get away from her. The ending is wrapped up a little too conveniently, but the lighthearted tone of the book makes it so the change from homelessness to not being homeless isn’t jarring. Paper Things shows that even though life can be difficult sometimes, there are still people around to help others get through hard times and have reason to hope for a brighter tomorrow. show less