This is a story of remembering, perspective, and above all else, hope. Pixie’s the type of kid who’s wide-eyed and probably still believes in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. She’s somewhere around 8 to 10 years old and her viewpoint is quite entertaining. Her perspective on life changes for the better as she takes us through her story. Pixie’s had more loss in her life than most but she comes to the realization that she’s not the only one whose heart hurts. Others have just had more practice hiding it. Pixie discovers Ricky is going through his own hard time and they quickly realizes that friendship is far greater than animosity. They’re the same age, in the same class, and Ricky ends up being Pixie’s best friend.
Two important things that Pixie learns throughout the book are first, it’s good to be thankful for what she has rather than focusing on things she’s lost, and two, she shouldn’t judge people before they have a chance to show her who they are.
There are a few other characters throughout the story who Pixie loves and depends on–and a few she learns to live with. Moving quickly, this story is engaging, entertaining, and enjoyable. Although it’s full of emotion and will probably be a Newbery Award Winner someday, it’s captivating and magical to see Pixie and Ricky grow as the seasons of their lives change. This is Tamara Bundy’s second book and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Review of an Advance Reading Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Nancy Paulsen Books
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: 2 moms died previously; a teen girl and several other kids spend time in a hospital because of polio; a young girl is locked in a closet at school for punishment; children are in iron lungs due to polio; brief mention that a momma animal will sometimes reject a baby if she has too many and can’t feed them all; a young man was hurt in the war and is now in the hospital; a girl had a hard time breathing when a nurse forgot to close the iron lung; a farm animal had to go to market, implied it was butchered.
Sex/Nudity: None
Mature Subject Matter:
Death of a parent, Polio, hospitalization of children & adults, grief, sending a farm animal to market.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
None
