Appeal Characteristics: family relationships, death, restaurant business, bullies, coming out/gay relationships, school I cried like a baby at this book. I love dysfunctional families. For some reason, I hate reading adult literary works about dysfunctional families, but I love kids perspectives on them. Fern's family is tough to beat. I felt like this was Bridge to Terabithia for the next generation. I don't want to write any spoilers because I want the magic to be there for anyone who wants to read it. Fern's raw emotional journey from beginning to end had me crying like a baby. Jo Knowles deserves all accolades she's getting from this book. The characters in here were all developed into rich, flawed works of art, that just shows simultaneously how precious and frail humans are. I loved how quirky the parents were (especially with the children's names) and just how strong the supporting cast of characters were included. Also, I liked how she used that middle school time to show how feelings can develop, and not every girl is ready for a Gossip Girl relationship. I think that's what made me love the book even more. Lush, Intimate, Tender, Humorous, and Heart-Breaking are just the many tones to describe what's held inside the pages of this book. In the end, you realize, "All will be well."
Red Flags: Hate Slurs, Mild Language, Mild violence descriptions
