Skip to main content

CHARACTER COUNTS: Forget Me Not

Image
By
Forget Me Not
By Ellie Terry
Feiwel and Friends, 2017. Fiction.

Calliope June has just moved for the tenth time. Her mom has broken up with another boyfriend and so they've packed up their bags, deflated Calli's air mattress bed, and moved to St. George, Utah. Calli has never lived somewhere long enough to make a best friend, and it doesn't help her that she has Tourette Syndrome so she sometimes makes faces or noises that she doesn't mean to. The kids at her new school make fun of her -- except for Jinsong, the student body president, who quickly befriends her and sees past her Tourette's.

I cannot say enough how much I love this sweet story of friendship and learning to accept yourself. The story is told using a mix of free verse and prose poetry which makes Calli's Tourette's feel very real and breaks a lot of misconceptions about Tourette Syndrome. Jinsong is great character and great friend, who's reluctance to defend his friend and risk his own popularity is something many kids will identify with. Calli definitely stands out, though, as a sweet, interesting, and thoughtful character that anyone should want to befriend. The fact that this novel is the debut of a Utah writer only makes it even better to me - read and share this book widely, you won't regret it.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An ABC of Flowers

By
An ABC of Flowers   by Jutta Hilpuesch New York, NY : Philomel Books, [2019] It turns out there really is a flower for every letter. This sweet book has a photograph of every flower and  a sweet cartoon illustration to go along with it. All your favorite flowers are here (forget-me-nots, mums, and sunflowers), along with some you probably haven't heard of before (billy ball, kalanchoe, xeranthemum?).  This is a perfect book for reading together, and readers of any age will enjoy every page. Don't miss this great springtime alphabet book. 
Post a Comment
Read more

From Story Time: The Letter "B"

By
From Monday Book Babies Bird, Balloon, Bear By Il Sung Na Alfred A. Knopf, 2017.  Picture Book. Bird is new to the forest, and he’s looking for a friend. Bear could use a friend, too. But Bird is too shy to introduce himself. Just as he musters the courage to say hello . . . it’s too late! Bear has already found a friend: a bright, shiny red balloon. Has Bird missed his chance?  From the acclaimed Il Sung Na comes a charming and beautifully illustrated story about courage, kindness, and friendship.  --Publisher From Monday Cuentos El primer día de un colegio Texto de Adam Rex Ilustraciones de Christian Robinson Traducción de Teresa Mlawer Editorial Corimbo, 2017.  Spanish Picture Book. Aquel verano, cuando terminaron de construir la escuela Frederick Douglass, el edificio comenzó a hacerse muchas preguntas: ¿Cuál será mi destino? ¿Quién vivirá entre mis paredes? ¿Para qué me utilizarán? Através de sus conversaciones con el conserje y t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Display: Out of this World Books Found Here

By
Hello By Aiko Ikegami Berkeley, CA: Creston Books, 2019. Picture book. In this wordless picture book, an alien visits Earth, makes friends with a little girl, and returns to his home planet to share his experiences. - Publisher We Are Definitely Human By X. Fang Toronto: Tundra Books, 2024. Picture book. When three mysterious visitors from "Europe" crash-land in Mr. Li's field, he does what any good host would: he invites them back to his farmhouse and offers to help fix up their "car". No, there's nothing strange about these guests at all. Just like other humans, they "make business", "play sportsball" and "wear hat". As the townsfolk also come to the aid of the visitors and the gathering turns into a little party, interplanetary relations reach an all-time high. - Publisher Greetings Floof! Written by C.J. Hong Illustrated by A.J. Smith Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2024. Picture book. Floof from planet Ploof has landed! And it...
Post a Comment
Read more