Skip to main content

Trowbridge Road

Image
By

By Marcella Pixley
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2020.

It is the summer of 1983 and June Bug Jordan watches Ziggy Karlo arrive at his grandmother's house. June Bug is filled with longing for a friend, an adult to love and care for her, and for something to eat. After June Bug's father died from AIDS, her mother slipped into depression and intense germaphobia and now she refuses to leave the house or cook any food and obsessively cleans everything with bleach. When Ziggy, also lonely and feeling abandoned by his mother, notices June Bug watching him, the two escape to their own imaginary, magical world called "the ninth dimension" where they are able to be in charge of their own lives for a change.

This is a heartrending story about two outcast children struggling to find a loving place to belong. This book is reminiscent of Katherine Paterson's BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA and deals with really difficult topics in an open and honest way. June Bug and Ziggy are lovable children who don't fit in with the kids on their idyllic block and painfully learn what it is like to be abandoned by parents, luckily Ziggy's grandma Nana Jean and June Bug's uncle Toby are caring adults yearning to step in and love the children. This is an emotional book appropriate for mature young readers ready to handle the subject matter.
Labels:

Comments

Test said…
This was so sad! Thank you for the review.
January 7, 2021 at 11:16 AM
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

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

If You Like...Dungeons and Dragons

By
Great news for adventurous, imaginative tweens: we are starting a Dungeons & Dragons program! Nine- to twelve-year-olds are invited to join a tabletop role playing quest in the Story Room on Monday September 14 from 6:30-8:00PM. All experience levels are welcome. Registration opens on September 1 at 9:00AM. In the meantime, here are some books to inspire your upcoming campaign!  The Lionharts Written and Illustrated by Mike Lawrence New York : Abrams Fanfare, 2026. J Comic. 233 pages. The Lionhart family is in the business of adventuring. Alder and Flynt are desperate to be included in the dragon-fighting and monster-slaying quests. When their parents Lenna and Gerard go missing after accepting a mysterious job, the boys set out to save them, soon followed by their famous questing Grammy and Baba to help keep Alder and Flynt out of trouble. The journey brings challenges and opportunities, magic and mystery, but it also reveals a troubling family secret that threatens to tear th...
Post a Comment
Read more