Saturday, November 14, 2015

Reaching for Sun

Reaching for Sun
Title: Reaching for Sun
 
Author: Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
 
Summary: 7th grader Josie Wyatt lives with her Gran and mother on a farm that has now dwindled down into a garden after the sale of most of their land to a housing company. Josie is different; she has cerebral palsy. She can still walk and can talk too, but she has speech and physical and occupational therapies all requested by her mother who won't let her forget her problems. But Josie's mostly lonely life changes when a boy named Jordan moves in nearby. They become good friends and Josie grows in many ways as she navigates her early teen years.
 
Comments: This is another book that is written in poetry verses. That seems to be pretty popular nowadays, and I must admit that it is really growing on me. With these sort of books I find it hard to learn enough about the characters to be able to relate to each one on a personal level. The only book written in verse that I was really able to relate to was May B. which I definitely recommend.
Josie's character did develop colorfully throughout the story, and by the end she was different, but I don't feel as though I got close enough to her to be proud of her accomplishments or to really know her.
I thought it was so beautiful and encouraging how Josie was portrayed as a girl okay with being different. She managed to live such a vibrant and colorful life and to be a good friend even with her disabilities that she could've easily allowed to get in her way.
The book has a few references to "older girl" stuff, but it would probably still be appropriate for 8-9+ years.
This book is a coming of age novel written in verse that I did enjoy, even if I did not feel able to completely relate to the characters on a personal level.
 
Complaints: I felt left wanting more information on the backgrounds of each character. The story did not feel complete.
 
Rating: 4 stars

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