Intended Audience: Mature Tweens
Genre: Real life / Grief / Bullying
Notes for Parents: Some very mature themes are touched upon, like severe bullying, murder, and suicide. While most of the book is appropriate for tweens, some subject matter may be too much for sensitive readers.
The Back Cover
There was no description on the back, so I
adapted this one from chapters.ca: Thirteen-year-old Henry’s happy, ordinary life comes to an abrupt halt when his older brother, Jesse, commits a horrible act of violence. The family is shattered and is forced to resume their lives in a new city, where no one knows their past.
What the cover doesn’t tell
you:
The story is about Henry starting at a new
school, struggling to make friends, trying to figure out how to deal with his
feelings about his brother, and also deal with his parents’ broken relationship.
This book was the winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award and CLA Book
of the Year for Children Award, and a finalist for CBA’s Young Readers’ Book of
the Year.
What’s good?
This
quick and easy read is about coping and resilience following trauma. The very
heavy subject matter is handled beautifully with generous amounts of both humor
and compassion. Henry, the vulnerable but optimistic (and extremely likeable!) main
character is surrounded by strong but lovingly flawed supporting characters. I
especially enjoyed Farley, the son of affluent, but absent, parents who lives
with his nanny in a mansion. This is a well-written story that effectively
illustrates the power of perspective when trying to understand the actions and
motivations of others.Best Part: Robot Voice
What isn’t good?
I didn’t like Alberta. She wasn’t a very likeable person, but more importantly, I don’t see how her involvement with Henry and Farley influenced the story. She didn’t make the story bad, I don’t understand the point of her being there.
Worst part: I put off reading this book for a long time because the cover made it look like a book for boys (there’s a cartoonish wrestler on the front). I was so wrong!
Recommendation þþþþo
I don’t know how the author managed to write a
humorous, heartwarming story dealing with bullying and an intense family
tragedy, but she did. I enjoyed the characters, and especially Henry’s journey.
Definitely recommended. Nielsen, Susin. The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen. Toronto: Tundra Books, 2012.
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