The title of
this book and the author’s dedication intrigued me:
“This book is dedicated with all respect and
hope to everybody who has ever faced cancer.”
The enticing title and dedication along with
the inkling that there was something powerful and unique about this novel
convinced me to read it.
My intuition did not fail me. This is a book
that made me rejoice, reflect, laugh and, finally, cry like a child. The unique
characters stayed with me after I finished reading it.
It is a book that makes you acknowledge how a
simple person can make a difference in the lives of others with motivation,
cheer and a new perspective on different matters. It is an opportunity to
reflect on the multiple ways in which one person can touch lives and make them
better.
Finn
is a fourteen-year-old teenager who loves books and spends most of his free
time reading novels. He is an introvert whose best friend is Dylan, a dog. He
also has Matthew, whom he describes as a true friend, “It’s because he’s the
only person I know who doesn’t make me feel like he’s drifted off in his head
when I’m talking. Anyone who listens to everything you have to say, even the
bad stuff and the boring things that don’t interest them, is a true friend.
Matthew’s always been the only person who’s easy for me to talk to. He’s a lot
like Dylan when you think about it.”
Finn
did not know how his life would change with the presence of her new next-door
neighbor, Johanna. In the first chapter Johanna introduces herself to the boys
and Dylan. I read the first chapter twice because I enjoyed it so much. I was
smitten with the characters. It made me laugh out loud, and I appreciate Paulsen’s
social commentary.
When
Johanna met the boys, she greeted Dylan first. Then she said, “In this world,
you either like dogs or you don’t, and I don’t understand the ones who don’t,
so I’m glad to finally meet the three of you.” Her chemistry with Dylan and the
boys was instant. After the end of their first conversation, she asked them to
sign her journal because it was her habit to write down the best thing that
happened to her each day…
Gary Paulsen knows how to shake and break the
reader’s heart, but he does so while imbibing the spirit with the light of
hope, joy and inspiration. There is so much wisdom in this story. It is the
kind of wisdom that sneaks in with grace and gentle steps without resorting to
sentimentality or preaching.
I
recommend this book to adults, teenagers and middle schoolers. It is a celebration
of the empowering nature of true friendship. In the next edition I
hope the publishers will consider adding illustrations by his talented wife,
Ruth Wright Paulsen.
Gary Paulsen shares a poem right before the
first chapter of the novel:
To every thing there is a season,
a time for
every purpose under the sun.
A time to be
born,
and a time
to die.
A time to
plant,
and a time
to reap.
A time to
weep,
and a time
to laugh.
A time to
mourn,
and a time
to dance.
Ecclesiastes
I’ve read
two other books by Gary Paulsen. You can check those reviews as well:
