Content: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
April does not feel like she fits in with the other kids in her 6th grade. Lunch is especially hard for her. She volunteers to be a Buddy Bench monitor during lunch. She is outside when the fourth grade students have lunch. She helps the students, talks with them and tries to be a friend. She notices a boy that is always by himself and he is always dragging his feet through the bark pieces on the playground. As the days go by April starts to worry about this boy that doesn't seem to fit in with the other students. One day she climbs up on the jungle gym to see if she can see what Joey is doing. He seems to be drawing pictures on a large scale. The janitor helps her up on the roof so she can get a better view. April discovers that Joey is an amazing land artist. He draws pictures as seen from above.
I loved this book and the story of April, Joey and the new girl from India, Veena. Sometimes seeing things from different perspectives changes how we view the world an our place in it. Seeing things from different perspectives can change our direction in life and help us understand and appreciate others. It opens doors and we gain new insight and knowledge. I liked how the characters grew and learned from each other. April is stronger than she thinks, she has more influence on others and she does a lot of good. She is an impressive girl. The story is told by April and Joey. Joey's part is for the most part illustrations and very few words. I highly recommend this book. It would be a great read-a-loud.
Ellen-Anita, Librarian
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