Ebb and Flow
Ebb and Flow
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Kids Can Press
Annotation: One summer, after a long plane ride and a rotten bad year I went to Grandma Jos. It was my mothers idea. Jett, what yo... more
 
Reviews: 3
Catalog Number: #6733828
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Copyright Date: 2022
Edition Date: 2022 Release Date: 06/07/22
ISBN: 1-525-30335-X
ISBN 13: 978-1-525-30335-7
Dewey: Fic
Language: English
Reviews:
Horn Book (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

After a "rotten bad year," which included becoming a bully and stealing from a friend's intellectually challenged uncle, eleven-year-old Jett is sent to the coast to stay with gentle, nonjudgmental Grandma Jo for the summer. In this quiet but affecting verse novel, Jett relates the year's heartwrenching events as he develops empathy and finally makes amends with the man he hurt.

Kirkus Reviews

Following a "rotten bad year," Jett is sent to live with his grandmother in this novel in verse from the author of The Agony of Bun O'Keefe (2017).Commencing with the almost-12-years-old's arrival at Grandma's "little wooden house / on a rocky eastern shore," the sequence of events unfolds in flashbacks over the course of the narrative. The bad year begins when Jett's father is incarcerated for a drunken driving accident that left four dead and Jett's mother moves him to the mainland for a "fresh start." It's here where he befriends school bully Junior and subsequently turns into a mean boy himself. Junior, who is poor and lives with his abusive father in a shed behind his aunt's house, enlists Jett's help robbing his intellectually disabled middle-aged uncle Alf of the money he keeps in a briefcase under his bed. When Junior discovers the money is merely Monopoly cash, he assaults Alf. The theft and its aftermath are what land Jett at his grandmother's house for a "change of scenery." Jett's first-person narrative is permeated by an intense sense of melancholy and regret, but during his summer with compassionate Grandma Jo, Jett learns to forgive and to take responsibility for his actions and finds hope for redemption. Short lines and deliberate breaks compress the emotion, increasing its power. The book assumes the white default.Heartbreaking—but uplifting. (Fiction. 8-13)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

After a -rotten bad year,- 11-year-old Jett goes to spend the summer with his grandmother on the island where his family lived until his father was sent to prison. In the past year Jett has begun acting out, which culminates with his participation in an act he is deeply ashamed of. Over the course of this free-verse novel, Jett has flashbacks of befriending a boy named Junior, who gives Jett-s anger at his dad an outlet: together the boys steal money from a classmate and bully other kids. Junior-s own story of abuse and neglect is uncovered as the boys journey together towards the act that gets Jett shipped off for the summer. The novel is also grounded in the present, as Jett-s relationship with his -cotton candy granny--who dyes her hair bright colors, collects sea glass, and shares her own mistakes and wisdom with her grandson-slowly heals Jett and allows him to confront his past. Smith-s sparse language exposes the heart of Jett-s anguish and destructive anger; he-s a realistically complex character whose emotional development unfolds organically through Smith-s quiet storytelling. Ages 9-12. Agent: Amy Tompkins, Transatlantic Agency. (Apr.)

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Horn Book (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
Word Count: 15,518
Reading Level: 3.4
Interest Level: 4-7
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 3.4 / points: 2.0 / quiz: 500424 / grade: Middle Grades
Lexile: 480L

One summer,
after a long plane ride
and a rotten bad year
I went to Grandma Jos.
It was my mothers idea.
Jett, what you need is a change of scenery.
I think she needed a change of scenery, too.
One without me.
Because that rotten bad year?
That was my fault.

Thus begins the poignant story, told in free verse, of eleven-year-old Jett. Last year, Jett and his mother had moved to a new town for a fresh start after his father went to jail. But Jett soon learned that fresh starts arent all theyre cracked up to be. When he befriended a boy with a difficult home life, Jett found himself in a cycle of bad decisions that culminated in the betrayal of a friend  a shameful secret he still hasnt forgiven himself for. Will a summer spent with his unconventional grandmother help Jett find his way to redemption?

Writing in artfully crafted free-verse vignettes, Heather Smith uses a deceptively simple style to tell a powerful and emotionally charged story. The engaging narrative and the mystery of Jetts secret keep the pages turning and will appeal to both reluctant and avid readers. This captivating book offers a terrific opportunity for classroom discussions about the many ways to tell a story and how a small number of carefully chosen words can have a huge impact. It also showcases the positive character traits of empathy resilience, courage, and responsibility.


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