No more homework,
No more books,
No more teacher’s dirty looks!
So begins the rhyme of summertime. Lazy days with nothing to do. No school projects. No schoolwork. No school activities. Time to read what *I* want. Time to do the things *I* want to do.
And I choose to read a book with the word “school” in the title. Go figure.
This book was on my “unfinished business” list from 2009, and has happened before, I checked it out from the library only to discover that I have, in fact, read it already. Or at least, I’ve read part of it already. Those slippery brain cells of mine had no recollection of the ending so I either finished the book while I was sleeping, or never got all the way through it the first time.
I’m going with the latter option, although the first one isn’t beyond the scope of possibility.
As is the case with most books, the content was overhyped on the book jacket. While a pleasant read, and one definitely enjoyed, there was no deep meaning, no lasting impact, no resonating message. Katie, a pre-pubescent girl of 12 (“almost 15” as she describes herself in the book), moves to Missouri with her father, a lifelong military man. Distant and somewhat abusive, he busies himself with work, leaving Katie to find her own way through the tumultuous changes of adolescence.
Told from Katie’s point of view, the author is skillful at weaving a tale that is both realistic and believable. Katie’s voice resonates with those who have experienced the thrill of a first crush and believed it to be true love. We empathize with her passion, her dreams, and her struggle to find herself in a world that is both cruel and beautiful.
Light and easy, this book was a perfect way to start off my summertime reading. Even if it was about school.