Review by Booklist Review
Twelve-year-old Alex, now living with his aunt and uncle following his mother's disappearance, is court ordered to volunteer at Shady Glen, a care home, where he meets 107-year-old Joseph Kravitz, a resident who hasn't spoken in five years. Sensing a bond, Joseph begins sharing his memories with Alex, detailing his life as a Polish Jew, his incarceration at Plaszow concentration camp, and his subsequent rescue. In interspersed chapters, Joseph reveals both his own Holocaust experiences and Alex's troubled backstory. Forman (If I Stay, 2009) is a master of the slow, heart-wrenching reveal, and this story does not disappoint. Both characters feel deeply responsible for past mistakes and want to find a way to rise above them by making a good difference for others. Well-developed secondary characters add richness to the story and provide some lighter moments: Alex's social worker, Frank Johnson, puts his reputation on the line to get this second chance for Alex; Maya-Jade, a Chinese adoptee, volunteers at the home and becomes a real friend; and several other residents have comical foibles that often conceal their own past accomplishments. While the subject matter (hate crimes, antisemitism, mental illness, death) makes for some difficult reading, those who stick with this story will be richly rewarded.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Twelve-year-old, white-cued Alex's mother has been missing for almost a year. Now sleeping on a lumpy couch in the home of his indifferent aunt and uncle, Alex harbors a simmering anger that soon boils over into an act of violence. A sympathetic social worker provides Alex the opportunity to avoid juvenile detention by spending the summer working at Shady Glen Retirement Home; once there, he immediately picks a fight with another volunteer. But with limited options--and nothing better to do--he returns to Shady Glen and meets 107-year-old Josey Kravitz, a Polish Holocaust survivor who "stopped talking and waited to die" following the death of his lost love. Drawn to Alex, Josey begins telling him the story of his doomed romance with fiercely intelligent Olka, a seamstress at his family's clothing store who teaches young Josey how to sew, a skill that would save his life. Written in second person from Josey's perspective, this tale of intergenerational friendship forged through a shared understanding of loss by Forman (Frankie and Bug) is told with spellbinding grace and wrought with exquisite structuring that quietly highlights the heartrending parallels between Josey's WWII remembrances and Alex's current struggles. Ages 10--up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (Aug.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
Readers learn two things at the beginning of this novel: twelve-year-old Alex did something terrible, and he hates the word opportunity. The word has only come up in the worst moments of Alex's life, most recently when his court-mandated social worker arranges for him to volunteer over the summer at the local retirement home full of old people whom Alex thinks are "gross." At Shady Glen, Alex meets bossy kid volunteer Maya-Jade as well as 107-year-old Holocaust survivor Jozef Kravitz, who serves as the story's narrator, though he has an omniscient perspective. Jozef, who has been silent for five years, begins to share with Alex the story of Olka, the love of his life, and the hardships they endured in Nazi-occupied Poland. As Jozef opens up, so does Alex's world; he befriends other residents and Maya-Jade and learns to look beyond the pain, anger, and self-loathing that have been churning inside him ever since his mother's disappearance and his kinship foster care placement. Forman crafts a unique story, told in the voice of a wiser, older character; everything feels close and personal, from Alex's present to Jozef's past. She captures the quietly powerful moments of feeling seen and known, how friendships can make a bleak life feel fresh with possibilities, and how a person's worst moments need not shape their future. Amanda R. ToledoSeptember/October 2024 p.73 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The boy "did something bad. Truly bad." A 107-year-old narrator speaks directly to someone named Olka, saying the stories in the book are about "me and you" as well as the boy, Alex (who presents white). What follows is an intense dual narrative that moves between the speaker's tragic life during the Holocaust and contemporary 12-year-old Alex's tale of loss and its aftermath. Alex's mother has disappeared, and he lives with an aunt and uncle who don't want him. His resentment, self-loathing, and all-consuming anger cause him to commit a violent act, "the Incident," for which he's arrested. His social worker arranges community service at Shady Glen Retirement Home, where he meets the narrator, Joseph "Josey" Kravitz, who keeps to himself and hasn't spoken in five years. But he's drawn to Alex and decides to share his story. When Alex's terrible Incident is finally disclosed, readers will grasp its gravity. Both storylines are filled with misunderstandings, tragedy, horrible acts of hatred, and selfless acts of bravery, which affect the protagonists in profound ways. As they realize that they have much in common, both Alex and Josey learn they can "rise to the occasion of [their] lives." Best-selling award winner Forman interweaves the tales carefully, with striking language and depth of feeling, allowing readers to understand the characters' changing perspectives as they learn more about themselves and open up to people around them, many of whom become advocates and friends. Powerful, heartbreaking, and hopeful. (author's note, bibliography, further reading) (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
