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Overview
Trudy's parents are older than other kids' parents-Trudy's mom was fifty-three when Trudy was born. Now, as Trudy enters middle school, her parents are in their sixties and seventies. They are so old, in fact, that most people mistake them for her grandparents. As if that isn't complicated enough, Trudy's also having a hard time at school. Math class isn't going so well, and Ashley-who she pinky swore she would always be best friends with-has ditched her for a new crowd. Life at Benavidez Middle School is an adjustment, and she misses the way her life used to be.As the school year goes on, Trudy finds a new best friend-the straight-talking Roshanda-has her first serious crush on a boy, and gets used to life with lockers and class schedules. But just when things are getting better at school, Trudy and Ma notice that Pop is acting funny-he forgets to pick Trudy up from school and stants to put grooeries away in the bathroom. Soon, Trudy and her mother embark on a quest to find out what is wrong.
Synopsis
Trudy's having a hard time at school: math class isn't going well, and her best friend, the one she pinky-swore she would always be friends with, has found a new group to hang out with. To top things off, her parents are old — really old — and while she loves them with all her heart, she dislikes it when other people mistake them for her grandparents. When Trudy's father starts acting strangely, Trudy and her mother can't figure out what the problem is. But when he forgets to pick Trudy up from school and starts to put groceries away in the wrong place, they decide to take him to the doctor. Once Trudy's father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Trudy and her mother are faced with some tough decisions.
This is a touching, beautifully told story that young people relate to, particularly those who have parents or grandparents dealing with an illness. Trudy’s challenges and her strength in dealing with them make her a heroine with whom young readers identify.
Catherine Gilmore-Clough - VOYA
Trudy's parents are not just old; they are ancient. They were fifty-three and sixty-two when they had Trudy, and as she enters middle school, her Ma and Pop are generally assumed to be her grandparents. As Trudy deals with the issues of adolescence-fitting in, making new friends, and figuring out algebra-she must face something her classmates will not soon experience in the gradual decline of a loved parent. Her best friend, Roshanda; an encouraging teacher; and her courageous mother support Trudy as she struggles with these challenges and as her comfortable family unit becomes irreversibly altered. This debut effort is the winner of the Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature and is a respectable effort as an Alzheimer's related story. Unlike others of the genre, it does not rely on dire circumstances to give weight to the story, nor does it read like a medical pamphlet. Trudy's Pop losing his passion for his beloved garden and forgetting who his only daughter is provides plenty of drama. Brief chapters provide insight into key moments but sometimes lack coherence and flow. Trudy's parents are thinly drawn and difficult to connect with. Female readers whose families are struggling with an Alzheimer's patient might gain comfort from the story, but others are unlikely to be enthusiastic. Barbara Park's The Graduation of Jake Moon (Atheneum/S & S, 2000) may be a better suggestion for boys. VOYA CODES: 2Q 2P M (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2005, Milkweed Editions, 169p., and Trade pb. Ages 11 to 14.
Editorials
Children's Literature
Trudy White's middle school career is not going particularly well. Her best friend has dumped her, her math grades stink, and everyone at school, including her teacher, thinks her parents are her grandparents because they are so old. Trudy's math teacher tells her that she is in danger of being put into a lower math class if she can't pull her grades up. Luckily, Trudy is befriended by Roshanda, nicknamed "Tower" because she is so tall. Roshanda is a math whiz and, in the course of tutoring Trudy, the two become fast friends. While things at school improve, Trudy's home life is changing. Her father, who is more than 70, begins to exhibit troubling signs of forgetfulness and is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In a very short period of time, life changes dramatically for Trudy. Instead of being cared for by her father, she is the one who helps her mother care for him. By portraying Trudy's relationship with her aging and ill father, author Jessica Lee Anderson offers a tender and interesting twist on the traditional awkward-middle-school experience, and introduces middle readers to the concepts of aging and mortality in a sensitive and thoughtful way. 2005, Milkweed Editions, Ages 9 up.—Lauri Berkenkamp
VOYA
Trudy's parents are not just old; they are ancient. They were fifty-three and sixty-two when they had Trudy, and as she enters middle school, her Ma and Pop are generally assumed to be her grandparents. As Trudy deals with the issues of adolescence-fitting in, making new friends, and figuring out algebra-she must face something her classmates will not soon experience in the gradual decline of a loved parent. Her best friend, Roshanda; an encouraging teacher; and her courageous mother support Trudy as she struggles with these challenges and as her comfortable family unit becomes irreversibly altered. This debut effort is the winner of the Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature and is a respectable effort as an Alzheimer's related story. Unlike others of the genre, it does not rely on dire circumstances to give weight to the story, nor does it read like a medical pamphlet. Trudy's Pop losing his passion for his beloved garden and forgetting who his only daughter is provides plenty of drama. Brief chapters provide insight into key moments but sometimes lack coherence and flow. Trudy's parents are thinly drawn and difficult to connect with. Female readers whose families are struggling with an Alzheimer's patient might gain comfort from the story, but others are unlikely to be enthusiastic. Barbara Park's The Graduation of Jake Moon (Atheneum/S & S, 2000) may be a better suggestion for boys. VOYA CODES: 2Q 2P M (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2005, Milkweed Editions, 169p., and Trade pb. Ages 11 to 14.—Catherine Gilmore-Clough