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.