I love to read Susan's thoughtful, intelligent reviews at
Bloggin' 'bout Books. An added bonus of reading Susan's reviews of my own releases is that she's read
all of my published books--she's got the complete picture of the scope of my work so far, and writes reviews with an understanding of who I am as an author (rather than just writing a review of one specific novel).
I had to share her lovely review of THE JUNCTION in full:
Living with a trash hauler may not sound very glamorous, but Auggie
Jones loves it. Her Grandpa Gus finds all kinds of treasures and plenty
of adventures in his line of work. Auggie adores her grandpa and can't
imagine him having a cooler job. She doesn't care that Gus makes
little money or that they live in a rundown section of town of Willow
Grove, Missouri—she's happy.
When a brand new elementary school opens, Auggie and her friends are
forced to attend. Mingling with kids they don't know, many of whom make
fun of them for having no money, Auggie realizes for the first time
just how poor she and Gus really are. For the first time, she feels
ashamed of her shabby clothes, ramshackle neighborhood and, especially,
Gus' less-than-elegant trash hauling job. Apparently, Auggie's former
best friend feels the same way because ever since they started fifth
grade, Lexie has been ignoring her.
It seems as if things can't get any worse for Auggie—until they do. The
father of one of her wealthy classmates launches an aggressive town
beautification project targeting homes like the one Auggie shares with
Gus. If the homeowners do not comply with improvement "suggestions,"
they will be slapped with an enormous fine. Auggie knows people in her
part of town can't afford to fix up their houses, let alone pay
exorbitant fees to the city. Desperate to save her neighborhood, Auggie
starts her own project. But what begins as an effort to beautify her
part of towns becomes a crusade to answer some important questions:
What is beauty? What is art? And why should one person's opinion on
the matters outweigh another's? As Auggie finds the answers for
herself, she realizes an undeniable truth—beauty exists all around her,
even if she's the only one who can see it.
The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky, the first middle grade novel from YA author
Holly Schindler,
offers a quirky, upbeat story about one girl's determination to be
heard. It's a sweet tale, one that resounds with both spunk and heart.
Kids of all ages will relate to Auggie's feelings of otherness and
celebrate as she discovers not just herself, but her own voice.
Triumphant and compelling, this is one of those books that will make
you cheer. And look a little bit closer for the unique beauty in all of
us.