Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Greetings from Witness Protection by Jake Burt

How I Heard About It:  This title came to me via my #bookexpedition reading group on Twitter.  I was fascinated by the cover, title, and the whole story.  Took me a bit longer to read than I would have liked, but that day job thing can certainly get in the way of my reading life.  

What It Is About:  Nicki is an orphan who has spent her life bouncing from foster home to foster home.  During her latest stint, she has become a "leader" of the other foster kids in the home she is spending time at.  One of her secrets is that she is an expert "pick-pocket".  When U.S. Marshals arrive at the foster home, Nicki has no idea how quickly her life is about to change.  They "hire" her to become a member of a family that needs to go into the Witness Protection program.  The family consists of a mother, father, and one son.  In order to hide them from the criminals that may or may not be "chasing" them, they bring in a second child to divert the attention from the actual/real family.  Nicki goes through extensive training and learns how to change her identity and how she can save this family.  The four of them relocate and begin a new life together.  At first Nicki loves her new identity, but as time moves forward she realizes it isn't always easy to run from your past.  

What I Thought Of It:  As I posted on various social media, I found this story to be unique, different, and quite the fun read.  The plot was engaging.  The characters were fascinating.  The action never stopped.  I liked the fact that Nicki wasn't a "perfect" young child, but yet was able to help this family in need.  She was real, strong, and the perfect protagonist for this story.  There were plenty of surprises along the way which kept me guessing until the very end of the book.  

Who Should Read It:   A perfect read for students in grades four, five, and six.  I'm thinking the novel would make for an excellent read aloud because of the suspense, action, and intrigue.  Of course individual readers will also eat up the story.  Middle-school readers would also be an appropriate audience for the novel.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars

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