Fourth Grade Journey

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

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Speechless by Adam P. Schmitt

How I Heard About It:  This new novel was shipped to me via the publisher. I was not familiar with the title and/or authors.  The cover caught my attention and I was curious to read the book.  


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:  

1.  *The story takes place over two days.  The first day finds Jimmy's family at the visitation of his cousin Patrick.  The second day occurs during the actual funeral.  

2.  *Jimmy and Patrick grew up together as their mothers are sisters.  Jimmy didn't enjoy time with Patrick because he "ruined" everything they did.  

3.  *While at the visitation, Jimmy is told by his parents that he will be speaking the next day during the service for his cousin.  

4.  *Jimmy is NOT happy about this because he has nothing positive to say and hates public speaking.

5.  *The reader gets a glimpse into the relationship between these two boys with flashbacks of incidents the two cousins experienced.  


What I Thought Of It:  This was a unique and special middle-grad novel.  The format in which the story was told was appealing and drew me into the story.  I enjoyed how the majority of the plot took place during the two days of the memorial for cousin Patrick.  Of course the reader would never have gotten to know these two characters without the flashbacks between the two characters.  Along with Jimmy, I was not a fan of Patrick and found myself frustrated with him on more than one occasion.  The writer did a tremendous job of describing the conflict that Jimmy was dealing with.  The story was both realistic and entertaining.  The book could also be described as a page-turner.  I was quite curious to find out what Jimmy would or would not say during the actual eulogy.  


Who Should Read It:   The novel hits bookstores on November 6th and I think will be a hit with readers in grades five and/or six.  I do think mature/solid readers in fourth grade could handle the story line and content.  Of course the book could also be used in a middle-school setting.  Happy Reading!  



Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars!

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