Finding Orion by John David Anderson

How I Heard About It:  I am a huge fan of John David Anderson and his collection of books.  I was thrilled when I found out he had a new novel coming out in May of 2019.  Once I started I could not stop reading.  This was my first middle-grade novel for my summer reading and oh what a read it was.  


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:  
1.  *Families can be a funny thing.  Each family has it own "quirks" and the Kwirk family definitely has their own.  

2.  *No one in the family has more "eccentricities" than Papa Kwirk who is Orion's grandfather.  


3.  *When the family learns of Papa Kwirk's passing, they pack up the car and head to their grandfather's home where his sister lives and has planned his funeral.  

4.  *Orion is fascinated with his family dynamics and wants to learn as much as he can about his Papa.  He knows his father and grandfather are different, but has no idea how much.  

5.  *After a unique and fascinating funeral, the Kwirks are sent on a special scavenger hunt where they learn all about Papa Kwirk and what he held close to his heart and mind.  


What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
1.  *One of my most favorite parts of life is starting a new novel that you hope is GREAT, and when you start that story, you can tell it is going to be one heck of a read.  That happened with this book.

2.  *I enjoyed all the funny, strange, and wacky aspects of the Kwirk family.  There were several occasions when I was laughing out loud and rereading parts to take it in again.  

3.  *Despite the light-hearted and humorous moments, there were also many important and tender life-lessons.  Most of these came from discovery the "ins" and "outs" of Orion's father and grandfather.  

4.  *One of my favorite characters in the story was the great aunt.  I could totally visualize her in my head and would so enjoy hanging out with her.  

5.  *The entire journey that the family took while discovering the "true" Papa Kwirk was heart warming, important, and emotional.  I loved every bit of it!  


Who Should Read It:   This novel is going to be a wonderful addition to my John David Anderson section of my classroom library.  I think the book could be handled by a fourth, fifth, and/or sixth grade reader.  It is a bit longer of a story, so the reader will definitely need some stamina.  I'm thinking it would make for a terrific class read aloud.  It is on my long list for possibilities for read alouds during the 2019/20 school year.  Happy Reading!  


Rating:   5 STARS out of 5 Stars!