Book Pages

Saturday, July 11, 2020

Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson

How I Heard About It:
*During #ALAVirtual2020, I requested and E-ARC on the Penguin Random House site.  I was excited when I received a great BIG yes.  I downloaded the book right away, and read the entire story during an airline flight I took last week.


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:
1.  *ZJ's life consists of his loving parents, and his three best buddies.

2.  *His father has been a professional football player for years which brings a lot of attention to both ZJ's father and even himself.


3.  *ZJ begins to notice a change in his father's behavior.  At first he shrugs it off, but after awhile the behaviors get worse and worse.

4.  *He turns to both his best friends and his mother for support during the uncertain times.

5.  *ZJ must navigate a new "play" while trying to hang on to the "pass" of family he once knew.


What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
1.  *Once I started the story, I could not stop reading; good thing I was on an airplane for three hours.

2.  *As one would expect with Jacqueline Woodson's writing, this story flowed from word to word, paragraph to paragraph, and page to page.

3.  *I could feel the heart and emotion within ZJ.  He was truly an amazing character that came to life with the pages of the story.

4.  *I was thinking the memory issues were going to go in one direction, but was surprised when the author took it in another direction.

5.  *I'm so happy the talented and inspiring Jacqueline Woodson has written a beautiful and memorable middle-grade novel for many young readers to enjoy.


Who Should Read It:
*Everyone should read this book when it comes out in September 2020.  Readers in grades three through six would be perfect for the story.  I can't wait to share the book with my fourth grade class during the upcoming school year.  Happy Reading!


Rating:   5 STARS out of 5 Stars

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