Helpful Score: 3
I read a lot of YA, but typically on the higher end of the grade level. The issues are usually complex and often darker so I was a little surprised when I discovered this title was actually geared towards younger readers. Still, realistic fiction but the treatment is softer and hopeful. Plucked from a loving, nurturing home in Georgia and transplanted to a crowded though loving household in Chicago, Patrice is a bright student but a social outcast. With a chance to earn scholarship to a prestigious boarding school, she focuses on her chance to leave a place she doesnt fit in. Luckily, Monty befriends Patrice. Monty is tough on the outside and sensitive on the inside. Along the way, he taps into something good in himself.
Over the course of tutoring Montys younger brother, Michael, and learning to enjoy her growing friendship with Monty, our protagonist gets a much need boost of self-esteem. There must be drama though, and there is enough to keep readers interested. Wasnt what I had expected, but pleasantly surprised. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Jones work.
Over the course of tutoring Montys younger brother, Michael, and learning to enjoy her growing friendship with Monty, our protagonist gets a much need boost of self-esteem. There must be drama though, and there is enough to keep readers interested. Wasnt what I had expected, but pleasantly surprised. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Jones work.
