As if the fighting going in during World War II wasn't enough, the tumultuous life at the MacGregor makes eleven-year-old Les want to run away. It doesn't help that the school bully has made sure nobody wants to be around him.
When his family sees his older brother James off at the train station as he heads off to join the war effort, Les uses the opportunity to escape to the one place he feels loved. His other two brothers later join him as his alcoholic parents try to pick up the pieces of their troubled life.
While the story explores the problems of a dysfunctional family and brings attention to attention deficit order in a beautiful, sensitive way, the constant shifts in points of view, sometimes several times in a chapter, can jar and confuse the reader. The young adult reader may see some of his own family in the novel but may struggle to stay fully connected to the characters.
Rating: Good to Recommended ★★★1/2
Publishing Information:
Publisher: Windy City Publishing (March 2012)
ISBN: 9781935766148
Pages 276
Ages: 11 and up
Book can be purchased from the following retailers:
*Middle-grade historical fiction with Christian themes (WWII)
*13-year-old girl as main character
*Rating: Last Page in the Diary will really appeal to girls who like historical fiction and like writing in their diaries. It is a great book to use in a home school or Christian school setting as so many tweens deal with this question: “How can God let bad things happen?” This book is especially great because it also teaches about history!
Short, short summary:
(From the
Guardian Angel Publishing website (sorry! I am pressed for time tonight.): “Thirteen-year-old Patricia (Pat) Kelly bargains with God. If He will bring her best friend Mike (Yoshi Mizuki) home from a desert (Japanse Internment) prison camp and make things like they were before the war, maybe she can start trusting Him again. The war ends, but hate and persecution continue.” (There’s also a part of this book written in journal style!)
So what do I do with this book?
1. If students do not know much about the period of history this book covers, then have them research different things mentioned in the book, such as Pearl Harbor Day or the Japanese Internment Camps. Students can write reports, do Power Point presentations, create posters, or some other way to share information with students.
2. Have readers ever felt the way Pat or Mike do in the novel–either with their relationship with God or as a victim of bullying/racism? These are great journal writing topics and discussion topics for tweens. Through the characters in this book, tweens may feel more comfortable talking about and/or writing about these issues and comparing/contrasting their experiences with the ones in the novel.
3. If students were involved in an essay contest, what would they write about? And why? You can even hold your own essay contest if you want to. . .:)
