One Letter, one tiny letter sent out to all the parents of 4th, 8th and 11th grade students in New Jersey, is what shakes up what might be a normal year for Jeffery.
Maybe it's more than the letter. Maybe it's the fact that his hero, aka his brother,
quit life to go off to Africa to play the drums. Maybe it's the fact that while he is a cancer survivor, and in full remission, he still has to deal with "late effects" from the treatments, including the inability to focus, and nerve damage to his foot. Maybe it's the fact that Math hasn't made sense to Jeffery since being able to go back to school in 4th grade.
Maybe it's the new girl from California Lindsey who seems to like him.
No, it is that letter stating that all 8th graders must pass a state administered test to pass to the next grade that really gets Jeffery in some big trouble. The letter came to his parents, but he opened it. And after reading it a few times to get the gist of what the letter meant he knew it would mean a year of math prep and praying to pass the test to get into high school. So Jeffery did what any kid would do, put it in the garbage disposal where no one would think to look for it.
Jeffery's adventures in 8th grade are both hysterical and touching. Jordan Sonnenblick (once again) balances humor and sentimentality in a way that makes After Ever After read like real life. You'll laugh till you cry, and then you'll need Kleenex because you are crying. A must read for fans of Sonnenblick's Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie (yep, this is that Jeffery), and all fans of realistic fiction.
I'll see you @ the library!
Katie (Reading Last Summer of the Death Warriors)
Maybe it's more than the letter. Maybe it's the fact that his hero, aka his brother,
quit life to go off to Africa to play the drums. Maybe it's the fact that while he is a cancer survivor, and in full remission, he still has to deal with "late effects" from the treatments, including the inability to focus, and nerve damage to his foot. Maybe it's the fact that Math hasn't made sense to Jeffery since being able to go back to school in 4th grade.Maybe it's the new girl from California Lindsey who seems to like him.
No, it is that letter stating that all 8th graders must pass a state administered test to pass to the next grade that really gets Jeffery in some big trouble. The letter came to his parents, but he opened it. And after reading it a few times to get the gist of what the letter meant he knew it would mean a year of math prep and praying to pass the test to get into high school. So Jeffery did what any kid would do, put it in the garbage disposal where no one would think to look for it.
Jeffery's adventures in 8th grade are both hysterical and touching. Jordan Sonnenblick (once again) balances humor and sentimentality in a way that makes After Ever After read like real life. You'll laugh till you cry, and then you'll need Kleenex because you are crying. A must read for fans of Sonnenblick's Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie (yep, this is that Jeffery), and all fans of realistic fiction.
I'll see you @ the library!
Katie (Reading Last Summer of the Death Warriors)
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