Lu is a perfect conclusion to this series!
This book falls squarely in the "middle grade" range, as the drug addiction of tertiary characters play a central role in character and plot development. It's made clear that drug addiction is an illness that requires treatment, and that addiction causes pain and suffering not only to the person, but to their friends and family as well.
As an albino, Lu has experienced his fair share of bullying. Young readers who are teased for being different in some way can hopefully find a connection with Lu, who learns to view bullying in a new perspective that helps build his maturity and confidence.
Like Sunny, Lu cries. And other characters cry, too. Tears might not be flowing freely, but tears are wiped away, people sniffle. I think it's just so important for young readers, especially boys, to see that crying is a natural form of emotional expression, and it's not a sign of weakness.
I love the way this book handles bullies. One of my biggest pet peeves in children's books is when a bully is one-dimensional. Sure, the protagonist needs an antagonist, but more often than not, the bully is simply a thoroughly mean person used to drive the story. Realistically though, I'm guessing that not all bullies are sociopaths, maybe they are just regular people who have a whole lot going on in their own lives that they don't know how to process, and so they act out in an effort to have some semblance of control and power. Anyway, that's what we see in this book, and it's a powerful depiction of relationships and responsibilities and integrity.
As the finale of the series, the book does a great job tying in Ghost, Sunny, and Patty, so you can feel there is a kind of closure to all their stories.
No comments:
Post a Comment