Here in the Real World

Here in the Real WorldHere in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker
Published by Balzer + Bray on February 4, 2020
ISBN: 0062698958
Pages: 308
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

This is a slow burn kind of book, but it is worth the payoff. Ware is adrift in the world, more on the outside than the inside and while he is fine with that, he fears that his parents (and everyone else) want him to be “normal”. When Ware ditches Rec Camp to hang out in an abandoned church lot next door, he meets Jolene, papaya-gardener extraordinaire. Ware’s time in the lot, and his friendship with Jolene, opens his eyes to the possibility that his kind of introspection and his sense of justice can have a positive impact; his normal is needed in the world too. The book does take some time to build up steam, but once it gets rolling, the ending is hold-your-breath lovely. Recommend to your serious readers in the middle grades.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library

four-stars