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Comments Off on Not Good For Puzzles Not Good For Puzzles
We all have our happy places, right? Put me in front of a jigsaw puzzle with a good audiobook and I’m in a little piece of heaven on earth, because who could ask for anything more? (Until I get hungry. Then again, I’ve got more reserves than I used to, so that could take a while.) So there I was last night, putting together a trio of penguins and listening to the second half of Rajani LaRocca’s Red, White, and Whole–and then the blasted book made me cry.
Did you know that when you have to take off your glasses and wipe away intermittent tears, it seriously interferes with your jigsaw-puzzling ability?
Anyway. Red, White, and Whole is a beautiful book, mind–a gentle journey through the difficulties of growing up in America with immigrant parents and the resultant suspension between two worlds–but still, the tears, because MOM WITH LEUKEMIA. Thankfully, Reha’s friend situation is a positive counterpoint to her worries over her mother, and fans of 80s music will love the part it plays in Reha’s life. LaRocca’s verse novel is an incredibly worthy Newbery Honor book, and I’m terribly glad I read it.
Just–don’t read it in a situation where clear vision is essential.