The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall

Shelley Pearsall’s The Seventh Most Important Thing sneaks up on you. What starts out as a story about a 7^th grade boy who is assigned by a judge to help the local junk man turns out to be a story with themes as profound as redemption. It also approaches the topic of outsider art, which is unusual for children’s fiction, and subtly suggests the existence of fine lines between mental illness, creativity and spiritual inspiration. Then, just as the reader has settled into this quasi-philosophical realm, he is shifted back into the world of realistic fiction, with a protagonist who has matured, and whose family situation has improved.

Arthur Owens’ father has recently died in a motorcycle accident. Spotting the elderly neighborhood junk man wearing his father’s hat, Arthur takes out his anger with the world on the man by throwing a brick at him. Hearing about the boy’s motivation, the junk man, whose name is James Hampton, convinces the juvenile court judge to assign Arthur the task of helping him in his junk collection, instead of a more traditional disciplinary choice. It turns out that James Hampton is collecting very specific types of junk, the seven most important things referred to in the title, some of which go on to hold symbolic meaning for Arthur. Arthur eventually discovers that the junk man is using these seven things to assemble a work of art entitled The Throne of the Third Heaven, in a rented garage. This part of the story is based on a real artist of the same name, whose masterpiece is now housed in Washington, D.C. at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Arthur’s nerdy sidekick, Reginald, and probation Officer Billie are likeable seconday characters.

This book will appeal to a wide audience of children and younger teens who enjoy realistic fiction and stories of friendship, including those featuring male characters such as Rebecca Stead’s Liar and Spy.  It will also appeal to readers of books with a mild fantasy element such as Wendy Mass’ series that began with Eleven Birthdays. The plotline and theme of redemption bears strong similarity to Neal Shusterman’s young adult novel, The Schwa Was Here. Recommended. 2015

D. Rosen-Perez

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Rain Reign joins the new and growing genre of literature told from the point of view of a young person with autism.  Ann Martin’s newest work also joins the ranks of other realistic fiction books featuring young protagonists who, despite absent or sub-optimal parenting, manage to thrive due to the support and intervention of another relative, educator, or community member. Rain Reign is also a story of a girl and her dog.  Many middle grade readers will find this to be a winning combination, particularly given Martin’s expert writing and character development.

The reader quickly enters the mind and life of Rose, a young girl who is fascinated by homonyms and prime numbers. These fascinations make for some interesting wordplay. Identifying homonyms is a source of joy for Rose that the reader gets to experience vicariously. Conversely, when Rose becomes anxious and agitated, the mention of prime numbers grows in frequency. Rose also occasionally addresses the reader directly to charming effect, with instructions to skip to another chapter, lest we not share the protagonist’s enthusiasm for homonyms, for example.

In many ways the strongest part of this book is the beginning, which is the more character-driven portion of the novel. Things become less interesting when Rose’s dog, Rain, runs away during a storm, she and her uncle set about finding her, and complications ensue. Perhaps this is because this plot-driven portion of the book seems less original, and reminiscent of a section of Kate DiCamillo’s excellent Because of Winn-Dixie. It could also be said that Rose’s obsession with prime numbers is not a new literary idea, given that in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, also a book about a young person with high functioning autism, the topic of prime numbers is also explored, even providing the pattern with which to number the chapters. To be fair, the question of whether people with Asperger Syndrome (which is how Rose identifies herself) have an affinity for prime numbers is a topic of discussion readily found on the Internet, so perhaps both of these authors are simply displaying their research acumen in giving both of their characters this trait. Similarly, reading about the super-storm (named Susan in this work of fiction, but inspired by Hurricane Irene of 2011 according to an author’s note) through Rose’s eyes recalls the protagonist of Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, a post 9-11 work of fiction that also features a young protagonist who is presumed to have autism. This reader was left wondering whether employing the astute musings of a child with autism as a lens through which to view catastrophic events (climate change, terrorism) might be a new literary device.

On a sunnier note, the character and voice of Rose are among many positive and creative aspects of this novel. The description of the interaction between Rose and her classroom aide, Mrs. Leibler, and Rose’s employment of “conversation starters,” in contrast with the more organic drawing together of Rose and her peers through her dog’s appearance at school and sparks of connection with her classmate Parvani all offer a window into Rose’s world. Having the opportunity to experience this world is a very satisfying experience for the reader. 2014

D. Rosen-Perez

I Represent Sean Rosen by Jeff Baron

I Represent Sean Rosen

Say you're a kid with a great idea -- a really, really great idea -- that you want to sell to Hollywood.  Then you find out that they won't pay any attention to you unless you have an agent, but you're just a kid, and you can't afford an agent.  What can you do?  If you're Sean Rosen, you just invent one!

This book, told in the first person, perfectly describes Sean's life and thoughts as he develops "Dan Welch," agent for Sean Rosen.  We never even learn what Sean's really big idea is, because he decides to start with a trial run, selling a movie idea.  The fact that he doesn't actually have a movie idea doesn't worry him until he unexpectedly gets a quick reply and has to come up with an idea in a hurry.  But Sean is a 13-year-old who is not easily discouraged, and he is never lacking in ideas.

This is a very entertaining book, and it's great fun to watch Sean's progress as he deals with each difficulty in negotiating with a major entertainment company.  You not only get to see his movie idea develop, you get descriptions of his parents, his friends, and his school, all told in Sean's inimitable style.  "I Represent Sean Rosen" manages to convincingly portray the thoughts of a bright 13-year-old, while at the same time serving up delightful doses of dead-pan humor. 

I greatly enjoyed reading this book, and I recommend it to anyone, especially anyone interested in someday becoming a major figure in the entertainment industry.  2013

M. Adams

Ten Good and Bad Things About My Life (So Far), by Ann M. Martin

Ten Good and Bad Things About My Life (So Far)

Realistic fiction fans who enjoyed Junie B. Jones, Ramona, and Fudge, will be quickly drawn in by the humor and insight of Pearl Littlefield, the protagonist of this new book by Ann M. Martin, author of favorite series that include Main Street and the Baby-Sitters Club. Pearl’s first writing assignment of fifth grade provides the vehicle for a sensitive and often funny tale of a summer vacation that begins with her father losing his job as an economics professor, and ends with her going into business with her best friend.  Readers will surely see themselves and their own travails in Pearl’s complaints about her older sister, Lexie, and uncertainty about how to patch things up with her best friend, JBIII, following a fight at a waterpark. 

Martin writes about the serious theme of a parent’s unemployment in a way that is thoughtful and age-appropriate, without dragging down the overall light-hearted tone of this book. Intermittent illustrations, letters, and tween-style lists add appeal to the narrative, and a section at the end of the book provides information on the New York City sites Pearl and her family visit during a staycation. The novel’s title, presumably selected to provide continuity with Martin’s first book featuring Pearl Littlefield, Ten Rules for Living with My Sister, does not accurately describe the story. This, however, is a minor weakness in an otherwise first-rate book that will be most appreciated by fourth through sixth graders. 2012

D. Rosen-Perez