Kim Reads Books About Things

As an adult (sorta) this book is a sweet look back at a year when everything seems huge. If I were seven I would herald this book as a masterful commentary on the complexities of modern elementary school life and family relations at a young age. (Granted, I would have to be a pretty genius seven-year-old to do that. In all seriousness, little ones will LOVE this like they love Ramona.) Deceptively simple and even miraculous. I've never seen anyone capture second grade like Henkes. And how lovely it is to have a functioning family unit on the page again! (Billy has the coolest dad.) I only wish that there was more time in the elementary school setting... and that somebody directly called Emma out for being a brat! (The structure kinda faltered because of the school sections, though every section had its wonderful parts and it mostly comes together in the end.) A lovely choice for a younger-aiming Newbery Honor book.