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Today is my Dad’s 80th birthday, which feels a little crazy. It’s also my friend Kim’s birthday, my friend-who’s-now-in-heaven Lisa’s birthday, and my friend Bethanne’s birthday. Oddly enough, I don’t have any friends who share my Mom’s birthday…
Anyway. I’ve been bad about bedtimes and am DETERMINED to be better tonight, so here’s my review without further ado. You know how Rob Buyea’s “Mr. Terupt” books make you cry? And how his “Perfect” series does, too? Well–don’t expect anything different with his new standalone, What Comes Next. In it, 12-year-old Thea is still (silently) reeling from her best friend’s death; her whole family worries about her, but it isn’t until Jack-Jack the puppy makes a purposeful entrance into her life that she begins to find her way through her grief. Thea is relatable, Jack-Jack is fabulous even if (like me) you don’t actually LIKE dogs, and their journey made me laugh out loud AND cry, which is par for the course with Buyea. My 12-year-old says she wants to read it even though her classmate’s recent death made me wonder, so we’ll see how she does; you, however, should definitely check it out.
And now, to bed! Or least, to the process of going to bed…