Rating: Needs Parent Supervision but also My bookshelf

Reading Level: Late Elementary

This tear-jerker is so tender and honest that I’d let it on my bookshelf even though it needs parent supervision. Sometimes, those Newberry award people sure have good taste. Here are some of the things I like:

  • The main character, Opal, befriends the “least of these” who nobody else seems to want to be friends with.
  • Her father, the local preacher, is compassionate and kind.
  • Opal grows to accept joy and sorrow together
  • Opal’s sweet and tender personality combined with her honest, raw descriptions of how she sees things make her a n enjoyable character to follow.
  • Opal and her father develop a stronger relationship as the book unfolds.

Here are reasons why I think it needs parent supervision:

  • One of the central themes is Opal and her father grappling with the fact that Opal’s mom left them and facing the reality that she is never coming back. So this could be a tough one for kids with divorced or absent parents.
  • Alcohol: We hear that Opal’s mom was a heavy drinker, and that she & Opal’s dad often argued about it. Also, one of Opal’s adult friends admits that she also has struggled with alcohol.
  • The preacher initially is distracted by his work, but as mentioned earlier he comes “out of his shell” as the story progresses and he becomes closer & more vulnerable with his daughter.
  • Opal calls some neighborhood boys “bold headed babies” and is made to apologize.
  • Opal makes friends with a man who some kids call “retarded.” The man has been to prison for playing his guitar in public when arrested he hit a cop.
  • Opal makes friends with a woman who some kids call a witch. The woman is kind and generous, but the neighborhood boys insist. At one point, when talking about mistakes of her past, she does refer to ghosts of her mistakes. But otherwise, she is a very kind sweet old lady.
  • The librarian tell some of her family history and it involves some of the rough details of the Civil War. The Main character from her story lost his family, his home is burned when he returns, he gets all kinds of diseases while on the front lines, and it’s just a very sorrowful story. Some kids may be ready to hear that kind of stuff, and I’d say it’s very age appropriately done. But just be aware that your kid will be reading a little bit about the hardships of war when he hears this lady telling her story. I like how in the end she explains that the reality is that when there’s a war, nobody really wins.

A final note: The reading level might be appropriate for a 2nd grade, but I picked Late Elementary because some of the topics require maturity.