Title: Almost Forever
Author: Marie Testa
# Of Pages: 80
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: August 11, 2003
Level: Ages 9+
Rating: 2 Hearts
Synopsis
(From Goodreads.com)
A spare, lyrical -
and ultimately heartening - novel about one family’s experience during the
Vietnam War that has much to say to a new generation of readers.
Doctors don’t fight; doctors heal. But when the young
narrator of Maria Testa’s lyric novel watches her father march off to serve a
year in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, a year seems like a very long time. A year
is a long time when you’re waiting for letters, waiting for word. A year seems
endless when you don’t know where your father is anymore. A year is almost
forever when you’re wondering . . . and forgetting.
My Verdict
Almost Forever is a historical fiction book for young
readers about a father going off to war in Vietnam and how his family,
particularly his daughter, deal with and feel about the situation.
“I never cared much
about the mail
before,
never cared much
about the envelopes and packages
that were never meant
for me.
But Daddy wrote to us
every day
from Vietnam
and that changed
everything.”
The story is told from the point of view of a six-year-old
girl whose name we never even learn. Since the story has such a young narrator,
it was interesting too see how much she understood of what was going on around
her. While I thought she grasped it really well for one so young, there were
some points where you could see she didn’t fully understand. Like when she talks
about her mom watching the news every night and how she thinks it’s because
she’s in love with the News anchor.
Never the less, it only took ten minutes to read so you
really can’t go wrong.
I had a problem with the narrator's age. I wish that she was older so we could delve more into her feelings about her father's absence.
ReplyDeleteYour last sentence made me laugh!
I remember that from your review, but her age wasn't something that bothered me. I just felt the whole thing was too abrupt and didn't really connect on any level.
DeleteYeah, ten minutes? Totally worth reading. Actually, this sounds like something that would be great in a class to supplement a Vietnam unit--maybe in social studies. I'll have to pass along the title.
ReplyDeleteGood idea, I think this book could work nicely as a classroom supplement for a study on Vietnam. Glad to hear you'll be passing on the title =)
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