73.7 F
Enid
Sunday, October 6, 2024

Children’s Book Review: The Things We Miss

Author: Leah Stecher
Reviewed by Chloe Fuksa, Putnam Six Bookstore

For my children’s book this month, I picked up Leah Stecher’s debut, The Things We Miss, released in May 2024. It is intended for ages 9-12, and it certainly doesn’t shy away from some heavier topics, like grief and depression and body image. I thought that the overall message it pulls from those topics, though, was really beautiful and a good reminder, for kiddos and adults alike.

J.P. and Kevin are best friends and ardent fans of Admiral K, a fictional comic book. J.P. is frequently bullied for her size, so she tends to wear drab clothes and just exist in the background, where her classmates won’t notice her. When she discovers that her backyard treehouse has a portal that can transport her three days into the future, it seems like her problems have been solved. She’s getting teased at school? She has a math quiz coming up? Her grandpa is sick? She can time travel right through all of that. Before long though, J.P.’s using the portal every single day. She doesn’t want to have to deal with any of the hard parts of life; it’s easier to just skip them. The effects of that, though, are her grades are failing, her friendships are crumbling, and she’s missing out on a lot of fun moments too. When she inadvertently skips over the Admiral K movie premiere that she and Kevin have been looking forward to for months, it’s the wake-up call she needs.

Perhaps it was just me, but the first part of the book was a little hard to get into. I thought, too, that the story could have used a little more humor to balance out the heavy topics. Again, though, as the book says, you can’t go downhill without having to go uphill too. Life is both the good and the bad, and therein lies its beauty. The Things We Miss isn’t a perfect book, but it is a pretty solid debut, and I think it can really resonate with a lot of youngsters.

Visit us in Sunset Plaza or call 580-297-5089 to get your copy of The Things We Miss today!

Chloe Fuksa
Chloe Fuksahttp://putnamsix.com
Chloe Fuksa is the owner of Putnam Six Bookstore, located in Sunset Plaza. Like many others in her hometown, Chloe was sad to see Hastings close and decided to open a local independent bookstore in October 2018. Chloe loves that books can comfort you and teach you, they can make you laugh and make you cry, they can transport you to faraway places and inspire your wildest dreams.

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR

FOLLOW ENID MONTHLY

6,000FansLike
184FollowersFollow
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Latest Articles