Abby, tried and true / Donna Gephart.

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Title:

Abby, tried and true / Donna Gephart.

Author:

Gephart, Donna

ISBN:

9781534440890

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

265 pages ; 22 cm

Abstract:

Abby Braverman strives to navigate seventh grade without her best friend, keep up her older brother's spirits while he undergoes cancer treatment, and figure out her surprising new feelings for the boy next door. Includes facts about testicular cancer.

Reading Level:

Ages 8-12. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Grades 4-6. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Subject Term:

Change -- Juvenile fiction.

Cancer -- Juvenile fiction.

Brothers and sisters -- Juvenile fiction.

Middle schools -- Juvenile fiction.

Schools -- Juvenile fiction.

Lesbian mothers -- Juvenile fiction.

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library	Juvenile Fiction Book Hardback	120791002874810	J GEP	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Fans of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise and Shouting at the Rain will love this "authentic and warm" ( Kirkus Reviews ) story of the bond between siblings from the award-winning author of Lily and Dunkin and The Paris Project .

When Abby Braverman's best friend, Cat, moves to Israel, she's sure it's the worst thing that could happen. But then her older brother, Paul, is diagnosed with cancer, and life upends again.

Now it's up to Abby to find a way to navigate seventh grade without her best friend, help keep her brother's spirits up during difficult treatments, and figure out her surprising new feelings for the boy next door.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

With heartfelt candor, Gephart (The Paris Project) explores the impact of a life-changing diagnosis on a close-knit Jewish family. When Abby Braverman's best friend and Florida neighbor moves to Israel the summer before their seventh grade year, Abby is sure it's the worst thing that could happen, until she learns that her own beloved older brother, Paul, 16, must undergo treatment for testicular cancer. Perpetually quiet with an interest in turtles and poetry, Abby wishes she could be as outgoing as her brother was before he got sick. If components of the exposition feel labored, Gephart's depictions of Abby's friendship with and attraction to new neighbor Conrad, her supportive family's Jewish faith, and her affectionate relationship with Paul--the close siblings joke about their moms and engage in fierce Monopoly games--provide a stable backdrop for this story, which is as much about a family's wearying experience with cancer as it is about a young girl learning to feel comfortable with herself. Ages 10--up. Agent: Tina Dubois, ICM Partners. (Mar.)

Kirkus Review

A quiet, poetry-writing, nature-loving tween learns to cope with changes and challenges during a difficult year. Twelve-year-old Abby Braverman does not feel brave. Her best friend, Cat, is moving away to Israel, and her older brother, Paul, is diagnosed with testicular cancer. Abby and Paul have their two moms, Mom Rachel and Mama Dee, for support, and Abby has her turtle, Fudge, to talk to, but with Cat gone, she doesn't have anyone else to turn to. She suffers from social anxiety at school and finds it difficult to make new friends; however, when a cute boy moves into Cat's old house next door, Abby finds herself making tentative steps toward a new friendship with him. The whole family pulls together to support Paul through surgery and chemotherapy, which is hard on all of them. With each new challenge Abby surmounts, she learns that being anxious and sensitive doesn't mean that she can't also be other things: a supportive sister, a good friend, and a brave person too. This quiet, steady story especially shines when destigmatizing Abby's social anxiety and Paul's particular form of cancer. The Bravermans are Jewish, and, as the school year goes on, they observe holidays like Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, and Passover. This representation of a close-knit modern Jewish family is authentic and warm. A touching story about finding inner strength during a challenging time. (author's note) (Fiction. 10-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Excerpts

1. The Almost-Worst Day The Almost-Worst Day Gnawing at her thumbnail while standing in the driveway and gushing sweat like an open fire hydrant, Abby watched her moms--Mom Rachel with her puffy ponytail and Mama Dee with her short, dark hair--hug Ms. Wasserman for all she was worth, while an airport shuttle van idled nearby in the street. The three women separated, wiping away tears, even though they were the strongest women Abby knew. Cat, with her silky, straight brown hair, rushed over and clutched Abby, her warm tears mingling with Abby's and Abby's with hers on both of their cheeks. Abby was memorizing how Cat felt--bony and warm; how she smelled--mango shampoo and lavender soap; and how she sounded--sniffly and sad. "Come on now, you two," Mama Dee said. Ms. Wasserman sighed. "The van driver is waiting, Catriella." "Give them another minute," Mom Rachel murmured. Eventually, the moms needed to grab the girls' shoulders to pry them apart, like separating tangled roots of garden plants, and guide them away from each other. "Don't leave," Abby whispered. It felt like a part of herself was going--the best part. Cat shook her head. "I wish--" The van driver honked. Suddenly, Cat wriggled from her mom's grip and ran back to Abby. She handed her a rectangular package. "Got this for you." "But I didn't get you anything." "I don't need anything." Cat put up a hand to wave or surrender. Abby wasn't sure which. Then Cat and her mom boarded the van, which drove down the street and was gone. Mom Rachel held on to Abby. Mama Dee held on to Mom Rachel. The three of them clung to one another like crumbling pillars, barely able to support each other. Long after her moms clasped each other's hands and went inside, Abby stood in the driveway, sweat stinging her eyes, and stared at the avocado-green house next door. The one with the red door she'd gone through hundreds of times to have dinners and sleepovers, listen to Cat practice violin, read books, bake cookies, and recently, gossip about the boys Cat liked. Cat and her mom didn't live in that house anymore. It seemed impossible that Cat wouldn't be bursting through the door to share a bit of news with Abby or join her when she walked Miss Lucy to the neighborhood park around the corner. Abby wondered if she or Cat ached more over the move and decided it was harder for the person being left behind because the other person at least had exciting new adventures ahead. "Don't you dare forget about me, Catriella Robyn Wasserman," she whispered fiercely to no one before going inside. In Abby's bedroom with the blue-and-green afghan her Bubbe Marcia had crocheted for her on the bed; her bookshelf filled with books about turtles, fantasy novels, and poetry collections from the bookstore in town; and the tank of her red-eared slider turtle, Fudge, on her desk, Abby sat on her bed and unwrapped the gift Cat had given her. She ran her fingers over the image of a forest path on the hardback journal's cover and read the quote. What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? --Mary Oliver "Good question, Mary Oliver," Abby said to the dead poet. Of course Cat had found a journal with the last line from her favorite poem--"The Summer Day." Abby would use the journal for important things, like writing poems and thoughts she wanted to share with Cat. Abby opened to the first page and poured her pain into a poem, her pen making satisfying black scars on the cream-colored surface. Going... (a poem for two voices, one of whom isn't here) Away. Please stay. Toward Israel. Please... So far, far away... Stay. From here. Excerpted from Abby, Tried and True by Donna Gephart All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.