The Children’s Book Review | December 15, 2013
By Gerald Walker; Illustrated by Jesse Bergin
E-Book: 61 pages
Age Range: 12 and up
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services (October 14, 2013)
ASIN: B00FX6OIPO
What to expect: Pets, Dogs, Fish, Siblings, Family, Loss of a Pet
I Wish Raisins Could Float is a quirky short story for middle grade readers, which explores the hardship of losing a pet.
Like most children, fourteen-year-old Allison and her eight-year-old brother Caleb are desperate for a pet, but their father is completely against the idea—he prefers a house of order and free from clutter. Their mother manages to engineer a plan: while their father gets a new set of golf clubs, the children end up with their desired pets. Allison loves her dog, a fluffy Pomeranian—even though she has a static electricity condition that means she can’t actually pet it. Caleb prefers his pet goldfish who he decides to take for a walk—well we all know a fish out of water is not a good idea and so ensues many interesting escapades that involve a decaying but well-loved dead fish.
Each chapter of this short story adds a new layer, strengthening the story development along the way and giving insight to each family member and their interesting personalities. While the author, Gerald Walker, has fun with the exploration of his characters, he manages to weave a delicate yarn that displays the hard task of letting go of a loved pet—he also shows something less obvious: dysfunctional families still operate with love. The added visual element of the illustrations provide a little more depth to the pages and help propel the text and the imagination of the reader.
This is a book to be enjoyed by kids ages twelve and up, that enjoy a little hint of sci-fi and unpredictable humor.
Add this book to your collection: I Wish Raisins Could Float
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