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Firegirl #2
The Great Jeff
Perfect for fans of Gary D. Schmidt comes the companion to the modern classic Firegirl from acclaimed writer Tony Abbott.
Life hasn't been great for Jeff Hicks. After years at his beloved St. Catherine's, he's forced to spend eighth grade in the public middle school, which he hates. He's no longer speaking to his former best friend, Tom Bender, because of "that burned girl" Jessica Feeney. But worst of all, his family is changing, and it's not for the better.
When his mom comes home announcing that she's lost her job, Jeff begins to worry about things far beyond his years: How will they pay the rent? Will his absentee dad step up and save the day? Is his mom drinking too much? And ultimately, where will they live?
The Great Jeff is a powerful look at the life of a troubled boy who finds his life spiraling out of control.
Life hasn't been great for Jeff Hicks. After years at his beloved St. Catherine's, he's forced to spend eighth grade in the public middle school, which he hates. He's no longer speaking to his former best friend, Tom Bender, because of "that burned girl" Jessica Feeney. But worst of all, his family is changing, and it's not for the better.
When his mom comes home announcing that she's lost her job, Jeff begins to worry about things far beyond his years: How will they pay the rent? Will his absentee dad step up and save the day? Is his mom drinking too much? And ultimately, where will they live?
The Great Jeff is a powerful look at the life of a troubled boy who finds his life spiraling out of control.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published March 19, 2019
About the author
Tony Abbott
205 books399 followersTony Abbott (born 1952) is an American author of children's books. His most popular work is the book series The Secrets of Droon, which includes over 40 books. He has sold over 12 million copies of his books and they have been translated into several other languages, including Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. He has also written the bestseller Firegirl.
Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952. His father was a university professor and had an extensive library of books which became one of Abbott's first sources of literature. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Connecticut where he went through elementary school and high school.
Abbott attended the University of Connecticut, and after studying both music and psychology, decided to study English and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in English literature. He attended the workshops of Patricia Reilly Giff to further develop his writing after college.
Abbott currently lives in Trumbull, Connecticut, with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. Tony had one brother and two sisters.
Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952. His father was a university professor and had an extensive library of books which became one of Abbott's first sources of literature. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Connecticut where he went through elementary school and high school.
Abbott attended the University of Connecticut, and after studying both music and psychology, decided to study English and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in English literature. He attended the workshops of Patricia Reilly Giff to further develop his writing after college.
Abbott currently lives in Trumbull, Connecticut, with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. Tony had one brother and two sisters.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 24, 2018
Soooooooooooo sad!! I love how it shows life at a different perspective.... I understand much more now a person in this story situation feels. Now I want to do anything to help people who are in this kind or f situation. This is one of my favorite books, and I would do anything to help Jeff and other people in the same case as him. Yes, his mother drinks too much, but that is one of the things that bring the story together. The end was so sad, but the author did a great job making me so sympathetic for Jeff. This author really did a great job with the book, and I want to read other books by him if there are. One f my favorite books.
February 10, 2019
Interest Level: 3-6
Have you ever wished that your friends knew what problems you were going through, yet at the same time you want to hide from your friends the problems you are going through? This is exactly what is happening to Jeff Hicks. Jeff spent his seventh grade year at St. Catherine's Catholic School with his best friend, Tom. Now Jeff begins his eight grade year in public school with no best friend. Jeff's parents have gone through a bitter divorce and they can not afford to pay for private school anymore. He has lost his beloved school, his best friend, his grandfather, and his parents, and things are still going downhill fast. His mom has started drinking more and more, so much that she has lost her job. She is months behind on their rent and Jeff is mortified when they get evicted. Jeff's dad is no help because he is about to have a baby with his new girlfriend. He doesn't have any extra money to spare. He develops a crush on a girl in his class, but how can he even talk to her when he is always dirty and smelly and unkept? Where will Jeff and his mom go now that she has no job, no money, and is an alcoholic? Will Jeff be able to continue at his school if he is homeless? And what about his former best friend, Tom Bender? When Jeff ends up standing in front of his house will they be able to mend their ways? Read this incredible book about family issues, homelessness, new friendship, old friendship, and endurance to keep things together when everything is falling apart.
This book will grab your heart, twist it, and then tear it into a million pieces. I was not a fan of Jeff in Firegirl, however my eyes were opened and many tears fell as I read Jeff's story. I know in my own school we have homeless families and it just breaks my heart what they have to go through every day just to come to school. Some kids have so much more to worry about in their lives than just homework. I want to just wrap my arms around the kids and hold them for a long time. I want to thank Tony Abbott for this incredible, eye-opening story that will stay with you for a very long time! This is a must read, do not miss book for 2019!
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Have you ever wished that your friends knew what problems you were going through, yet at the same time you want to hide from your friends the problems you are going through? This is exactly what is happening to Jeff Hicks. Jeff spent his seventh grade year at St. Catherine's Catholic School with his best friend, Tom. Now Jeff begins his eight grade year in public school with no best friend. Jeff's parents have gone through a bitter divorce and they can not afford to pay for private school anymore. He has lost his beloved school, his best friend, his grandfather, and his parents, and things are still going downhill fast. His mom has started drinking more and more, so much that she has lost her job. She is months behind on their rent and Jeff is mortified when they get evicted. Jeff's dad is no help because he is about to have a baby with his new girlfriend. He doesn't have any extra money to spare. He develops a crush on a girl in his class, but how can he even talk to her when he is always dirty and smelly and unkept? Where will Jeff and his mom go now that she has no job, no money, and is an alcoholic? Will Jeff be able to continue at his school if he is homeless? And what about his former best friend, Tom Bender? When Jeff ends up standing in front of his house will they be able to mend their ways? Read this incredible book about family issues, homelessness, new friendship, old friendship, and endurance to keep things together when everything is falling apart.
This book will grab your heart, twist it, and then tear it into a million pieces. I was not a fan of Jeff in Firegirl, however my eyes were opened and many tears fell as I read Jeff's story. I know in my own school we have homeless families and it just breaks my heart what they have to go through every day just to come to school. Some kids have so much more to worry about in their lives than just homework. I want to just wrap my arms around the kids and hold them for a long time. I want to thank Tony Abbott for this incredible, eye-opening story that will stay with you for a very long time! This is a must read, do not miss book for 2019!
Follow me:
Blog - Blazer Tales - https://blazertales.com/
Facebook - Laurie’s Library Place - https://www.facebook.com/LauriesLibra...
Instagram - laurieslibrary - https://www.instagram.com/laurieslibr...
Twitter - @laurieevans27 https://twitter.com/laurieevans27?lan...
Goodreads - Laurie Purser - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1...
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/auburngirl2...
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCulD...
January 9, 2019
“I was five when I saw my first person die.”
That’s how Tony Abbott begins this amazing book about a boy shouldering the burdens of his parents. Jeff’s mother is an alcoholic who never got over her father’s death. Now she can’t hold down a job. The rent is way overdue. His dad bailed when his mom’s dysfunction got to be too much. When Jeff tracks him down, he explains why he left.
“You see yourself better when you’re in a different place. The way your life is going. And you can change it. Rearrange things. Leave. Clear all the noise out. Clutter, that’s what it is.”
Jeff’s dad can leave behind the clutter, but Jeff can’t. He can’t make his mom stop drinking. He can’t help her get a job. He can’t keep her from “selling off the furniture like body parts.” He can act like the adult. He can hope. But in the end, he’s at the mercy of others. No matter how much he tries to head off the shame, it will eventually catch up with him. He can try to keep the seedy hotels and homeless shelters under wraps from his friends, but the dirty clothes, unwashed hair, and hunger can only be hidden for so long.
This book is Abbott at his best. He packs it with subtleties, metaphors, and literary connections. There’s so much to analyze. There’s the clutter theme introduced by his dad and the hope theme introduced through the class reading of The House on Mango Street.
The clutter theme comes full circle. “No matter how much you get rid of, you’re always there, bringing yourself with you wherever you go, cluttering up your own space.”
House on Mango Street theme: “I’m here right now. I might even love this place now. But someday, when it’s not right, I can leave. I’m not stuck here.
Brilliant. Can’t recommend this book enough. Kids will love it. And if you need a good book club selection, look no further.
That’s how Tony Abbott begins this amazing book about a boy shouldering the burdens of his parents. Jeff’s mother is an alcoholic who never got over her father’s death. Now she can’t hold down a job. The rent is way overdue. His dad bailed when his mom’s dysfunction got to be too much. When Jeff tracks him down, he explains why he left.
“You see yourself better when you’re in a different place. The way your life is going. And you can change it. Rearrange things. Leave. Clear all the noise out. Clutter, that’s what it is.”
Jeff’s dad can leave behind the clutter, but Jeff can’t. He can’t make his mom stop drinking. He can’t help her get a job. He can’t keep her from “selling off the furniture like body parts.” He can act like the adult. He can hope. But in the end, he’s at the mercy of others. No matter how much he tries to head off the shame, it will eventually catch up with him. He can try to keep the seedy hotels and homeless shelters under wraps from his friends, but the dirty clothes, unwashed hair, and hunger can only be hidden for so long.
This book is Abbott at his best. He packs it with subtleties, metaphors, and literary connections. There’s so much to analyze. There’s the clutter theme introduced by his dad and the hope theme introduced through the class reading of The House on Mango Street.
The clutter theme comes full circle. “No matter how much you get rid of, you’re always there, bringing yourself with you wherever you go, cluttering up your own space.”
House on Mango Street theme: “I’m here right now. I might even love this place now. But someday, when it’s not right, I can leave. I’m not stuck here.
Brilliant. Can’t recommend this book enough. Kids will love it. And if you need a good book club selection, look no further.
July 16, 2019
Reading this book makes me want to read Firegirl, also about the same character, Jeff. Jeff becomes homeless and loses his best friend when his mother loses her job.
December 17, 2020
to me, it felt like this book didn't really have a plot
August 8, 2019
In The Great Jeff by Tony Abbott the main character Jeff Hicks is going through a rough time in his life. Jeff is not talking to his best friend Tom Bender, he had to leave his catholic school and go to public school, and his mom lost her job. After the news of his mom losing her job Jeff starts to wonder what’s next and how they will pay rent, and where they will live. Although Jeff moves from place to place the main setting of this story is at his house. The main theme of this book is coming to the realization that everyone has the ability to create their own destiny. Something that hooked me as a reader is that Jeff has to find the strength to survive even though his world is crumbling. A point of external conflict in the story would be when Jeff gets in a fight with this girl named Hannah. Hannah bought Jeff lunch and lied to him saying that it was a girl named Carly’s who went home sick. She knew that Jeff had not been eating lately. I gave this book 4 stars because even though it teaches you a good lesson, there were parts when I wanted Jeff to show more emotion and what he was feeling. If you are interested in following Jeff on his journey of realization than I suggest that you read The Great Jeff.
April 16, 2024
My God, I have no words to say. Well, I have a lot of words to say, but the expression fits in tone.
This was so powerful, yet so simple, so real, and so moving by the end. Hard times never truly go away, you just sometimes are on an upward slope and sometimes downwards, and sometimes those downward slopes go farther down than they ever have before, and they change you, but you come out of the end of it surrounded by better people and a as better person yourself. This made me feel ALL the feels. Frustration at Jeff's mom, frustration at Jeff, love and understanding for Jeff as he grew into so much more than the troubled and naive boy he used to be, hopelessness, friendship, lots of teenage angst ( but the realistic, not annoying kind), and eventually, hope. This is not usually my genre, but I sometimes just gotta have something to give me a dose of reality from someone else's path, and this is the best I've ever felt of that genre.
And by the way, this is a companion book, and while I did just read the first one and thought it was quite good, this was just a much larger and more personal story and I think it's truly better. They both have similar but also different messages about the struggles people go through, but one from an outside perspective after the difficult period, and this was right in the thick of it, during the fall into the worst part and seeing it happen right from Jeff's eyes. It feels different, and that's why I felt that this was more powerful. I do wish it was more popular. It could also be read as a standalone, but there are references to the first book and these affect the story more by the end.
That being said, this was my first and probably only book that I read by audiobook, and I don't like it. Gimme paper all day. But that didn't stop the tears streaming down my face at the end and the two times I almost cried while listening to it in class, but didn't, because I don't wanna look insane.
This is the kind of book that truly makes you think about what others may be going through and to see everyone around you as an entire story with its own ups and downs and deep crevices. Even if the story doesn't stick with me forever, the empathy I gained sure will.
Edit: I would recommend this to everyone I know, but I don't know anyone who would like it (my friends and I bond over a lot of action-type books). Sooooo I guess I'll have to keep this beautiful piece of literature on the back burner for a future book club...
This was so powerful, yet so simple, so real, and so moving by the end. Hard times never truly go away, you just sometimes are on an upward slope and sometimes downwards, and sometimes those downward slopes go farther down than they ever have before, and they change you, but you come out of the end of it surrounded by better people and a as better person yourself. This made me feel ALL the feels. Frustration at Jeff's mom, frustration at Jeff, love and understanding for Jeff as he grew into so much more than the troubled and naive boy he used to be, hopelessness, friendship, lots of teenage angst ( but the realistic, not annoying kind), and eventually, hope. This is not usually my genre, but I sometimes just gotta have something to give me a dose of reality from someone else's path, and this is the best I've ever felt of that genre.
And by the way, this is a companion book, and while I did just read the first one and thought it was quite good, this was just a much larger and more personal story and I think it's truly better. They both have similar but also different messages about the struggles people go through, but one from an outside perspective after the difficult period, and this was right in the thick of it, during the fall into the worst part and seeing it happen right from Jeff's eyes. It feels different, and that's why I felt that this was more powerful. I do wish it was more popular. It could also be read as a standalone, but there are references to the first book and these affect the story more by the end.
That being said, this was my first and probably only book that I read by audiobook, and I don't like it. Gimme paper all day. But that didn't stop the tears streaming down my face at the end and the two times I almost cried while listening to it in class, but didn't, because I don't wanna look insane.
This is the kind of book that truly makes you think about what others may be going through and to see everyone around you as an entire story with its own ups and downs and deep crevices. Even if the story doesn't stick with me forever, the empathy I gained sure will.
Edit: I would recommend this to everyone I know, but I don't know anyone who would like it (my friends and I bond over a lot of action-type books). Sooooo I guess I'll have to keep this beautiful piece of literature on the back burner for a future book club...
March 11, 2019
Thank you to the #kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. The second I saw this book available to review, I knew I needed to read it. Firegirl, the companion to The Great Jeff, is a book I read aloud every year with my 7th grade classes. Jeff is a character we discuss a lot in terms motivations and traits. My students always make great inferences, but most of it is speculation. This book perfectly complements Firegirl and confirms a lot of my students’ inferences.
The Great Jeff takes place after Firegirl. Jeff has had to move from St Catherine’s School for the public school, leaving his friends behind. His mother loses her job, which spirals Jeff’s life out of control. As a teacher, this book is a great reminder of the impact trauma can have on our students’ lives. Sometimes the students who need the most love show it in the most challenging way. As a human being, this book shows us that we truly do not know what someone is experiencing unless we reach out and truly care to listen and ask. Sometimes struggle manifests in behaviors that make no sense to us. This story illustrates the two-way street nature of friendship and that anyone is capable of change if we are big enough to forgive. This middle grade book is a perfect addition to a classroom library as it features real world issues in an age appropriate way. I can’t wait to share this companion novel with my 7th graders!
The Great Jeff takes place after Firegirl. Jeff has had to move from St Catherine’s School for the public school, leaving his friends behind. His mother loses her job, which spirals Jeff’s life out of control. As a teacher, this book is a great reminder of the impact trauma can have on our students’ lives. Sometimes the students who need the most love show it in the most challenging way. As a human being, this book shows us that we truly do not know what someone is experiencing unless we reach out and truly care to listen and ask. Sometimes struggle manifests in behaviors that make no sense to us. This story illustrates the two-way street nature of friendship and that anyone is capable of change if we are big enough to forgive. This middle grade book is a perfect addition to a classroom library as it features real world issues in an age appropriate way. I can’t wait to share this companion novel with my 7th graders!
February 26, 2019
Thanks to @littlebrownyoungreaders and author @tonyabbottbooks for this free book to share with #midlife change. It comes out March 19.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this #mglit book about a boy experiencing housing instability and an alcoholic parent. Readers might remember Jeff from FIREGIRL by Tony Abbott; he was the bully/antagonist in that book, but now he is the protagonist and we get his story. Jeff should be a thoroughly unlikable character except that as things get tougher for he and his single mom, he changes and grows in surprising ways. Jeff is determined to keep his family’s problems secret, but a perceptive classmate named Hannah begins to suspect he is in trouble and offers help, but Jeff is too ashamed to accept. The shame of being homeless is explored in this book, but social workers, shelter staff and other helping professionals are all presented as kind and professional. Ultimately, Jeff and his mother need more help than they can find on their own and assistance comes from an unlikely source.
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Purchase for most middle school collections! This sensitive, moving story is multi-faceted and well-done.
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#librariansofinstagram #librariesofinstagram #thegreatjeff #tonyabbott #bookreview #ireadMG #mgbooks #bookstagram
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this #mglit book about a boy experiencing housing instability and an alcoholic parent. Readers might remember Jeff from FIREGIRL by Tony Abbott; he was the bully/antagonist in that book, but now he is the protagonist and we get his story. Jeff should be a thoroughly unlikable character except that as things get tougher for he and his single mom, he changes and grows in surprising ways. Jeff is determined to keep his family’s problems secret, but a perceptive classmate named Hannah begins to suspect he is in trouble and offers help, but Jeff is too ashamed to accept. The shame of being homeless is explored in this book, but social workers, shelter staff and other helping professionals are all presented as kind and professional. Ultimately, Jeff and his mother need more help than they can find on their own and assistance comes from an unlikely source.
.
〰️
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Purchase for most middle school collections! This sensitive, moving story is multi-faceted and well-done.
.
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#librariansofinstagram #librariesofinstagram #thegreatjeff #tonyabbott #bookreview #ireadMG #mgbooks #bookstagram
August 12, 2019
This is the story of 8th grader, Jeff Hicks. He’s in a bad situation, but none of it is his fault. His father left Jeff and his mom, his best friend ditched him, his mom drinks too much and lost yet another job, and they’re being kicked out of their home. Oh, and did I mention that he’s having to attend public middle school because they cannot afford his tuition for St. Catherine’s?
This one was tough to read at times, but there were valuable lessons on friendship, forgiveness, and family. And I honestly laughed until I had tears in my eyes during some of the middle school banter. There were times during my childhood when I felt like we didn’t have money and that I didn’t fit in, but I never experienced this level of fear and uncertainty — of not knowing when I could eat or where I was going to sleep or if my parents would take care of me. The Great Jeff offers an important window and mirror on poverty and family dysfunction for today’s readers.
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
This one was tough to read at times, but there were valuable lessons on friendship, forgiveness, and family. And I honestly laughed until I had tears in my eyes during some of the middle school banter. There were times during my childhood when I felt like we didn’t have money and that I didn’t fit in, but I never experienced this level of fear and uncertainty — of not knowing when I could eat or where I was going to sleep or if my parents would take care of me. The Great Jeff offers an important window and mirror on poverty and family dysfunction for today’s readers.
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
October 26, 2018
The Great Jeff is a sequel or companion book, to the 2006 novel Firegirl, and I found it necessary to have read the first book to understand Jeff's feelings about relationships in the new novel. Firegirl left me with questions about Jeff who was not the most sympathetic character and—from his behaviors in that novel—deserved to be ditched by his best friend Tom Bender.
In this well-written, engaging novel, the reader learns more abut Jeff and his family and home life, and he becomes a more sympathetic character. Jeff was nine when his father left. Dad is now living with a second girlfriend who is pregnant and has stopped paying for his education at St. Catherine’s; as a result Jeff has to change schools for eighth grade. “I still wanted to love my dad. Inside me, I still wanted to.” (65)
His mother, an alcoholic, loses her job with no savings for rent. Jeff becomes the sensible one and gives up buying his beloved comics, skips lunch every other day. They begin selling their clothing, household items, and furniture until they lose their rented house and become homeless, moving from run-down motel to a friend’s home to sleeping in their car to a shelter. “Home. Homeless. Funny how it doesn’t take much to go from one to the other.” (171)
Through it all Jeff stays positive and becomes resilient for his mom who only infrequently behaves like a responsible adult. “She’d taken over sounding grownup now. She had to sometime.” (158) He helps her hide their situation, despite his lack of clothing and the days he smells.
In the shelter Jeff can finally open up and share his problems with other children. “[Jano’s] story was different from mine but the same too.” (199) And when his mother ends up in the hospital, Jeff learns to trust those who were always his friends.
In this well-written, engaging novel, the reader learns more abut Jeff and his family and home life, and he becomes a more sympathetic character. Jeff was nine when his father left. Dad is now living with a second girlfriend who is pregnant and has stopped paying for his education at St. Catherine’s; as a result Jeff has to change schools for eighth grade. “I still wanted to love my dad. Inside me, I still wanted to.” (65)
His mother, an alcoholic, loses her job with no savings for rent. Jeff becomes the sensible one and gives up buying his beloved comics, skips lunch every other day. They begin selling their clothing, household items, and furniture until they lose their rented house and become homeless, moving from run-down motel to a friend’s home to sleeping in their car to a shelter. “Home. Homeless. Funny how it doesn’t take much to go from one to the other.” (171)
Through it all Jeff stays positive and becomes resilient for his mom who only infrequently behaves like a responsible adult. “She’d taken over sounding grownup now. She had to sometime.” (158) He helps her hide their situation, despite his lack of clothing and the days he smells.
In the shelter Jeff can finally open up and share his problems with other children. “[Jano’s] story was different from mine but the same too.” (199) And when his mother ends up in the hospital, Jeff learns to trust those who were always his friends.
June 5, 2019
@kidlitexchange #partner Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own. The Great Jeff by Tony Abbot was released on 3.19.19!
Empathy is written all over the pages of this multifaceted novel. Readers will feel for Jeff as he experiencesall kinds of turmoil. Abbott did an amazing job (again) bringing characters to life and showing the reader that there is a story behind every face. “No one’s forcing me to decide. It’s up to me what I do. I make my own junk. The day I stood outside Mom’s hospital room, choosing when to go in, I understood that. I understand it more each day.” I highly recommend this middle grade read, keeping in mind that it is a heavy one.
#middlegradereads #kidlitexchange #whatimreadingnow #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #summerreads #teacherlibrarian #readingteacher #mglit #book #bookstagram
Empathy is written all over the pages of this multifaceted novel. Readers will feel for Jeff as he experiencesall kinds of turmoil. Abbott did an amazing job (again) bringing characters to life and showing the reader that there is a story behind every face. “No one’s forcing me to decide. It’s up to me what I do. I make my own junk. The day I stood outside Mom’s hospital room, choosing when to go in, I understood that. I understand it more each day.” I highly recommend this middle grade read, keeping in mind that it is a heavy one.
#middlegradereads #kidlitexchange #whatimreadingnow #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #summerreads #teacherlibrarian #readingteacher #mglit #book #bookstagram
May 9, 2019
I love Tony Abbott's writing, and this book is just amazing. Written from Jeff's viewpoint as he watches his alcoholic mother sink to the depths of addiction, joblessness to finally homelessness dragging Jeff along for the ride. Sensitive to the needs of his age, middle school, and the social conflicts that plague Jeff, this books is a heartfelt search for grounding as Jeff looks for stability in a world that has been pulled out from under him. It is also great to see a book for boys in this ever-widening field of good writing about, and for, girls.
Don't miss this.
Don't miss this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2019
This is a great YA novel for anyone to see and understand one of many perspectives on what it’s like to go from a warm, protective home to homeless in a matter of weeks.
Told through the eyes of the protagonist, the story of a boy and his alcoholic mother brings anyone who reads this a little closer to understanding the broken heart of a homeless preteen and how his world affects his thoughts and actions.
Told through the eyes of the protagonist, the story of a boy and his alcoholic mother brings anyone who reads this a little closer to understanding the broken heart of a homeless preteen and how his world affects his thoughts and actions.
February 18, 2019
I thought this was a sequel to Firegirl, but it is not. Rather, it is a companion book, with a few overlapping characters. The story involves the changing family situation for Jeff Hicks, who has an absentee dad and a mom who drinks too much. The ending is a little too neat, maybe a little unrealistic. Still, Abbott delves into the subject of homelessness with care and sensitivity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2020
Sensitively written in a unique voice, this novel tackles some tough topics in a way that is absorbing, compelling, and heartbreaking. A lot to discuss, this is a great book club selection for middle school kids. Highly recommended.
August 17, 2023
I didn't want to put this book down. I was very sceptical, at first, about a book that was geared towards making you feel bad about a lying bully, but after only a few chapters, I found myself slowily understanding Jeff more and more.
September 9, 2019
this book is amazing, it will help people understand why some kids act out.............when things are a mess at home, kids try to cover it or deal with it.
November 15, 2019
This book struck me as a book that was written over a decade ago and I'm not sure that's a good thing. Kind of basic. It was ok.
August 16, 2020
This seems to be a good example of a fairly solid story that is marred by a very, very slow start.
February 24, 2022
I read this when I was like, eleven or something. 1000,000/10. Awesome.
September 27, 2022
Power. Depth. Feeling. Just. Wow.
June 28, 2023
This book has some great advice for helping people understand the side affects of alcoholism. You are not alone
December 31, 2023
4.5 stars
Wow- I was really impressed by this book, and surprised by it, too. I’d never heard of it! Truly a great story about what poverty can feel like to a middle schooler. Very insightful.
Wow- I was really impressed by this book, and surprised by it, too. I’d never heard of it! Truly a great story about what poverty can feel like to a middle schooler. Very insightful.
February 17, 2024
I remember reading The secrets of Droon by Tony Abbott and I see that his remarkable gift for storytelling is still in full swing. This book made me feel everything. Highly recommend.
February 24, 2019
A book that could help readers empathize with those who are, sadly, homeless or nearly so. Jeff's situation changes due to his parent's divorce, then his father's choices and his mother's alcoholism. It's a slow, inevitable slide that starts with changing schools and ends with the loss of the home Jeff's grandfather lived in. And, like many in this position, Jeff doesn't want anyone to know or where to find help. The biggest problem is that Jeff is unlikeable (possibly as a defense, possibly because he's just a bit of a jerk) and when he talks about going FULL JEFF I just lost interest.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
January 29, 2024
Jeff’s father stopped paying the tuition for St. Catherine’s, and Jeff was forced to attend public school for eighth grade. He hates public school. All of his friends, even his ex-friend Tom Bender, still attend St. Catherine’s. Well, Jeff still calls them his friends even though Rich Downing, who lives near the Hicks, is the only one who hangs out with him. And, he resents Tom for choosing Jessica Feeney over him. Jeff hopes that the money will magically appear so he can go to St. Damien’s for high school. Then, his mother loses her job, and his hopes disappear. When they travel to New York City to ask Jeff’s dad for money, Jeff finds out that his father’s young girlfriend is pregnant, and they’re moving to Florida. He can’t help them. Now, Jeff and his mom fight each day for normalcy. They sell most of their possessions to keep going and tell many lies to keep people from suspecting anything. Jeff’s mom interviews for a job and thinks she’ll get it, but before that can happen, their landlord evicts them for five months past rent and a broken furnace. Mrs. Hicks is paranoid that someone will find out they are living in a ratty motel room with most of their remaining possessions in storage. On the days she can’t pick Jeff up from school on time, he rides the bus to his old house and waits in the backyard for her. Or, he walks from the old house to the public library. One day, when he sees the spire of St. Catherine’s, he goes into Mrs. Tracy’s classroom and sits in his old desk. On the way out, he meets Tom Bender. Jeff remembers everything that happened between them, and he runs away. They move from the motel to the house of a former co-worker, but Mrs. Hicks get drunk and gets them kicked out. Jeff and his mom end up in a shelter until Jeff’s dad sends some money so they can check into another motel. Then, Mrs. Hicks gets so drunk that she falls and breaks her ankle. She tells Jeff to run away so the authorities don’t send him to a foster home. He does. It’s raining and cold. Jeff breaks into his old house. Tom, who was staying with Rich, comes by to see Jeff. (One of the lies told was that they were still living there.) Soon, they are both on the run trying to stay one step ahead of the police who are looking for Jeff. They walk through a long night of rain, snow, and cold to get to the hospital. While Mrs. Hicks goes through rehab, Jeff stays with Tom Bender and his family. Jeff and Tom have become friends again.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com
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