I read the description and thought, OH NO. This book is going to be sappy and predictable and boring...boy, was I wrong. It’s an emotional roller coaster and action-packed thriller all combined into one. It was NOT predictable in many ways. It had me laughing uproariously and then ripped out my heart over and over again and I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. This is one of those books I read in one day, carving out time I didn’t really have to devour a few pages. The story is told from 3 kids’ perspectives, altering chapters as the POV changes. Each character tells the next sequence of events but each child’s voice and story are so unique and yet woven beautifully together to tell a story of heart and courage and explains their connection to their sixth grade teacher. As a teacher, it made me really reflect on what I do to make sure I am one of the “Good Ones” and reinvigorated me for this upcoming school year. I have no idea how kids will respond to this, as it was hard to reflect with my kid hat on (which is never far away but this one struck too close to my grown-upness). If you are a teacher of middle school particularly, read this. Please.
