While the cute lizard caught my attention, it was the blurb which made me want to dive into today's read. It circles around two siblings, one with a disability, and their shared secret. Despite the 'no pet' rule in their household, a bad situation leads the main character, Josie, to sneak one into their household. I'm expecting some tough themes and tons of sibling goodness...and maybe, a few pet twists to add some smiles?
Oh...and I almost forgot to say that it's Monday (obviously), but that also means that anyone who enjoys middle grade literature can head over HERE to discover a list of recommended reads for the week.
THE ZUZU SECRET
by Miriam Chernick
Charlesbridge Moves
Middle Grade Contemporary
272 pages
ages 8 to 12
COMING...
MAY 5th!!!
It’s summer, and Josie and Abe’s family just moved to a new town. They each have secrets . . . one of which involves caring for a bearded dragon.
For fans of Out of My Mind, comes a heartfelt novel for kids ages 10 and up about sibling relationships, family struggles, disability, and getting what you want.
12-year-old Josie Sherman, an animal lover and aspiring vet, rescues a bearded dragon lizard. But her family’s strict no-pets rule because of her brother's disability forces Josie to hide the lizard, Zuzu, in her bedroom.
Abe, Josie's 15-year-old brother, is a huge Orioles fan, and he has plans of his own. Abe lives with Prader-Willi syndrome, which restricts his independence. What secret risks will Abe take to reach his goals?
Told in alternating points of view, The Zuzu Secret explores the challenge of balancing independence with deception. Josie and Abe both have things to learn about being truthful with themselves and with the people they love.
For fans of Out of My Mind, comes a heartfelt novel for kids ages 10 and up about sibling relationships, family struggles, disability, and getting what you want.
12-year-old Josie Sherman, an animal lover and aspiring vet, rescues a bearded dragon lizard. But her family’s strict no-pets rule because of her brother's disability forces Josie to hide the lizard, Zuzu, in her bedroom.
Abe, Josie's 15-year-old brother, is a huge Orioles fan, and he has plans of his own. Abe lives with Prader-Willi syndrome, which restricts his independence. What secret risks will Abe take to reach his goals?
Told in alternating points of view, The Zuzu Secret explores the challenge of balancing independence with deception. Josie and Abe both have things to learn about being truthful with themselves and with the people they love.
MY TIDBITS
Sibling relationships hit with heart and soul, and characters to root for until the end.
Josie is three years younger than her brother, but thanks to Prader-Willi's syndrome, she often takes the lead and watches out for him. Their family's move to a small town gives Josie the chance to volunteer at a local veterinarian's office...if she can get her parents to approve. Just as it seems that her dream might come true, they suffer a car accident, which leaves her mother in care for awhile. With only her father to help them settle into the new house and life for awhile, Josie finds herself needing to step up even more when it comes to helping her brother and sacrificing her own dreams and desires. But there is one positive aspect to the entire mess. Josie decided to save a lizard, and keeps it in her room despite the family's rule against pets. Her brother also knows her secret, and together, Josie's hoping her parents will never find out.
These pages beam with sibling goodness and offer an inspiring tale surrounding the ups and downs that family life can bring. While life in the new town, the hospitalization of a parent, and fighting for dreams are already enough themes to create a rich read, this one also weaves in a disability, Prader-Willi's syndrome. This story raises awareness for the disability, but more importantly, it approaches it with a wholesome and inspiring light.
The book is written in alternating points of view between Josie and her brother, Abe. In this way, the reader gets to know both well...and it gives an interesting view into Abe's perception of the world. He's easy to like, has an unique insight into things, and is as enjoyable to follow as his sister. Both characters gain depth, and both are easy to understand, although they see things very differently most of the time.
Then, there's the lizard. While it acts as a bonding point for the siblings and offers a bit of tension when things don't always run smoothly, it also opens the door to some animal facts. Readers learn more about the species as Josie does her best to take care of it. But then, this also opens the door to the entire theme of caring for pets, adds some baseball information, and peeks at the sticky situation around harboring secrets from parents.
In other words, it's a read with much to enjoy.
And here she is...
Miriam is a writer, a substitute teacher at her local public schools, a parent to three young adults, and a caregiver for her brother, who was born with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare disease. As a child of Canadian diplomats, she lived in France, Canada, Venezuela, Israel, and Washington, D.C. She also studied and worked in Japan. Now she lives in Maryland with her husband, two clever cats named Miso and Boots, and a bearded dragon named Zuki.
5 comments:
This sounds like a great story with the secrets Josie and Abe are hiding. I like that it's told from both their perspectives. Thanks for sharing it this week.
I enjoy stories with siblings as the main characters. This engaging story will definitely be a future read thanks to your insights. Happy MMGM!
I had the chance to read an ARC of The Zuzu Secret. There were many things I loved about this story, including the stressed out parents, but one in particular was this: While Josie's brother, Abe, has a rare disease that affects his behavior, this wasn't a story about disability or inability. Instead, it was about ability: Abe's ability to love his family, his ability to make friends, his ability to keep secrets he knows are important to his sister Josie, and his ability to go after what he so passionately wants: to see Manny Machado play baseball at Camden Yards and to catch a baseball for his mother. Author Miriam Chernick rendered Abe's voice so vividly that he captured my heart. She adeptly steered Josie's passion to be a vet, a bearded dragon's fate, and Abe's baseball obsession closer and closer together until they met in the heartfelt conclusion. A great read! —Linda Joan Smith
This sounds amazing. I was first hooked by the secret of the pet, but then the way you described Abe's disability and the bond between the siblings really got me. I loved Out of Your Mind. As a former special ed teacher, I love finding books like this. Thank you!
I like sibling stories, and you make this one sound really good. I'll be looking for this one. Thanks for telling me about it.
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