Kwoomac

I received this book from Netgalley. This is a moving story about a twelve-year-old boy, Julian Twerski, growing up in NYC in the late '60's. It's told in the first person through journal entries. I felt like I was reliving that very difficult age as Julian writes about his daily life in his journals. He hangs around with a group of boys, who have the run of the neighborhood. I grew up in an Irish Catholic neighborhood in Boston but it felt the same. We ran wild through the streets, doing things that would scare me to death today, it I had kids doing that stuff. Climbing anything we could,exploring construction sites of new houses, playing with jack knives. Many an activity ended up in a trip to the emergency room for stitches, which of course were a badge of honor.

It's not all fun and games for Julian. The journal writing is an assignment from his English teacher, where he is supposed to recount an incident that got him and all his friends suspended for a week. A bonus is that if he does it he gets to skip Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. As a way to avoid confronting his role in the incident, Julian writes about everything else going on in his life. It's hard to be twelve. We go with Julian on his first date, which goes the way of many first dates. We experience his up and down relationship with his teenage sister. We live through fights with his best friend. And then there's that incident.

I found Julian to be a very accurate portrayal of a twelve-year-old boy. I felt like I knew him or at least a kid just like him. The book also has a strong message about bullying. The incident which led to the suspension is hinted at throughout the story before Julian eventually decides to share it. We know it involves an older kid in the neighborhood who has special needs. I'm glad we don't learn the details until the end. If I had known about it when I first met Julian, I would have felt differently towards him. Instead, I was able to root for him as he struggles with daily life. The lesson I took away from the story is that the bullying part of Julian, or any kid, is just one part of who he or she is. Fortunately for Julian, he had a mentor to help him work out his role in the incident and use it as a tool to improve himself. I thinks middle grade kids will enjoy spending time with Julian and his friends. I hope they can learn a thing or two along the way.