Middle Grade Book Review Party!

Welcome to the Middle Grade Mafia Blog Party! (Insert confetti here.) We’re asking bloggers/writers to review a middle grade book and link to this post below. Why? Because we LOVE all things Middle Grade and want to share with the reading world some of our favorites.

To get things started, Mafia member L.S. Bridgers is reviewing The Seventh Most Important Thing, by Shelley Pearsall. Take it away, L.S.!

The year our Nation dealt with the death of President Kennedy, thirteen-year old Arthur Owens dealt with the death of his father. He found what he needed to move on working for a junkman. He learns the reasons people throw away some things others choose to keep is complicated, whether they are throwing away broken light bulbs or memories!

His unexpected journey begins when he threw a brick at the junkman because he was wearing his father’s hat. Arthur’s mother threw away all of Arthur’s father’s things. She is ready to move on, but Arthur is not. Throwing the brick lands Arthur in jail and then in court. He ends up on probation working for the junkman. The junkman is determined to complete a secret project he is working on before he dies of cancer. He is an artist. He is building a depiction of heaven made from odds and ends like foil and broken light bulbs. Arthur and the junkman do together what they could not do alone. They chase way the ghosts that are keeping them from moving on. As Arthur finds the seven things on the junkman’s list, he realizes he’s finding the things he needs to put his life right. Based on the real story of James Hampton, a folk artist, this tale is a sensitive coming of age story that is powerful and thought provoking. It is a must read.

Now that you’ve read OUR review, let’s read YOURS! Just follow the instructions below. Happy reading. 🙂