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Walking Backward (2009)

by Catherine Austen(Favorite Author)

3.73 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1554691478 (ISBN13: 9781554691470)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

Orca Book Publishers

review 1: Josh's mother died this summer. Yeah, she died in a car accident when her car hit a tree. No, wait... She ran her car into a tree because there was a snake in the car. How the snake got in the car is a mystery.So Josh spends his summer taking care of his little brother Sam. His dad doesn't come out of the basement very often. He's building a time machine. Yep, a time machine. He thinks he can go back in time and make the accident never happen. So Josh is stuck trying to keep himself and his brother fed, bathed and clothed. But the cat's litter box is beginning to really smell!Josh writes in his diary regularly as prescribed by his therapist. He's not sure how it's supposed to help, but he's trying to do his part. He keeps an eye on Sam's diary too, worrying just a bit that... more Sam is focusing too much on the accident and snakes. He used to love snakes. Now he wants nothing to do with them.Throughout the summer, Josh chronicles his encounters with his neighbors, his Aunt Laura, his mother's friend Mister Johnston and his increasing frustration with his fathers' lack of parenting skills during this difficult time.Eventually Josh learns who put the snake in his mothers' car. It changes his entire outlook of the summer. However, it also gets his father out of the basement and back in his kids' lives.
review 2: Grief at any age is difficult. Twelve year old Josh has just lost his mother in a car accident. He has no one to show him what he should do next. His younger brother has started sleeping with him. His father has been busy trying to build a time machine. Josh has never felt so alone. At one point Josh wishes he were Jewish because they are organized about death. It is difficult as an adult dealing with death. I've worked with kids as young as five who have lost a parent and it is always tough. There are no set or exact answers to the grieving process. This is what Josh is looking for. I have several friends who will never read this book no matter how good I tell them it is because it is a sad book. However I will definitely recommend this book and especially to those who have lost a loved one less

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