By Gayle Forman – Aladdin, 2024
He’s only 12, but Alex has had a hard life—he’s attended a dozen schools, he’s lost his mom, and now he’s been sentenced to volunteering at a retirement center. He knows the act that landed him this punishment was unforgivable and he feels terrible about it, but he’s also angry and scared, and he’s definitely not interested in being a part of whatever makes the center smell the way it does. And if he has to bide his time there, he sure is not going to spend it with Maya-Jade, whose grandmother lives at Shady Glen and who must be a do-gooder if she’s choosing to spend her summer as a volunteer. But one day, 107-year-old, selectively mute resident Josey— who has been impatiently waiting to die—decides to break his silence to Alex. Suddenly, going in each day is less of a chore. As Josey shares his memories of love, death and survival in World War II Poland, the quick friendship between the duo helps Alex begin to see there’s life beyond his own pain and that connecting with people brings more joy than sorrow. The book’s theme of compassion and forgiveness is timeless, and best-selling author Gayle Forman delivers with this moving story that will appeal to all ages.
