Review: Paper Things

Paper Things by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel that a lot of the books out there have the same theme ( disability, bullying, etc.). Don't blame me, they're great books! But it's just so interesting to have a whole new character with a whole new background that still totally changes your take on a subject. I would recommend this book to 4th grade to middle school readers.
Arianna (Ari) Hazard is a shiny, gifted and talented student with a best friend Sasha. But her life isn't all shiny. She doesn't have a mother or father, just a bossy guardian Janna and an older brother Gage. Gage can't stand Janna! Finally, he decide it's time to live his life and get away from Janna. When faced with the choice of either staying with Janna or Gage, Ari picks Gage. Who can blame her? It was practically her mom's dying wish that Gage and Ari stay together! The only problem is, Gage doesn't really have an apartment. He doesn't even have a real job. So Gage and Ari move from place to place, staying at friends' houses, storage units, and shelters. It's a lot of stress, especially because Ari hasn't told anyone. Her grades are dropping and so are her teacher's expectations, Sasha's seems to be drifting away from her, and Gage still hasn't found an apartment or job. Her mom always wanted her to go to Carter, a school for the gifted. Based on what's happening right now, there doesn't seem to be much chance of that! Through all that chaos, Ari hold on to her Paper Things, a folder full of paper doll families cut out from magazines. With her new friend David, can Ari and her Paper Things survive that?

View all my reviews