Product Review: Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze [Hardcover] (Age 9+)
‘I miss a dinner table that doesn’t feel lopsided and a kitchen that’s full of her’
I read one review that called the book Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze akin to Diary of a Wimpy Kid if his mother had died and that stuck with me. I wanted to read it and I did. It was much more than I had imagined it would be and the quirky Milo is at that awkward age of junior high where not being popular is a curse and being new is even worse. Milo’s silly and funny inner monologue about moving and starting his new school at Forest Grove Junior High is mixed with feelings of loss from his mother’s death from two years earlier, something his father and sister rarely discuss. He has all of the usual anxieties of wanting to fit in, liking girls (especially if her name is Summer Goodman), making friends and not feeling cool, but there is something very different and special about this book. It does have a bit of a Diary of a Wimpy Kid-feel complete with little cartoons but there are some very poignant family moments that are very touching and you root for him to feel close to his father and feel like a family again. As Mother’s Day approaches, I wanted to include this sweet passage from the book for my lovely readers who have lost their mother to show how Milo celebrated by remembering his mom with his father and sister. And, yes, it did make me a little misty-eyed!
‘And that’s where we celebrate Mother’s Day – sitting on the floor against the wall in the living room. And for the first time in a long time, there’s noise and smells and pictures in the house and in between bites of pancakes – where the blueberries taste great – I’m happy to be a family of three, remembering we once were four.’
About Author Alan Silberberg: I like quirky and when I read Alan’s answer to the question in how he would describe his life in only 8 words, I thought his answer of, ‘A wild, tilting, spinning surprise party (with cake)’ sounded perfect. This Bostonian holds a Masters of Education from Harvard and now spends his days with his family (including a dog named Zeus) in Montreal, Canada writing for children, mostly through television shows for Nickelodeon and Disney. Milo (dedicated to his mom) happens to be a very personal story from experience for Silderberg whose own mother passed away when he was in third grade. Check out his other book called Pond Scum which also looks like a hit for the 9+ crowd and he has another book on the way (currently titled Draw) with a release date of 2013.
About Simon and Schuster: Simon & Schuster was founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster when they published the first ever (and wildly successful) crossword puzzle book. Currently, Simon and Schuster have 7 divisions, publish 2,000 titles each year, is the publishing operation of CBS Corporation and have numerous awards under its belt including 54 Pulitzer Prizes! Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing is one of the leading children’s book publishers in the world with 9 imprints, including Aladdin. Check out Aladdin’s catalog here.
Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze [Hardcover] (Age 9+)
List Price: $15.99 (Currently on sale for $12.79)
Momma's Bacon 