This Journal Belongs to Ratchet

Title: This Journal Belongs to Ratchet

Author: Nancy J. Cavanaugh (Website)(Facebook)(Twitter)

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

ISBN: 9781402281068

Length: 307

Obtained: Loaned by co-worker

Why this book?:

A co-worker brought this back from the ALA conferences and laid it out (with other books) for those who couldn't go to peruse/take. Another selected it. She loved it so much she decided I would love it too. But she warned me I couldn't keep it. She already planned to pass it along to a friend after I finished.

Comments:

Each (usually short) section is a different writing format for a Language Arts Journal written by an 11 year old girl. She's home schooled and is adept with auto mechanic repair knowledge, thanks to her father who is raising her. She has decide she needs to be more proactive. She has a plan that includes changing her appearance, taking cool community classes etc. But perhaps she can make a friend by just being who she is? And what really happened with her mother all those years ago?

This is cute. I enjoyed the format changes from poetry and free writing to memos and essays to plays and dialogs, complete with doodling. It's a quick read, and easy to feel for Ratchet and wish the best for her as she hits the various trials of growing up and discovering who she is.