Sunday, July 26, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: PROMISE by Judy Young


 Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is sponsored by Shannon Messenger at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe. For a complete list of today's participants, visit HERE.
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PROMISE
Judy Young
Sleeping Bear Press
Ages 8 - 12

Eleven-year-old Kaden has managed to stay under the radar for most of his life. With the exception of Kubla, a pet crow, Kaden doesn't have any friends his own age and he's okay with that. After all, friends can ask inconvenient questions. Questions like Why do you live with your grandmother and where is your father? Questions Kaden doesn't want to answer.

Apart from school and a few trips to town, Kaden and Gram keep to themselves, living a simple life at their cabins outside the small community of Promise. But now Kaden's life is getting a lot more complicated. He's starting middle school, which brings its own set of problems for a boy who doesn't fit in. And then he learns that his father, a man he has never known, is getting out of prison and moving to Promise.

After years of being the outsider at school, Kaden is given a chance to come out of his shell when Yo-Yo, a new boy, moves to the area and offers friendship. But can Kaden trust him? Will Yo-Yo be a real friend after he learns about Kaden's father? The true meaning of friendship, love, responsibility, and loyalty is explored in this novel for middle-grade readers.

MY REVIEW:

I was given PROMISE by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, and I honestly have to say I thoroughly enjoyed every page of PROMISE.

From the opening pages, I hoped Kaden would have a happy ending, but I discovered that not all stories do have happy endings. Sometimes things don't turn out the way we want them to, but despite disappointments, there is always hope for something better.

Judy Young does a fantastic job with Kaden and all the friends and family in his life. I kept turning pages because I was so curious to find out what would happen next. If you want a heartwarming read that will stay with you long after you've read the last page, PROMISE is the book for you.


 CONTENT RATING:

Profanity:  None
Sexuality:  None
Violence:  Mild

3 comments:

  1. This one sounds great. I've added it to my list of books to read. So many themes pop up like friendship, new situations, and family. Thanks for review!

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  2. Judy should look into having this one put on Goodreads. It wasn't there when I looked, and I rely heavily on that site to organize all of the books that I want to read!

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  3. "not all stories have happy endings" ... how true! This sounds a like a good one to add to the TBR list.

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