'The Missing Pieces of Me'

The Missing Pieces of Me.
By Jean Van Leeuwen.

What a title. In the third-grade room. About a fifth-grade girl looking for her father. Finally near the end you find out about the father but what's in between was not interesting enough to me not to skim through. And you're mad at the mother for being mean to the girl because she looks like her father. The girl meets the father's mother. That chapter gives you some sympathy for the father but not much. i'm waiting for the book to redeem the mother's behavior. Will let you know.

Ever been to a movie that the last five minutes redeemed the whole thing? I would not want to sit through the rest of it though just to see the ending. That's what this book is like. The last four chapters are the best. I read ahead and apparently the author never redeems the mother's behavior which is real disappointing. But I could be wrong. Will let you know.

This is a book I'm reading to see if it's something I want to read to the third-graders next year, in case you're wondering.

Aw, man. The mother's behavior is never redeemed. The author's intent, apparently is to give children the message that, hey, even if your daddy's dead and your mother hates you, you still have your dead grandmother and your friends at school. Nice try. Should have redeemed the mother's behavior. Oh, well. Wish I could write a book of juvenile fiction. I really do.