"... You worry too much. If I was your
grandmother, I'd say, "Suck it up, Leo.
There are people in the world with real
problems. Amanda, a girl in my class,
says that people like us who live in the
rich part of the world, mainly have
"champagne problems." I guess that
compared to people who have nowhere
to live or nothing to eat, the kind of
problems we have aren't so bad."
I have recently completed committee work that had us reading 25 junior and intermediate novels. Once again, we were all excited to find a number of books that we found worthy of inclusion in a fall journal. I am going to start a bit of a run this week to let you know about some of them. I hope you will see something here to read with your middle years students, or to suggest for their personal reading. They are worthy of your attention.
Elsa lives in Boston; Leo has just moved to Toronto. They are 10-year-olds and in the fifth grade when their teachers pair them up to be pen pals through email. Neither one is particularly eager to write to the other in messages that must be 250 words or more. Beginning in September and coming to an end in August, readers are privy to these messages that reveal many truths about each as time moves forward.
Leo isn't at all interested in having a girl for his pen pal. As they begin their correspondence, Leo proves himself to be pretty self-absorbed: he doesn't like Toronto after living in Montreal, he complains about his teacher and new school, he has no friends, he hates following all the imposed rules, he is not pleased with being forced to send uninteresting emails to Elsa or having to write poetry.
To prove just how different they are, Elsa loves rules. Her parents are divorced and she's willing to offer advice to Leo about any number of things. He thinks she must be popular; she responds that she has only a few good friends and goes about her life quietly. As their notes go back and forth, Leo learns some interesting lessons about himself. One is that he now likes writing haiku to share when writing to Elsa. Leo doesn't seem to notice that Elsa isn't telling him much about her herself, faced with the amount of complaining he continues to share. It takes time, but she begins to let him know more about herself. Readers learn about her life living with divorced parents, a trip she and her dad take to Mexico, her love for music (not the violin), and what it's like to need a wheelchair to get around.
This debut novel by a seasoned grade five teacher uses his many years of listening to and spending time with children similar to the ones he creates for this thoughtful, engaging look at growth, friendship, and learning about differences while also finding things they have in common. It is a very interesting relationship that changes over time. The haiku written by Leo and sent to Elsa is a highlight, and might encourage budding poets to give the form a try.
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