Not Nothing
Author: Gayle Forman
Alex, 12, is assigned to Shady Glen Retirement home for community service following a juvenile offense. There, a 107-year-old Holocaust survivor helps them both to heal.
“There are many things I liked about this book. One was the addition of antihero (Alex) as the co-protagonist, or an atypical hero who insults people and lashes out but eventually learns to be kind as the story goes on. Another was the compare-and-contrast between Alex and Josey. Both of them have had hard lives, but deal with it in different way (i.e. Josey not talking for a year, Alex not trusting people.) I find this book to be very special because of its intriguing plot and wonderfully diverse cast of characters.”
“The plot most of all interested me because even though the book itself isn’t a mystery, the author withholds information until the closing chapters, allowing the readers to hunt for clues about Alex’s mysterious crime. Speaking of Alex, he goes through a lot of character development in the book.”
–Hannah, age 12, Monroe, LA.
“Heartfelt and sweet and showed how people aren’t always who they appear to be and love can help you through hard times.”
–Sofia, age 10, Arlington, MA.
Young people who are interested in reviewing are invited to do so as we welcome the individual perspective of our age appropriate readers. If you are interested in being a reviewer, contact youngreviewers@bankstreet.edu
See our Monthly Picks Archive 2012–2018, and our Monthly Picks 2019–present.