All Together Now!
By Mary Cosola,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Moving story of quirky optimist finding hope after tragedy.
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What's the Story?
In ALL TOGETHER NOW! we meet the relentlessly optimistic and cheerful Amber Appleton. Her outlook is sunny despite her having had a rough life. Her dad left when she was little, and her mom can't support the two of them on her part-time school bus driver's salary. They live illegally in the back of the school bus after hours, sneaking out before daybreak so her mom won't lose her job. Food's scarce, and her mom has a drinking problem. Even with all this facing her, Amber is hopeful and helpful. She's friends with marginalized kids at school, volunteers in the community, and defends other students against bullies. When tragedy strikes, Amber's Catholic faith and hopefulness are severely tested. She grapples with some of the biggest questions life throws at us: Why do bad things happen to good people? Why are some people given more than their share of burdens to carry throughout life? What's the point of even being in the world when it seems to only cause heartbreak? Amber struggles to rediscover her inner light, as she learns she doesn’t have to fight all her battles alone.
Is It Any Good?
A teen girl fights to regain her joy after tragedy strikes in this emotional journey through grief and hope. At the beginning of All Together Now!, self-described "freak" Amber Appleton fights against her uncertain, unhoused existence by relying on her optimistic outlook and upbeat nature. The story is told from Amber's point of view, and unfortunately her character voice gets tiresome at times. Author Matthew Quick was clearly trying for kooky, quirky teen girl, but the overuse of her peculiar slang is distracting, annoying, and unrealistic. She frequently uses words like "hooey," refers to people by odd acronyms and nicknames, and ends sentences with "Word? Word." "True? True." It distracts from the book's overall great message, which is that when you do good for the right reasons and build community where none exists, good things will happen.
The odd collection of characters Amber befriends is charming, and it's heartwarming and tear-jerking to watch them all come together to support her when she needs it most. The story maintains a good balance between heavy and light. Much of what happens isn't very realistic, but that doesn't matter too much here. Sometimes you just need to cheer on a sweet kid facing tough times.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way poverty and being unhoused are portrayed in books and movies. Does seeing Amber and her mom living in the back of a school bus in All Together Now! make you wonder whether anyone in your community might be facing these problems? Do you understand why kids like Amber might not want other people to know?
When faced with a sad situation, what helps you feel better and hopeful again?
How well do you think the novel deals with the issue of being unhoused? Did it make you feel more compassion and empathy for kids who don't have a house or apartment or room to live in?
Book Details
- Author: Matthew Quick
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Topics: Friendship , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models , High School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: August 4, 2020
- Number of pages: 384
- Available on: Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: September 24, 2020
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