The Thing About Leftovers
By Joly Herman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Tween finds her footing in bittersweet post-divorce tale.
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What's the Story?
Fizzy Russo is a sixth-grader whose life is in flux. Her parents have been divorced for a few months, and she has had to change schools and adjust to packing up on the weekends to visit her dad. Now a new man is in her mom's life, and Fizzy's not sure if she feels welcome in either home. In fact, she begins to feel as if she doesn't have a home or a real family. The one place where she feels like a superstar is in the kitchen, and she works toward her goal of taking her cooking to a higher level with the help of her reliable aunt. When Fizzy hits some serious lows, she does her best to convince everyone that she's fine. But her pain needs to be expressed, and FIzzy needs to figure out how to express it ... and be heard.
Is It Any Good?
This is an engaging portrayal of a plucky kid who loses her footing in the aftermath of a difficult divorce. Author C.C. Payne brings humor and insight into her character's point of view, which feels distinctively Southern in tone. In the context of a tight-knit Southern town, where ladies who lunch are preparing for the big horse derby, a kid from a "broken home" stands out more than her urban peers in other media portrayals of divorce. The tension is obvious for Fizzy, who somehow manages to keep her sense of self and her vision for her future intact, even when she feels as if "she doesn't have the right stuff." In this way, THE THING ABOUT LEFTOVERS is an important addition to the canon of books having to do with divorce and loss. It gives kids in more traditional environments a heroine to look up to. And Fizzy is sweet enough, lovable enough, and tough enough to be that heroine.
Fizzy's efforts to be noticed, the pain that she internalizes, and the process that she endures when coming to terms with her split family are spot on. Readers will feel for her and root for her. And for kids who are going through the family transitions that Fizzy is going through, her struggle will feel relatable and might offer a glimmer of hope to the tweens and teens out there who also feel like yesterday's leftovers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what a "normal" family looks like. Is it two parents in a home? How do you feel about the way your family looks?
Fizzy dreams of having her own cooking show on TV. How do her goals help her? What shows or movies or books inspire you?
If you had a friend whose parents were getting a divorce or were getting remarried, what would you do to help them cope? Does the school counselor help Fizzy?
Book Details
- Author: C.C. Payne
- Genre: Emotions
- Topics: Friendship , Great Girl Role Models , Middle School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
- Publication date: July 19, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 10 - 14
- Number of pages: 284
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: July 13, 2017
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