Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Heavy family tale of AIDS, mental illness, abuse in 1983.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
It's the summer of 1983 on TROWBRIDGE ROAD in a quiet Massachusetts town. Ziggy's mom is dropping him off at her mom's house so she can go deal with her life (really, she just wants to be with her drunken boyfriend who beats her). Ziggy -- who's 12 or 13, small and slender with long red hair and a green Return of the Jedi T-shirt -- is traumatized, angry, and shut down. But Nana Jean is patient, kind, and loving with him, and soon he and his pet ferret, Matthew, are feeling a bit more safe. Watching it all with longing is June Jordan, better known as June Bug, who's spending the days high up in a tree in Nana Jean's backyard, because it's a whole lot better than her house, where her once great cellist mom is holed up in her room, practicing Bach obsessively but somehow never bathing herself, eating, or feeding her daughter. She's been obsessed with dirt and germs ever since her husband, June's beloved dad, died of AIDS, about which not much is known in 1983. The kids connect over their fondness for big words and imaginative adventures, becoming birds, dragons, and old-time residents of the area as the mood takes them. Nana Jean and June's kind uncle offer support. But there's still a lot of harrowing trouble ahead, and everybody's more than a bit broken.
Is It Any Good?
Marcella Pixley delves into mental illness, AIDS, bullying, and family dysfunction in a beautifully written story of people finding glimmers of hope, love, and connection that may yet save them. Not everyone is going to want to give all this darkness real estate in their mind, and not everyone will find enough joy to sustain them in lines like "We need to celebrate being together on this special day. Make some good memories before things get hard again." But Trowbridge Road offers moments of lyrical beauty as two bullied kids of 1983 befriend each other, and triumphant delight, however fleeting, in the deep acceptance of those who love you. As here, when Nana Jean comforts Ziggy, who's just been bullied for his long hair and Return of the Jedi T-shirt:
"'What if I take you downtown today and we get your hair cut and maybe buy you some new clothes?' Nana Jean asked.
"'I don't want new clothes,' said Ziggy. 'And for your information, all magical beings have long hair. If I cut my hair, I won't be able to teleport anymore.'
"'Is that so?' said Nana Jean.
"'Yes,' said Ziggy. 'It is.'
"Nana Jean smiled at him with her eyes so full with love, it almost broke my heart. 'Well, come on then,' she said. 'Let's finish our lunch and try to forget about them. You and me, we are way too fine to let small-minded folks like that bother us.'"
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how mental illness is shown in Trowbridge Road. How does it affect people who struggle with it themselves or in their loved ones?
This story is set in 1983. What do you think would happen differently, or be dealt with differently, today, based on what we've learned in the meantime?
What do you know about the AIDS epidemic, and how it affected so many people in the late 20th century? Do you see any parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Emotions
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Candlewick
- Publication date : October 6, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 14
- Number of pages : 304
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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