Product Description

HOW CAN YOU LOVE SOMEONE AND RESENT HIM AT THE SAME TIME?

Jake Moon used to love the time he spent with his grandfather, Skelly, but that was before Skelly got Alzheimer's disease. All of a sudden, it's as if Skelly is the kid, and Jake has to be the grown-up. Much of Skelly's care becomes Jake's responsibility, and that doesn't leave much time for a life of his own.

Then, one day Jake rebels, and the unthinkable happens. Has Jake discovered too late how much his grandfather still means to him?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #226073 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-01
• Released on: 2002-06-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .37" h x 5.18" w x 7.72" l, .20 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

From Publishers Weekly
PW gave a starred review to this "memorable" novel narrated by an eighth-grader whose beloved grandfather has Alzheimer's disease. Ages 9-12. (June)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-Three boys watch an old man teeter on the side of a dumpster. Two of them taunt him until he acknowledges them and they realize that he doesn't understand their insults. The third boy is Jake, the confused man's grandson. This short and moving novel deals with his relationship with his grandfather as Skelly's Alzheimer's slowly worsens. The youngster changes considerably from when readers meet him in third grade until his graduation from eighth grade. He starts out looking after his grandfather an hour a day, a job that becomes more and more onerous. He is embarrassed by Skelly's increasingly erratic behavior and becomes alienated from his friends. His relationships with his wealthy aunt and cousin are also strained because Jake feels that they are buying their way out of caregiving. Jake is a well-rounded and believable character surrounded by colorful and equally realistic supporting characters. His acceptance of Skelly's condition and the evolving relationships in his family signal a hopeful start to the next phase of his life. This novel demonstrates the horror of Alzheimer's disease, both to the afflicted person and to the loved ones, and it is written in an accessible style that will appeal to a wide audience.
Betsy Fraser, Calgary Public Library, Canada
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
For anyone, watching someone you've loved and admired for years start to change and deteriorate mentally is a heartbreaking experience; for Jake Moon, experiencing it as a young adolescent, it's both confusing and terrifying. With a boyish tone and adolescent intensity, narrator Fred Savage gives voice to all of Jakes's emotions: his embarrassment when some of his friends see his grandfather sitting in the dumpster behind school, the frustration of telling him the same things over and over, the pain when his grandfather doesn't recognize him, the hurt when his grandfather starts yelling at him for nothing, the resentment for what the Alzheimer's has done to his life. It's not until his grandfather disappears for days that Jake learns to accept the situation and understand how it impacts everyone, not just him. W.L.S. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine