Brothers

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick.

I first heard of this book a year ago at the Anderson Bookstore Children's Literature Breakfast. Mr. Sonnenblick spoke to the crowd of mostly teachers, school librarians, local authors, illustrators and two aspiring writers with great heart and humor. Now that I have read his book I can appreciate how genuine of a talk he gave because this book has both heart and humor. It is a sweet, funny but ultimately realistic read about a 13 year old boy coping with his younger brother's fight against leukemia. 

Moved by his talk, I bought the book. Troubled by the sibling strife in a string of books read with my sons lately, I took the time to pick it up. I was searching for something for my sons to show there can be a little love and tenderness, too. So, I gave this book a read. And I am so glad I did. Steven, the older brother, is honest about his feelings about his brother, his parents and his social anxiety. He struggles with very similar feelings captured in all the other sibling rivalry tales, but cancer has a way of putting things into perspective. It was so precious to read this tale with the final message being, "It's good to love your brother." I think my 7 year old could grasp it, and I plan to read it with him.

It is a great demonstration of values and modeling for tweens. Sonnenblick captures the isolation of being a teen and what it means to truly grow up.  Steven began the process of coping with his brother's cancer entirely alone and feeling quite abandoned. He had to learn to rely on his circle of teachers and friends. He also had to accept a certain level of neglect because sometimes troubles are bigger than your parents.  Steven's thoughts are raw and unfiltered, allowing the reader to go through the coping process.

It could be argued that the 13 year olds weren't really acting like 13 year olds. Their actions and interactions at times were so mature. But I think that is the beauty of the story and makes these characters important for kids to read about. You can be a man by the things you do, not the hairs on your chest or your birthday. This gradually becomes clear to Steven, giving him the confidence to overcome his insecurities.

Most important, I loved the drumming and band theme. A former band geek myself, I could appreciate the time practicing to help "deal." Also, the day of performance excitement was spot on!

There is hope yet that my sons will make a little room in their hearts for each other...and maybe the drums, too. Thank you, Mr. Sonnenblick and Steven.