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Almost Forever
"Rapt readers don’t need to know anything about Vietnam to understand love, loss, fear, and waiting. A tour de force." — KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred review)
When the six-year-old narrator of this lyric novel watches her father march off to serve a year in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, a year seems like a very long time. A year is a long time when you’re waiting for letters, waiting for word. A year is almost forever when you’re wondering . . .and forgetting. Maria Testa has written a taut and tender American ballad of one family’s experience in the year 1968 — an ultimately heartening novel that has much to say to a new generation of readers.
When the six-year-old narrator of this lyric novel watches her father march off to serve a year in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, a year seems like a very long time. A year is a long time when you’re waiting for letters, waiting for word. A year is almost forever when you’re wondering . . .and forgetting. Maria Testa has written a taut and tender American ballad of one family’s experience in the year 1968 — an ultimately heartening novel that has much to say to a new generation of readers.
80 pages, Paperback
First published August 11, 2003
4 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
About the author
Maria Testa
12 books6 followers"My father was not a storyteller," says Maria Testa, author of the critically acclaimed poetic novels SOMETHING ABOUT AMERICA, ALMOST FOREVER and BECOMING JOE DIMAGGIO. "Our family was not the kind that sat on the front porch, sipping lemonade and listening to the elders reminisce. We were doers and did not spend a lot of time on verbal reflection."
How then, did Maria Testa come to write three deeply affecting novels? Maria Testa's latest novel, SOMETHING ABOUT AMERICA, was inspired by true events in Lewiston, Maine. Narrated by a young daughter from Kosova, this nuanced and deeply moving tale explores immigration in contemporary America.
Previously, Maria Testa has found inspiration from her family history. "Sometime, without remembering when, exactly, I learned about my father's life before me, before Vietnam, before medical school," she says of BECOMING JOE DIMAGGIO, which takes readers back to the summer of 1936. "Maybe it was in the car, out in the yard playing catch or pulling weeds, at the dinner table, or between the innings of a Yankees game on television. Somehow, without remembering how, exactly, I learned about a radio, a garden, a grandfather, and Joe Dimaggio. So maybe my father was a storyteller after all."
With ALMOST FOREVER, Maria Testa moves ahead to the 1960s to evoke--through the eyes of a six-year-old girl--the experience of seeing one's father march off to Vietnam to serve a year in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. "It is a tribute to the children of Vietnam veterans and to those who did not come home from war," she says. "It is my hope that we can always remember ourselves as children, so as not to forget the new generation of young people still waiting for the end of forever."
The recipient of a Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Work-in-Progress Grant for BECOMING JOE DIMAGGIO, Maria Testa has garnered extraordinary praise for her spare, gripping novels. "Powerfully moving, as it braids together baseball, family, and the Italian-American experience," said BOOKLIST's starred review BECOMING JOE DIMAGGIO, which was selected as an American Library Association Notable Book for Children, an IRA Children's Choice, and a Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Winner, among other accolades. "A tour de force," raves a starred review ALMOST FOREVER in KIRKUS REVIEWS. "Rapt readers don't need to know anything about Vietnam to understand love, loss, fear, and waiting."
Maria Testa has written three picture books for children and a collection of short stories for young adults. She is also the author of another book about baseball, SOME KIND OF PRIDE, which was awarded the Marguerite De Angeli Prize for a first middle-grade novel. Maria Testa grew up in Rhode Island and now lives in Portland, Maine, with her family.
How then, did Maria Testa come to write three deeply affecting novels? Maria Testa's latest novel, SOMETHING ABOUT AMERICA, was inspired by true events in Lewiston, Maine. Narrated by a young daughter from Kosova, this nuanced and deeply moving tale explores immigration in contemporary America.
Previously, Maria Testa has found inspiration from her family history. "Sometime, without remembering when, exactly, I learned about my father's life before me, before Vietnam, before medical school," she says of BECOMING JOE DIMAGGIO, which takes readers back to the summer of 1936. "Maybe it was in the car, out in the yard playing catch or pulling weeds, at the dinner table, or between the innings of a Yankees game on television. Somehow, without remembering how, exactly, I learned about a radio, a garden, a grandfather, and Joe Dimaggio. So maybe my father was a storyteller after all."
With ALMOST FOREVER, Maria Testa moves ahead to the 1960s to evoke--through the eyes of a six-year-old girl--the experience of seeing one's father march off to Vietnam to serve a year in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. "It is a tribute to the children of Vietnam veterans and to those who did not come home from war," she says. "It is my hope that we can always remember ourselves as children, so as not to forget the new generation of young people still waiting for the end of forever."
The recipient of a Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Work-in-Progress Grant for BECOMING JOE DIMAGGIO, Maria Testa has garnered extraordinary praise for her spare, gripping novels. "Powerfully moving, as it braids together baseball, family, and the Italian-American experience," said BOOKLIST's starred review BECOMING JOE DIMAGGIO, which was selected as an American Library Association Notable Book for Children, an IRA Children's Choice, and a Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Winner, among other accolades. "A tour de force," raves a starred review ALMOST FOREVER in KIRKUS REVIEWS. "Rapt readers don't need to know anything about Vietnam to understand love, loss, fear, and waiting."
Maria Testa has written three picture books for children and a collection of short stories for young adults. She is also the author of another book about baseball, SOME KIND OF PRIDE, which was awarded the Marguerite De Angeli Prize for a first middle-grade novel. Maria Testa grew up in Rhode Island and now lives in Portland, Maine, with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
November 12, 2008
There are literally hundreds of war books told through the voice of the soldier. Almost Forever, however, speaks through the unique (to me at least) voice of the soldier's child.
The innocent, six-year-old narrator watches as her father, a doctor, goes off to fight in Vietnam. Far from the horrors her father is undoubtedly witnessing, his young daughter is dealing with the impact the war has had on her and her family back home: moving house, letters from her father, seeing her mother cry, and, worst of all, starting to forget what her father really looks like.
This book is told entirely through verse, short beautifully simple poems that convey both her sense of loss and hope to see her father again.
The innocent, six-year-old narrator watches as her father, a doctor, goes off to fight in Vietnam. Far from the horrors her father is undoubtedly witnessing, his young daughter is dealing with the impact the war has had on her and her family back home: moving house, letters from her father, seeing her mother cry, and, worst of all, starting to forget what her father really looks like.
This book is told entirely through verse, short beautifully simple poems that convey both her sense of loss and hope to see her father again.
April 21, 2019
Almost Forever is a novel written in verse that takes place in 1967 and follows a young girl whose dad must leave to go to war in Vietnam. The book addresses the struggles that the family faces when their father goes missing while away at war. This is a WOW! book for me because it addresses serious issues that students in my own class might be facing, in an appropriate way for upper elementary aged students. For students who have not and will not experience a loved one going away to war, it is an excellent way to teach students the importance of empathy, by asking them how they think the narrator might feel and by challenging them to imagine how they might feel in the same situation. There are a couple different ways that this book can be used in the classroom. One positive way that I could use this in my own classroom is to use the book to introduce the idea that there are service men and women working for our country overseas – these service men and women have families and are giving up a lot to fight for our, and others freedom. We could show our support by making cards for those individuals thanking them for their service. This would be a great way to incorporate social studies standards into the ELA block. Since this is also considered a historical fiction novel, students could also research the time period where this book takes place. Students could conduct research on the Vietnam war, the draft, and other historical events that took place during that time period. Then, if time allows, student could design a creative project presenting their findings. Another way that this book could be used in the classroom is by showing it to students as an example of a novel written in verse. It may be the first time students have seen a novel written in verse, so it offers a great opportunity to ask students why they think that an author might choose to write a book in this fashion! After having this conversation with students, this book could be used as a model for students to write their own poetry or novel in verse!
February 25, 2017
A touching story of a young girl's experience when her father is sent to Vietnam during the war.
Told in verse, the girl experiences a year of loss, life, good times, worries, guilt and sadness as she and her mother & brother wait for her father's absence to come to an end.
A young story but told with heart.
Told in verse, the girl experiences a year of loss, life, good times, worries, guilt and sadness as she and her mother & brother wait for her father's absence to come to an end.
A young story but told with heart.
December 22, 2010
How long is a year? It is almost forever according the young girl whose emotional journey is presented in a series of poems that detail the year her family endures apart from her father who is fighting in Vietnam. Could translate really easily to modern times and the Iraq/Afghanistan War.
April 17, 2012
This one captured my heart. Written in prose , it is a real view of the life of a Military child who's father is MIA in Vietnam. The story pulls you in, but does not say everything. Loved it. This one can be read in one short sitting, but the message is profound.
January 14, 2020
Once a week, I take my four class periods of students to the school library to choose books. It takes about 10 minutes per group, and that's when I read this book - standing in the poetry section. It's THAT quick of a read. It's a short, sweet, emotional read. And it was definitely worth the fraction of an hour it took me to read it.
November 3, 2018
If all of the pointless line breaks were taken out, this would make a great short story. I expected to hate it but I almost cried.
March 9, 2022
Powerful view from the child of a soldier.
April 26, 2014
Almost Forever is a story told by a young girl, whose father is called to war as a doctor. She tells about what it is like for her, her little brother, and mother while he is away. She describes how she begins to forget her father's voice and wonders if he knows what they are doing in that exact moment. When her father finally comes home, her dad says that he has been gone for forever, and then she replies, almost forever. Almost Forever takes place in the time of the Vietnam war. I really enjoyed reading this book because it was an emotional story. I also liked this book because though there is a lot of information out there about what the war was like for the soldiers, this book tells the story of what it was like for the families back home. I really liked the point of view of this book, because in most war books, the focus is on the person who is away and all that they endure, which is extremely valid. I felt like I could empathize with the little girl as she is talking about how hard it is for her family to continue on without her father there. Although it was a sad story, it is exciting that he does come home to be with his family. I would recommend this book for elementary aged students who are looking for a great historical fiction book.
June 21, 2012
Almost Forever is a historical fiction book for young readers about a father going off to war in Vietnam and how his family, particularly his daughter, deal with and feel about the situation.
“I never cared much
about the mail
before,
never cared much
about the envelopes and packages
that were never meant
for me.
But Daddy wrote to us
every day
from Vietnam
and that changed
everything.”
The story is told from the point of view of a six-year-old girl whose name we never even learn. Since the story has such a young narrator, it was interesting too see how much she understood of what was going on around her. While I thought she grasped it really well for one so young, there were some points where you could see she didn’t fully understand. Like when she talks about her mom watching the news every night and how she thinks it’s because she’s in love with the News anchor.
Never the less, it only took ten minutes to read so you really can’t go wrong.
“I never cared much
about the mail
before,
never cared much
about the envelopes and packages
that were never meant
for me.
But Daddy wrote to us
every day
from Vietnam
and that changed
everything.”
The story is told from the point of view of a six-year-old girl whose name we never even learn. Since the story has such a young narrator, it was interesting too see how much she understood of what was going on around her. While I thought she grasped it really well for one so young, there were some points where you could see she didn’t fully understand. Like when she talks about her mom watching the news every night and how she thinks it’s because she’s in love with the News anchor.
Never the less, it only took ten minutes to read so you really can’t go wrong.
April 21, 2014
Almost Forever is a story told by a young girl, whose father is called to war as a doctor. She tells about what it is like for her, her little brother, and mother while he is away. She describes how she begins to forget her father's voice and wonders if he knows what they are doing in that exact moment. When her father finally comes home, her dad says that he has been gone for forever, and then she replies, almost forever. I really enjoyed this book because it gives an insight as to what it was like for the families of soldiers that went off to war. I think this book would be good for an older class that was learning about the Vietnam war to get a different perspective other than from the soldiers point of view. This book is a novel in verse so it is done in a different style than some are used to. A very good book!
November 10, 2010
Almost there starts out at there house when there dad gets a letter that says you will go to vietnam to serve for a ear as our dactor. there family moves to vally veiw a place that is a four family house. They moved there cause the goverment pays the rent cause there fauther is in Vietnam. When he leaves they act the same at school but at home after the eat supper they always watched the news. they get a letter everday or 3or4 every 3 days. the two kids are sad when they here people are missing and one of them is there fauther.in the end the kids have dreams of seeing him again. when they got to the airport the little girl ran to her fauther and there was a happy ending.
December 9, 2010
Genre: poetry, fiction
Issues: separation from father, war, reunion
The six-year-old narrator watches as her father must go away to war for a year and her mother faithfully writes him letters every day. His year's absence may seem like almost forever, but things are just the same when he returns to his loving and beloved family.
Sweet story, sweet voice, and sweet poetry. A surprising amount of character development was possible in the short, pithy poem. Who knew a less-than-80 page book could evoke tears?
Issues: separation from father, war, reunion
The six-year-old narrator watches as her father must go away to war for a year and her mother faithfully writes him letters every day. His year's absence may seem like almost forever, but things are just the same when he returns to his loving and beloved family.
Sweet story, sweet voice, and sweet poetry. A surprising amount of character development was possible in the short, pithy poem. Who knew a less-than-80 page book could evoke tears?
November 15, 2012
This story was set as a pome format. It was basically about a mother who's husband is in the army. They have two childrens one is a girl, and the other is a boy. i find the girl the main character because she's the one who write journals, and letters to her father. I find this book sad because she is living with out her dad, and basically misses him. She doesn't know much about him because he bardly goes home, and asks her mother to tell her about her dad. She remembers short storys about times they spent together which was unforgetable and she writes about those times.
March 29, 2016
In 1967 a young girl and her family are decorating the Christmas tree when a Special Delivery envelope arrives for her father. The only word seen was
18Vietnam 19. He left in February, saying doctors don 19t get killed. The little girl worries about things 26 like forgetting the sound of her daddy 19s voice 26 like feeling guilty for enjoying the next Christmas without him there 26. and then her father goes missing 26.
This is about love, loss, fear, waiting all from the perspective of a soldier's child ... You don't have to know about wars to understand this.
18Vietnam 19. He left in February, saying doctors don 19t get killed. The little girl worries about things 26 like forgetting the sound of her daddy 19s voice 26 like feeling guilty for enjoying the next Christmas without him there 26. and then her father goes missing 26.
This is about love, loss, fear, waiting all from the perspective of a soldier's child ... You don't have to know about wars to understand this.
February 23, 2010
This book is a really quick read. It talks about a familys who's father is off to war and how it effects them. It's really sweet and has a lot of themes such as family, love, war. I could somehow relate because since the father is away my father is away most of the time as well so I could see where all the charaters were coming from. I would reccomend this book to anybody because it's really easy to read and it's in a poem form.
April 18, 2012
This book was different than any other book i have read. The whole story of their father leaving to fight in Vietnam is written as a poem. It shows each day the boy and his family go on without their father and mainly shows important events that occur throughout this time period. It is a very interesting and unique story especially because of the way it is written in a different way than many other stories.
Read
August 2, 2011A very quick read - 70 pages of poems that tell the tale of a young girl whose father, a doctor, is called to serve a year in Vietnam. The little girl's confusion, anguish, sadness, guilt at having fun and enjoying life when her father is away at war, terror when her father's daily letters inexplicably stop coming and, finally, joy at her father's homecoming, come through perfectly.
January 9, 2013
This is a story that really reveals the emotional challenges of being a child with a father away at war. There is so much innocence - it is a reminder that the concerns of children are very different from adults - they don't necessarily understand war.
They feel lost and confused - with a fading image of their loved ones gone to war.
They feel lost and confused - with a fading image of their loved ones gone to war.
March 13, 2015
This book was about a dad that had to go to Vietnam to be a doctor. He was going to be gone for a year. The mom was so sad and they always wrote to each other and then one day they did not get a note from there dad. They were so nerves and thought he was dead. Then a couple months after the last note they got a letter in the mail. Will there dad be coming home or not.
Read
February 4, 2016No wasted words here; the poems can pack an emotional intensity in just a few simply worded lines. A weeper keeper. *SPOILERS* Narrative poetry tells the story of a little girl whose doctor father receives orders to serve in Vietnam for a year. As the year passes the family copes with his absence, receive daily letters, learn that he's missing in action and are finally reunited at book's end.
Read
March 15, 2010mariella
this book is about a girl that her father went to vietnam to a war. His father got lost in a forest because he was left out of the group. Then after one year his father went as a surprise in christmas eve.
this book is about a girl that her father went to vietnam to a war. His father got lost in a forest because he was left out of the group. Then after one year his father went as a surprise in christmas eve.
Read
October 1, 2013A short, free verse novel, told from the perspective of a a very young American girl as she witnesses her physician father leave for the Vietnam War.
I liked it, but I just wasn't feeling the potential emotional impact.
I liked it, but I just wasn't feeling the potential emotional impact.
December 1, 2011
I really liked this book because...
I think some people could really relate to the story about the girl who's missed her dad when he was gone in the army.
The poems are arranged to where you can understand the story perfectly.
I would recommend this book to everyone.
I think some people could really relate to the story about the girl who's missed her dad when he was gone in the army.
The poems are arranged to where you can understand the story perfectly.
I would recommend this book to everyone.
April 3, 2008
Great book told in simple verse. Fast read and very powerful. Told from the eyes of a girl who is waiting for her father to return from Vietnam.
June 13, 2008
Another one to add to my collection. I love how Testa uses poems to tell a touching story about a father that has to leave for a year to be a dr. in the Vietnam War and the effects on his family.
February 4, 2011
Very short book of poetry about a dad going to war. Not much meat but it has a happy ending.
Want to read
October 4, 2011read it in 1/2 hour. A hard book to put down.
October 27, 2011
A great book. It is a novel written in poetry.
December 12, 2011
a pretty good , SHORT easy read .
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews