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My Cousin's Keeper
“Bon raised his hand as if to say hello to me, but I turned quickly away. I didn’t want anyone to know that we knew each other, much less that we were related.”
Kieran wants to be part of the cool group at school. He wants to be on the football team. He wants to fit in. But his cousin Bon is different. Different from any kid Kieran has ever met. And he’s ruining things for him. Why can’t Bon just go away?
Which is more important: being popular, or doing the right thing? This is the question internationally award-winning Australian author Simon French asks readers in his latest junior fiction offering, Other Brother . Follow the growing friendship between two young boys as they deal with bullying, homelessness and mental illness, and learn to accept each other’s differences. If you liked this book check out Simon’s other stories, Change the Locks and Cannily, Cannily .
Short-listed in the Younger Reader’s category of the 2013 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards
“Another finely crafted book from Simon French who understands boys of eleven and tells their stories with effortless fluency.” – Ernie Tucker
“A thoughtful look at both bullying and family-related problems, with a great message about standing up for those you care about.” – Bookseller+Publisher
“At the heart of this novel that unravels tangled threads there is a deep wisdom and an empathy with the human condition, including especially that of children and young people who have experienced loss in any form. Here is literary excellence that puts into perspective cheap thrills, clichéd plotting and stereotyped characterisation. Simon French, you have done it again. Thank you.” – Reading Time magazine
“A deeply moving, well-crafted book. In the usual unique Simon French style, every word counts … This is a story for all the children that are moved about that never belong.” – Buzz Words magazine
“Simon French offers another gritty and realistic story about families and relationships, about a boy on the brink of high school and puberty discovering a more complex world.” – Aussie Reviews
“Highly recommended. Seeing a new book by Simon French is enough to give me goosebumps … This is the sort of story all kids will read and discuss.” – Read Plus
Kieran wants to be part of the cool group at school. He wants to be on the football team. He wants to fit in. But his cousin Bon is different. Different from any kid Kieran has ever met. And he’s ruining things for him. Why can’t Bon just go away?
Which is more important: being popular, or doing the right thing? This is the question internationally award-winning Australian author Simon French asks readers in his latest junior fiction offering, Other Brother . Follow the growing friendship between two young boys as they deal with bullying, homelessness and mental illness, and learn to accept each other’s differences. If you liked this book check out Simon’s other stories, Change the Locks and Cannily, Cannily .
Short-listed in the Younger Reader’s category of the 2013 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards
“Another finely crafted book from Simon French who understands boys of eleven and tells their stories with effortless fluency.” – Ernie Tucker
“A thoughtful look at both bullying and family-related problems, with a great message about standing up for those you care about.” – Bookseller+Publisher
“At the heart of this novel that unravels tangled threads there is a deep wisdom and an empathy with the human condition, including especially that of children and young people who have experienced loss in any form. Here is literary excellence that puts into perspective cheap thrills, clichéd plotting and stereotyped characterisation. Simon French, you have done it again. Thank you.” – Reading Time magazine
“A deeply moving, well-crafted book. In the usual unique Simon French style, every word counts … This is a story for all the children that are moved about that never belong.” – Buzz Words magazine
“Simon French offers another gritty and realistic story about families and relationships, about a boy on the brink of high school and puberty discovering a more complex world.” – Aussie Reviews
“Highly recommended. Seeing a new book by Simon French is enough to give me goosebumps … This is the sort of story all kids will read and discuss.” – Read Plus
240 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2012
20 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
Simon French
22 books14 followersSimon French began his writing career as a thirteen-year-old in Sydney's western suburbs, and had his first novel published five years later, while he was still at high school.
In the years since, Simon's writing for children has been published in numerous overseas editions, and in Australia has earned critical acclaim and several awards, including the 1987 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award for All We Know. Change the Locks was an Honour Book in 1992. Where in the World, Simon's first novel in ten years, is published by Little Hare Books.
The characters in his stories often develop from the children he has worked with—from babies and toddlers in an inner-city crisis refuge to the pupils he has taught over many years at primary schools in suburban and rural New South Wales. Simon continues to work as a teacher in a small school in Sydney's rural outskirts.
He is unable to imagine life without good books, interesting music and movies, exotic food, travel to new places, old cars . . . but, most of all, true friends.
In the years since, Simon's writing for children has been published in numerous overseas editions, and in Australia has earned critical acclaim and several awards, including the 1987 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award for All We Know. Change the Locks was an Honour Book in 1992. Where in the World, Simon's first novel in ten years, is published by Little Hare Books.
The characters in his stories often develop from the children he has worked with—from babies and toddlers in an inner-city crisis refuge to the pupils he has taught over many years at primary schools in suburban and rural New South Wales. Simon continues to work as a teacher in a small school in Sydney's rural outskirts.
He is unable to imagine life without good books, interesting music and movies, exotic food, travel to new places, old cars . . . but, most of all, true friends.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
February 22, 2013
Other Brother is an uncomfortable yet important story of displacement, trying to fit in, and bullying.
The three main protagonists in this story, Kieran, Bon and Julia, all must confront and deal with these issues in different ways.
From their first meeting, Kieran feels both jealous and threatened by his cousin Bon's presence. Their grandmother lavishes attention on Bon, as her long lost grandson; Kieran is afraid that Bon will ruin his chances of making friends.
Kieran longs to fit in. He is part of a stable family, yet when his best friend leaves town he finds it hard to break into a new group at school. It's a group that encourages intimidation and bullying, drawing Kieran into this behaviour as well. Difference is not tolerated well in this country town, nor by Kieran.
And Kieran's cousin Bon is different. Both Bon and Julia bear scars of unsettled childhoods, marking them out as targets for the school's bullies. It's a long torturous journey for Kieran from cowardice to bravery, a story which needs to be told but is difficult to bear, because the behaviour of the characters in this novel rings so true.
Kieran's journey is eloquently foretold in the story which Bon so beautifully writes and illustrates in his drawing book.
I really enjoyed reading a Simon French novel again after an extensive absence. I'd recommend this novel to Year 6 - 8, as a class novel, Literature Circles or Readers Cup. It has tons of food for thought.
The three main protagonists in this story, Kieran, Bon and Julia, all must confront and deal with these issues in different ways.
From their first meeting, Kieran feels both jealous and threatened by his cousin Bon's presence. Their grandmother lavishes attention on Bon, as her long lost grandson; Kieran is afraid that Bon will ruin his chances of making friends.
Kieran longs to fit in. He is part of a stable family, yet when his best friend leaves town he finds it hard to break into a new group at school. It's a group that encourages intimidation and bullying, drawing Kieran into this behaviour as well. Difference is not tolerated well in this country town, nor by Kieran.
And Kieran's cousin Bon is different. Both Bon and Julia bear scars of unsettled childhoods, marking them out as targets for the school's bullies. It's a long torturous journey for Kieran from cowardice to bravery, a story which needs to be told but is difficult to bear, because the behaviour of the characters in this novel rings so true.
Kieran's journey is eloquently foretold in the story which Bon so beautifully writes and illustrates in his drawing book.
I really enjoyed reading a Simon French novel again after an extensive absence. I'd recommend this novel to Year 6 - 8, as a class novel, Literature Circles or Readers Cup. It has tons of food for thought.
November 17, 2012
A poignant story of bullying, being different, family life and the differences in what is 'normal' in an Australian country town.
This tale struck me as an older (yrs 7-9)readers version of "I am Jack". The adults have little strength or gumption (yet they are probably correctly portrayed, in terms of what would really happen), but the roles of the different children in the school yard is a fabulous portrayal of schoolyard social standing - the bullies, victims, bystanders and those who are willing to take a stand.
I give it 3.5 stars.
This tale struck me as an older (yrs 7-9)readers version of "I am Jack". The adults have little strength or gumption (yet they are probably correctly portrayed, in terms of what would really happen), but the roles of the different children in the school yard is a fabulous portrayal of schoolyard social standing - the bullies, victims, bystanders and those who are willing to take a stand.
I give it 3.5 stars.
September 14, 2017
In the story,"My Cousin's Keeper" by Simon French you are introduced to the three main charters Kieran, Bon, and Julia. This book is about bullying and even though it's a good simple story, it has a big overall message. My favorite character is Kieran because you get to see how his life unfolds quickly and how he changes, and the challenges he goes through. This story is also very good at introducing characters, they show some key aspects at first, but you start to learn even more about the reasons and actions for mainly these three protagonists. My favorite part of this book has to be the overall way Kieran and Bon react to each other and how they start to learn to understand each other. I think one of the best scenes of this book has to be the first part of the book when Kieran first sees his cousin because at first he is not a big fan of him even being there which changes over time with story development. This book also made me start to think more about how people judge people by the way they look and how they act thrrough the antagonists, Mason and Lucas. Overall, I think this is a good book for young readers because it not only interesting, but it help kids have an open mind about people who are different. This also opens them up to the fact that there are many types of people and the world is a big place, and they are going to encounter people they never met before.
September 13, 2014
The main characters in this story are like many of my middle schools students. They want to fit in, and be accepted by others in school. Looking and acting different make that difficult. Associating with someone who is different is just as bad. The main character Kieran has been trying to be part of the “in crowd” since his best friend moved away. He is always on the fringe as if he just isn’t quite good enough. It is usually these kids who get into trouble by going too far to fit in. In Kieran’s case, his difficulty fitting in just got harder. His cousin Bon, whom he’s only met once before and doesn’t really like, shows up at his school and his home. Kieran’s friends Mason and Lucas make fun of Bon for his long braid and his not as nice clothes. Bon seems unfazed. He doesn’t care about fitting in. Things get tougher when Julia the new girl that Kieran has a crush on, starts hanging with Bon. Kieran really feels betrayed. He joins in the bullying of his cousin.
Things aren’t always what they seem, and this author did a wonderful job of showing that. Bon is a character I not only felt so sorry for, yet admired. He had his eyes set on where he wanted to go in life and kept his head up as he headed that way. He was a true friend and cousin. We learn more about Julia and her secrets as the story progresses and see how and why Bon and Julia became such good friends. We have all had that one black sheep in the family that we didn’t want to acknowledge. This book made me look back at when we were younger and how I treated that cousin. My treatment of them may not have gone to the extremes that Kieran’s did but I was just as guilty. They are someone I now look up to and admire.
I think one of the reasons I liked this book so much is because I can see the value of reading it to my students and having it on my shelves at school. I also love books that take me back to my own childhood and show me how I was not much different than the character,s and teach melessons I should have learned long ago. Yes I can say I learned a lot. I am currently dealing with one of those black sheep in the family and realized I was headed the wrong way. This book was a great reminder. It is a great thing when a children’s book can teach a lesson to an adult. Because after all, we all want to fit in. This book looks at the dynamics of “family”, bullying, and jealousy. This is definitely a book I will tell my school librarian needs to be on our shelves.
Things aren’t always what they seem, and this author did a wonderful job of showing that. Bon is a character I not only felt so sorry for, yet admired. He had his eyes set on where he wanted to go in life and kept his head up as he headed that way. He was a true friend and cousin. We learn more about Julia and her secrets as the story progresses and see how and why Bon and Julia became such good friends. We have all had that one black sheep in the family that we didn’t want to acknowledge. This book made me look back at when we were younger and how I treated that cousin. My treatment of them may not have gone to the extremes that Kieran’s did but I was just as guilty. They are someone I now look up to and admire.
I think one of the reasons I liked this book so much is because I can see the value of reading it to my students and having it on my shelves at school. I also love books that take me back to my own childhood and show me how I was not much different than the character,s and teach melessons I should have learned long ago. Yes I can say I learned a lot. I am currently dealing with one of those black sheep in the family and realized I was headed the wrong way. This book was a great reminder. It is a great thing when a children’s book can teach a lesson to an adult. Because after all, we all want to fit in. This book looks at the dynamics of “family”, bullying, and jealousy. This is definitely a book I will tell my school librarian needs to be on our shelves.
October 31, 2014
11 year-old Kieran has a pretty good life until unknown cousin, Bon, gets dropped into his life. Bon is a loner and different. He doesn't act like the other kids. Being friends with him embarrasses Kieran, and when his friends begin to tease and bully Bon, Kieran participates. It isn't until he begins to understand the sort of life Bon has had that Kieran starts to sympathize and rebel against the bullies at school.
My Cousin's Keeper was an enjoyable book and the language made it a very smooth, easy read, but it moves at a snail's pace and offers no exciting or notable climax. Slow and steady with a good dose of life lessons - especially to to be kind to others.
My Cousin's Keeper was an enjoyable book and the language made it a very smooth, easy read, but it moves at a snail's pace and offers no exciting or notable climax. Slow and steady with a good dose of life lessons - especially to to be kind to others.
April 10, 2013
Shortlisted in the 2013 CBCA Younger Readers category, Other Brother is a realistic story that deals with friendships,families,the importance of fitting in and bullying.
While covering important issues with strong messages Other Brother is a very enjoyable read.
While covering important issues with strong messages Other Brother is a very enjoyable read.
April 29, 2012
Really wanted to give Kieran a good talking to....he came around eventually!
January 3, 2013
A kid's book which can be enjoyed by young adults and older adults! Strong messages about fitting in, belonging, true friendship, and acceptance.
Read
June 3, 2013Really good
June 4, 2013
A really great book for middle grade kids trying to find their place.
July 7, 2013
A great book for boys in particular - trying to fit in, coping with bullying, making the right decisions. An insight into broken families.
July 15, 2013
Short Listed CBCA 20013 Excellent story - Bon is dumped with his aunt and grandmother and is bullied by his cousin Kieran and Kieran's friends. He befriends Julia - a girl with her own problems.
February 2, 2015
i really enjoyed this book! Bullying happens everywhere in schools ,workplaces and in homes. A great place to start teaching is in schools. This book should be a must have for children to read!!!
October 23, 2017
At his dad’s birthday party nine-year old Kieran meets his cousin Bon whom he has never even heard of before. Bon appears to be very different from him and he doesn’t really like him. Bon wears his blond hair in a long ponytail, wears old, tattered clothes and touches all of Kieran’s things without asking. Two years later, Kieran sees Bon at his school and learns that he will living with their grandmother and spending regular weekends with his family. His sister accepts Bon immediately; Kieran and his friends do not. When Kieran’s friends begin to bully his cousin, and Julia, a girl at school he likes berates him for doing nothing about it, Kieran must choose between remaining with his popular friends or risk losing them by doing the right thing and defending his cousin. Written for tweens, this is an important book on understanding, acceptance, bullying, and doing the right thing.
Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.
April 8, 2019
An interesting, overwhelmingly sad book. Kieran is living his life, working on his popularity, figuring out who is and where he fits in when his odd cousin Bon shows up. Bon does not fit in - with Kieran or at the school where they both end up going. It takes awhile - and some pain- before Kieran realizes what his cousin has been through and what he has to offer.
June 6, 2021
It's a little uneventful in a way. A coming of age story about accepting family for who they are even if that goes against the grain. However a third character Julia isnt really fully explained and the end felt like it was missing about 3 or 4 pages so for that I've given it 3 stars
June 19, 2022
This is such a sweet, sincere story, and in several places I felt a bit teary. Learning hard life lessons is never easy but especially at these young ages.
So well written that I couldn't help but fall in love with the characters.
So well written that I couldn't help but fall in love with the characters.
July 17, 2018
This was a great book!
I very much enjoyed this book, at first it seemed kind of boring, but it really wasn’t. It was sad and happy. I defiantly rate this book 3 stars
I very much enjoyed this book, at first it seemed kind of boring, but it really wasn’t. It was sad and happy. I defiantly rate this book 3 stars
June 27, 2019
Okay...this kid is just plain mean. Can we get that one thing strait please??
June 12, 2020
good very motivational and insparatonal
September 18, 2024
DNF. Bored.
February 2, 2025
It was a nice read but don’t know if I would recommend to a friend
March 6, 2017
A great book full of emotion and mystery
August 8, 2014
I read this book with my daughters over our vacation, while my husband listened in from the next room. It was not like any of the books we’ve read together before. For one thing, the main characters in this story were boys, and we typically read about girls, for whatever reason. This was a tough read — tough because at times the main character, Kieran, was almost brutally mean to his cousin Bon, whose life has already been incredibly harsh. (This does not even include what the bullies at school do to Bon.) When Kieran’s parents take Bon in after many unsettled years traveling with his unbalanced Mom, we expected him to show compassion for him. Instead, we are given what is more likely closer to the truth; the sudden and intense meanness that can happen when the life you know and take for granted is upended.
We hoped for a happy ending, but it was a long way coming. There were times when our reader (me), had to stop and pull herself together. My husband would ask me at night, Geez, can’t that kid catch a break? And I would think, yes, this is how it is for some kids; this is something we need to know about, a way to teach empathy to our children. So, it wasn’t pretty, but it was, in the end, wonderful. There are light-hearted moments, mostly provided by Kieran’s younger sister Gina, and there are moments of wistfulness and beauty, provided by Bon, and his friend Julia, and even Kieran, in the end. It is a deeply moving book, it will make you think twice when you notice a kid you might consider different, or odd. It will make you appreciate their difference, and then wonder at their limitless potential.
Check out the girls’ review at 60 Second Summaries on Betwixtgirls.com
We hoped for a happy ending, but it was a long way coming. There were times when our reader (me), had to stop and pull herself together. My husband would ask me at night, Geez, can’t that kid catch a break? And I would think, yes, this is how it is for some kids; this is something we need to know about, a way to teach empathy to our children. So, it wasn’t pretty, but it was, in the end, wonderful. There are light-hearted moments, mostly provided by Kieran’s younger sister Gina, and there are moments of wistfulness and beauty, provided by Bon, and his friend Julia, and even Kieran, in the end. It is a deeply moving book, it will make you think twice when you notice a kid you might consider different, or odd. It will make you appreciate their difference, and then wonder at their limitless potential.
Check out the girls’ review at 60 Second Summaries on Betwixtgirls.com
September 15, 2014
Originally published in Australia, this moving story reveals a great deal about good intentions and fitting in. Eleven-year-old Kieran wants desperately to fit in with the popular set at his school. Because his best friend moved away, he feels disturbingly at sea when it comes to his social standing, and as a result of that insecurity, he's willing to behave in ways that aren't typical of him. A case in point is his cousin Bon. Being the new kid in class and wearing his hair in a long braid mark him as different, and Kieran gladly sacrifices his familial allegiance to the cousin he resents for a bid at acceptance from Mason and his set. The bullying starts slowly and then escalates, of course, and were it not for Julia, another new classmate on whom Kieran has a small crush, who knows what might have happened? Without regard for the consequences and her own popularity, Julia intervenes and holds Kieran accountable for better behavior. The author tackles the complex issue of bullying honestly here as well as examining the complexity of family dynamics and our expectations for others. This book offers plenty of material for class discussion while reminding readers to embrace their better sides. Bon's story is heart-breaking in so many ways, in part, because he is the product of an environment over which he has had little control. No wonder he writes and draws an imaginary world where he, Julia, and Kieran are heroic figures. This one made me think hard and prompted wonderings about my own behavior during my youth. How often did I stand up or fail to stand up for those singled out for teasing?
February 27, 2015
Reviewed for School Library Journal in their June issue.
Gr 4–7—Eleven-year-old Kieran can't catch a break. He has just begun to make inroads with the popular crowd at school when his conspicuously odd cousin, Bon, moves into town. Having lived a vagabond life, Bon is a virtual stranger to Kieran, but his appearance speaks volumes: he has long, braided hair, talks in a clipped fashion, and dresses in clothes for a much younger child. Kieran wants nothing to do with him and is horrified when Bon enrolls in his school. To make matters worse, Bon has become best friends with the new girl, Julia, on whom Kieran has a mad crush. Burdened with a negligent and unreliable mother, Bon becomes more and more dependent on Kieran's family. The situation becomes volatile as the protagonist begins to feel torn between an ever-growing compassion for his cousin and his strong desire to be popular. French adeptly avoids being preachy when it comes to the topics of bullying and peer pressure. He paints a sympathetic portrait of both boys and lets readers draw their own conclusions. The mystery of Julia and her own familial troubles adds a level of intrigue, and while the ending feels a bit drawn out, this is a solid choice for middle-grade readers.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI
Gr 4–7—Eleven-year-old Kieran can't catch a break. He has just begun to make inroads with the popular crowd at school when his conspicuously odd cousin, Bon, moves into town. Having lived a vagabond life, Bon is a virtual stranger to Kieran, but his appearance speaks volumes: he has long, braided hair, talks in a clipped fashion, and dresses in clothes for a much younger child. Kieran wants nothing to do with him and is horrified when Bon enrolls in his school. To make matters worse, Bon has become best friends with the new girl, Julia, on whom Kieran has a mad crush. Burdened with a negligent and unreliable mother, Bon becomes more and more dependent on Kieran's family. The situation becomes volatile as the protagonist begins to feel torn between an ever-growing compassion for his cousin and his strong desire to be popular. French adeptly avoids being preachy when it comes to the topics of bullying and peer pressure. He paints a sympathetic portrait of both boys and lets readers draw their own conclusions. The mystery of Julia and her own familial troubles adds a level of intrigue, and while the ending feels a bit drawn out, this is a solid choice for middle-grade readers.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI
January 6, 2015
My Cousin’s Keeper is a problem novel. The problem—eleven-year-old Kieran’s best friend moved away two years ago and ever since then he’s been struggling to gain a place in the “in” crowd, but the arrival of his “weird” cousin Bon throws his life off-kilter. Bon is living with their grandmother, sleeping over at Kieran’s home, and attending Kieran’s school. To complicate matters, Bon has somehow managed to become best friends with the cute girl Kieran has a crush on.
Because such novels usually end happily, or reasonably so, one can predict much of the action in this book. But having a good sense of what’s to come doesn’t matter when the writing is solid and the characters are engaging—and that’s the case here.
Simon has a knack for avoiding all good/all bad dichotomies. The characters have their short-comings. For Kieran that short-coming is his willingness to participate in activities and pranks that make him uncomfortable in the hopes that doing so will cement his place in the boys’ social hierarchy.
My Cousin’s Keeper, marketed to grades 3 through 7, offers a worthwhile read for children trying to make their way in the world, who are still learning how to stand up for what they most believe in. The fact that there are two significant, strong female characters means this is a book that boys and girls both should appreciate.
Because such novels usually end happily, or reasonably so, one can predict much of the action in this book. But having a good sense of what’s to come doesn’t matter when the writing is solid and the characters are engaging—and that’s the case here.
Simon has a knack for avoiding all good/all bad dichotomies. The characters have their short-comings. For Kieran that short-coming is his willingness to participate in activities and pranks that make him uncomfortable in the hopes that doing so will cement his place in the boys’ social hierarchy.
My Cousin’s Keeper, marketed to grades 3 through 7, offers a worthwhile read for children trying to make their way in the world, who are still learning how to stand up for what they most believe in. The fact that there are two significant, strong female characters means this is a book that boys and girls both should appreciate.
January 22, 2015
Kiernan wants to fit in with the cool kids at school and he does just barely. That could all change when his strange cousin Bon comes to town. Bon has long, girly hair, wears old, raggedy clothes and likes to draw. He and his mom Renee have moved around a lot and the family has barely seen them. Bon gets bullied at school by Kiernan and his friends. Bon's only friend is the other new kid Julia who seems to be attending school for the first time and has a secret past. As Bon becomes more a permanent part of Kiernan's family he has to come to terms with his feelings and decide if he is going to do right by Bon.
This story has a lot going on. Bon is bullied, Kiernan is a bully. Renee seems to have some kind of mental health issue and there is the issue of child neglect regarding Bon. Julie has been kidnapped by her mother from her father who has custody. It is pretty heavy stuff and sometimes handled a bit heavy-handed in the book. I thought the message of the book was great. It is all about being who you are and accepting people for who they are. The only problem was that it came across very messagey and seemed to read like an after school special.
This story has a lot going on. Bon is bullied, Kiernan is a bully. Renee seems to have some kind of mental health issue and there is the issue of child neglect regarding Bon. Julie has been kidnapped by her mother from her father who has custody. It is pretty heavy stuff and sometimes handled a bit heavy-handed in the book. I thought the message of the book was great. It is all about being who you are and accepting people for who they are. The only problem was that it came across very messagey and seemed to read like an after school special.
February 23, 2016
6th grader Kieran is working his way into the popular group at school when his weird cousin, Bon, shows up at school, even in the same class. Bon's flaky mother isn't successfully able to care for him so leaves him with her mother. Kieran's parents agree to share responsibility for caring for Bon.
Bon, with his long, braided hair, his worn out clothes, and what appears to be spaciness, quickly becomes the scapegoat for bullying and teasing, even by Kieran. If it weren't for the lovely Julia, a self-confident, friendly girl who is a "new kid" the same day as Bon, he'd have no friends at all. Julia speaks up and stands up for Bon and encourages Kieran to also.
It makes for a good story to see Kieran transform from a bully to a person who begins to think for himself, who can see beyond the surface, sympathize, and defend the right. Bon's had a rough life, and is remarkably grounded for a child who's seen and experienced what he has.
Julia is a magnificent character. She has a secret of her own, an unstable parent of her own, and it's made her exceptionally strong and compassionate.
Bon, with his long, braided hair, his worn out clothes, and what appears to be spaciness, quickly becomes the scapegoat for bullying and teasing, even by Kieran. If it weren't for the lovely Julia, a self-confident, friendly girl who is a "new kid" the same day as Bon, he'd have no friends at all. Julia speaks up and stands up for Bon and encourages Kieran to also.
It makes for a good story to see Kieran transform from a bully to a person who begins to think for himself, who can see beyond the surface, sympathize, and defend the right. Bon's had a rough life, and is remarkably grounded for a child who's seen and experienced what he has.
Julia is a magnificent character. She has a secret of her own, an unstable parent of her own, and it's made her exceptionally strong and compassionate.
October 22, 2014
Taken from the inside cover:
Eleven-year-old Kieran wants to be a part of the "in" group at school. He wants to be on the soccer team. He wants to fit in. But then his weird cousin Bon shows up, both at school and at home. Bon's mom hasn't taken bood care of him, and with his long braid, babyish hand-knit hat, and funny voice, he doesn't fit in. Bon doesn't play sports; instead he likes to draw imaginary maps and write stories about "Bon the Crusader" and "Kieran the Brave." No wonder the boys call him Rapunzel and bully him.
When the bullying starts to go too far, will Kieran stand up and do the right thing?
I really liked this book. It was a page-turner for me. There is side story that is woven together with the main story. I found the subject matter very relevant.
There is one use of "God" in the book and the bullies call Bon "Gay boy" twice.
Eleven-year-old Kieran wants to be a part of the "in" group at school. He wants to be on the soccer team. He wants to fit in. But then his weird cousin Bon shows up, both at school and at home. Bon's mom hasn't taken bood care of him, and with his long braid, babyish hand-knit hat, and funny voice, he doesn't fit in. Bon doesn't play sports; instead he likes to draw imaginary maps and write stories about "Bon the Crusader" and "Kieran the Brave." No wonder the boys call him Rapunzel and bully him.
When the bullying starts to go too far, will Kieran stand up and do the right thing?
I really liked this book. It was a page-turner for me. There is side story that is woven together with the main story. I found the subject matter very relevant.
There is one use of "God" in the book and the bullies call Bon "Gay boy" twice.
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