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As World War II threatens the United States in 1941, fourteen-year-old Junior Bledsoe fights his own battles at home. Junior struggles with school and with anger—at his father, his insufferable granddaddy, his neighbors, and himself—as he desperately tries to understand himself and find his own aim in life. But he finds relief in escaping to the quiet of the nearby woods and tinkering with cars, something he learned from his Pop, and a fatherly neighbor provides much-needed guidance. This heartfelt and inspiring prequel to the author’s Blue and Comfort also includes an author’s note and bibliography.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published October 4, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 10, 2016
When I first began this blog, I read a book called Blue by Joyce Moyer Hostetter. It is about a 13 year-old girl named Ann Fay Honeycutt who becomes the "man of the house" when her father go to war in 1944, that is, until she contracts polio in an epidemic sweeping the area around her home in Hickory, NC. Now, Hostetter has written a prequel to Blue, which focuses on her neighbor, 14 year-old Junior Bledsoe.
It's 1941, and Junior is not having a good year. His momma wants him to stay in school, but his Pop thinks he should quit. To make matters worse, his ninth grade teacher is Miss Hinkle, a neighbor and a hard-nosed educator who forces Junior to write with his right hand rather than his left so his penmanship will be perfect.
But Miss Hinkle does own a '35 Plymouth that Junior would love to get his hands greasy working on it. Because all Junior really wants to do is follow in his Pop's footsteps and tinker with cars and other broken things that need a good mechanic to fix them. But no matter how much he helps his father, no matter how much he can prove what he knows, his father will simply not let Junior do much more than hand him his tools. And sometimes Junior just gets so mad at his Pop.
To top it all off, his Pop's mean, ornery father is living with the family now, sharing Junior's room with him and he just seems to delight in needling Junior. And granddaddy, who thinks President Roosevelt is a coward for keeping the country out of the war, just can't wait for the United States to enter it.
But when Pop is found dead by the side of the road on morning after what everyone presumes is a night of drinking and poker, Junior is suddenly at a loss about his life. Missing his Pop terribly, Junior just wants to find out what happened that night and the only way he can do that is by making friends with the boy in his class who is the schoolyard bully. And making friends with Dudley Walker is not an easy task, but doable.
Junior is basically a good kid, however, between missing his Pop, always being annoyed at his granddaddy, and not liking school very much, Dudley Walker's suggestion that they enlist together seems like a good idea. But when enlisting doesn't work out, it just seems that Junior goes on a downward spiral of bad decisions, like borrowing/stealing Miss Hinkle's car after Dudley agrees to help him find out what happened the night his Pop died, and, even though Junior knows stealing the car is wrong, he does it anyway.
Junior is grappling with a lot of changes since his father died, but as he struggles to face his challenges, he also discovers some family secrets that help him understand his Pop better. And maybe, just maybe with the help of neighbors who are willing to help him, Junior can come to terms with all that has happened and find his aim in life.
Like Ann Fay in Blue, Junior is a wonderful, full-bodied character. He's full of the kinds of contradictions, disorientations, and mixed emotions of adolescence as he searches for identity, his place in the world, independence, and respect. And a little peer pressure from Dudley doesn't help matters. Neither does dealing with a grandfather who puts him down all the time or having to come to terms with his father's alcoholism. These are hard topics for a middle grade novel, but Hostetter has managed to bring them together in this coming of age story without overburdening the reader, letting everything unfold naturally and with some humor, allowing Junior tell his own story and keeping the authorial voice to a real minimum.
The area around Hickory, NC is familiar to Hostetter and when she takes the reader there, it doesn't take long to feel like you know it, too. It's the kind of place where families have lived for generations, and everyone knows everyone else. And when Junior goes into the woods to seek comfort and solace, you can almost hear the trees rustling in the wind, smell the earth underfoot, and taste the catfish that can be caught in the river. It is, in short, an ideal setting for a 14 year-old boy to do some hard growing up.
If you haven't read Blue, or its sequel Comfort, Aim is a great place to begin this well-written historical fiction trilogy. If you have read either of the other two books, no problem, there are only occasion visits from Ann Fay in Aim. If anything, you will understand Ann Fay's relationship with her father even better, but it always remains Junior's story. Either way, I can honestly and highly recommend this book and Blue, and now that I have a copy of Comfort, I can't wait to read it, as well.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Calkins Creek, at the request of the author
This review was originally posted on The Children's War
It's 1941, and Junior is not having a good year. His momma wants him to stay in school, but his Pop thinks he should quit. To make matters worse, his ninth grade teacher is Miss Hinkle, a neighbor and a hard-nosed educator who forces Junior to write with his right hand rather than his left so his penmanship will be perfect.
But Miss Hinkle does own a '35 Plymouth that Junior would love to get his hands greasy working on it. Because all Junior really wants to do is follow in his Pop's footsteps and tinker with cars and other broken things that need a good mechanic to fix them. But no matter how much he helps his father, no matter how much he can prove what he knows, his father will simply not let Junior do much more than hand him his tools. And sometimes Junior just gets so mad at his Pop.
To top it all off, his Pop's mean, ornery father is living with the family now, sharing Junior's room with him and he just seems to delight in needling Junior. And granddaddy, who thinks President Roosevelt is a coward for keeping the country out of the war, just can't wait for the United States to enter it.
But when Pop is found dead by the side of the road on morning after what everyone presumes is a night of drinking and poker, Junior is suddenly at a loss about his life. Missing his Pop terribly, Junior just wants to find out what happened that night and the only way he can do that is by making friends with the boy in his class who is the schoolyard bully. And making friends with Dudley Walker is not an easy task, but doable.
Junior is basically a good kid, however, between missing his Pop, always being annoyed at his granddaddy, and not liking school very much, Dudley Walker's suggestion that they enlist together seems like a good idea. But when enlisting doesn't work out, it just seems that Junior goes on a downward spiral of bad decisions, like borrowing/stealing Miss Hinkle's car after Dudley agrees to help him find out what happened the night his Pop died, and, even though Junior knows stealing the car is wrong, he does it anyway.
Junior is grappling with a lot of changes since his father died, but as he struggles to face his challenges, he also discovers some family secrets that help him understand his Pop better. And maybe, just maybe with the help of neighbors who are willing to help him, Junior can come to terms with all that has happened and find his aim in life.
Like Ann Fay in Blue, Junior is a wonderful, full-bodied character. He's full of the kinds of contradictions, disorientations, and mixed emotions of adolescence as he searches for identity, his place in the world, independence, and respect. And a little peer pressure from Dudley doesn't help matters. Neither does dealing with a grandfather who puts him down all the time or having to come to terms with his father's alcoholism. These are hard topics for a middle grade novel, but Hostetter has managed to bring them together in this coming of age story without overburdening the reader, letting everything unfold naturally and with some humor, allowing Junior tell his own story and keeping the authorial voice to a real minimum.
The area around Hickory, NC is familiar to Hostetter and when she takes the reader there, it doesn't take long to feel like you know it, too. It's the kind of place where families have lived for generations, and everyone knows everyone else. And when Junior goes into the woods to seek comfort and solace, you can almost hear the trees rustling in the wind, smell the earth underfoot, and taste the catfish that can be caught in the river. It is, in short, an ideal setting for a 14 year-old boy to do some hard growing up.
If you haven't read Blue, or its sequel Comfort, Aim is a great place to begin this well-written historical fiction trilogy. If you have read either of the other two books, no problem, there are only occasion visits from Ann Fay in Aim. If anything, you will understand Ann Fay's relationship with her father even better, but it always remains Junior's story. Either way, I can honestly and highly recommend this book and Blue, and now that I have a copy of Comfort, I can't wait to read it, as well.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Calkins Creek, at the request of the author
This review was originally posted on The Children's War
October 30, 2016
Could not put this one down! As WWII looms, fourteen year old Junior works through the death of his father and slowly reconciles the dysfunctional behaviors and relationships between his dad, aunts, and granddad. Thankfully he has an understanding mother, and both of them are surrounded by a loving group of friends and neighbors. While not an adventure story, the pace of the story never drags, and the dialect is not overdone. This is a prequel to the authors _Blue_ and _Comfort_, and now I really want to read both of those.
January 29, 2022
Junior Bledsoe is not having a good year. His cantankerous grandfather has moved in with them. His next door neighbor Miss Pauline is his teacher this year. And to top it all off, his father dies unexpectedly. Junior struggles with the loss of his father and sometimes gets up to trouble. He's jealous of his classmates that still have their father's around.
I've got a real soft spot for this series. It's set close by. The experiences of many of the characters reflect those of my grandparents and great grandparents. While Junior has his ups and downs, it's easy to see that he is trying to do right for his mom and his neighbors. He, like Hostetter's other characters, is very realistic. He actually reminds me a lot of my cousin. It's obvious that Hostetter knows her setting and her people well and that she cares deeply about them.
I've got a real soft spot for this series. It's set close by. The experiences of many of the characters reflect those of my grandparents and great grandparents. While Junior has his ups and downs, it's easy to see that he is trying to do right for his mom and his neighbors. He, like Hostetter's other characters, is very realistic. He actually reminds me a lot of my cousin. It's obvious that Hostetter knows her setting and her people well and that she cares deeply about them.
December 20, 2024
It was a mundane story,about a boy growing up and maturing, trying to overcome the pass of his father..I liked the idea of how people can influence each other, bring the best in them, help them , and to be there when the other is in need .
August 30, 2016
This beautifully written YA historical is set in rural North Carolina in 1941. Fourteen-year-old Junior Bledsoe tries to juggle his grief over his father's death, his shame over said father's reputation and his newly stressed family situation, all at the outbreak of WWII. The characters are so well drawn they made me think of people in my own family and the emotions are true and honest. Junior struggles with deciding if he wants to continue his education, his father's last wish, or go to work and assume more responsibility as man of the house. He even thinks of trying to falsify his age and enlist. It all adds up to a poignant look at growing up too fast, in a world where there was little support for boys like Junior. A wonderful portrait of the elements that shaped the Greatest Generation.
September 12, 2016
4.5 or possibly 5 stars. I was a bit uncertain about this story at first, but it proved itself well worth the read.
I think my favorite element of this book is the way it was written. Every scene, detail, and character have a very distinct purpose, driving everything in the story forward. In general, though, it was beautifully done. Extremely precise.
The other thing that I loved was its multi generational view. It really captured just how much a parent can affect their children, either throwing them down (as in the case with Hammer and Axel, and really Junior too) or pushing them to stand on their predecessors shoulders and reach further than the last generation did. It's interesting the way Junior deals with this throughout the story.
I think my favorite element of this book is the way it was written. Every scene, detail, and character have a very distinct purpose, driving everything in the story forward. In general, though, it was beautifully done. Extremely precise.
The other thing that I loved was its multi generational view. It really captured just how much a parent can affect their children, either throwing them down (as in the case with Hammer and Axel, and really Junior too) or pushing them to stand on their predecessors shoulders and reach further than the last generation did. It's interesting the way Junior deals with this throughout the story.
November 20, 2016
This is a nice look into rural life at the start of World War II. Junior Bledsoe, determined to be the man of the house after his father's death, discovers it's much more difficult than he thought. Quitting school to work may not be the smartest move, but what else can he? He's got his mother and his grouchy grandfather to take care of. So why does he keep getting into trouble?
All of the characters in AIM are unique individuals seen through Junior's eyes. His narrative is homey and earthy. From trouble-maker Dudley to sweet Ann Fey and all the adults I came away feeling they were somehow familiar and endearing.
All of the characters in AIM are unique individuals seen through Junior's eyes. His narrative is homey and earthy. From trouble-maker Dudley to sweet Ann Fey and all the adults I came away feeling they were somehow familiar and endearing.
January 11, 2017
"Aim" takes readers to rural North Carolina as WWII rages. The teenage narrator has more than enough to deal with on the home front with complicated family members, poverty, questions of his own future and just who he wants to be. Hostetter has given us a great read that has me looking for her other books.
My copy was a gift from Goodreads First Reads.
My copy was a gift from Goodreads First Reads.
December 6, 2016
It was an interesting book, enough so that I want to read her other two books.
January 25, 2017
Well done. Plan to read the rest of the series.
September 20, 2017
AIM
I have been a fan of and inspired by the author, Joyce Moyer Hostetter since I first read her MG historical fiction novel, BLUE. I couldn’t wait to read the prequel, AIM. I enjoyed it as much as I did Blue. I found it interesting to learn more about Junior Bledsoe (a friend/neighbor of the main character in BLUE, Ann Fay Honeycutt).
Junior Bledsoe longs for approval from his father. Instead he receives insults or disapproval from him. Junior must share his room with the ornery grandfather who’s the reason why his father acts the way he does. When his father dies unexpectedly, not only does Junior have to deal with what he really feels about his father dying, but he must become the man of the house. Instead of staying in school, Junior would much rather work or join the Army once the United States is attacked and enters WWII. Junior also assumes that people in town may expect that “the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree.” He may be named after his father, but has no intentions about being like him. He’s determined to make a respected name for himself, so others might forget about his Pop.
The situations that he gets himself into, help him to realize that to gain respect he doesn’t have to strive to be better than his father, but to be the best Junior Bledsoe he can be by earning respect for himself.
Some wonderful quotes:
“I laughed to, but not for real. It was just an act-like-it-didn’t-hurt laugh. A go-along-with-Pop laugh.”
“I wasn’t crying for what me and Momma had just lost. I cried for what we never had in first place.”
“…I didn’t know who to be angry with. Pop for leaving or Granddaddy for staying.”
“Pop wasn’t perfect for sure but he was my father and there were good things about him that others just didn’t see.”
“Even dead he felt his father ruined things.”
“You just had to leave us with no respect, didn’t you, Pop?”
“Dudley wanted to get away from his old man, I just wanted mine back.”
“I say you’re stupider than a dangling participle and an oxymoron put together.”
I have been a fan of and inspired by the author, Joyce Moyer Hostetter since I first read her MG historical fiction novel, BLUE. I couldn’t wait to read the prequel, AIM. I enjoyed it as much as I did Blue. I found it interesting to learn more about Junior Bledsoe (a friend/neighbor of the main character in BLUE, Ann Fay Honeycutt).
Junior Bledsoe longs for approval from his father. Instead he receives insults or disapproval from him. Junior must share his room with the ornery grandfather who’s the reason why his father acts the way he does. When his father dies unexpectedly, not only does Junior have to deal with what he really feels about his father dying, but he must become the man of the house. Instead of staying in school, Junior would much rather work or join the Army once the United States is attacked and enters WWII. Junior also assumes that people in town may expect that “the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree.” He may be named after his father, but has no intentions about being like him. He’s determined to make a respected name for himself, so others might forget about his Pop.
The situations that he gets himself into, help him to realize that to gain respect he doesn’t have to strive to be better than his father, but to be the best Junior Bledsoe he can be by earning respect for himself.
Some wonderful quotes:
“I laughed to, but not for real. It was just an act-like-it-didn’t-hurt laugh. A go-along-with-Pop laugh.”
“I wasn’t crying for what me and Momma had just lost. I cried for what we never had in first place.”
“…I didn’t know who to be angry with. Pop for leaving or Granddaddy for staying.”
“Pop wasn’t perfect for sure but he was my father and there were good things about him that others just didn’t see.”
“Even dead he felt his father ruined things.”
“You just had to leave us with no respect, didn’t you, Pop?”
“Dudley wanted to get away from his old man, I just wanted mine back.”
“I say you’re stupider than a dangling participle and an oxymoron put together.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2020
This is a prequel to the books Blue and Comfort that I fell in love with after reading while working with middle schoolers. This book centers around Junior Bledsoe. These books, although are young adult, still have most everything I love topic wise about books. Historical fiction, WWII, small town feel etc. This story was fun to read for summer and I might even pull out Blue now and give it a reread for fun summer reading.
September 4, 2018
Awesome book for middle grade readers. Historical fiction at its finest!
Read
November 16, 2021It was very good.
January 5, 2023
3.5⭐️
May 24, 2020
This was a pretty good book. It was very interesting to read about a different perspective than usual on WWII.
February 25, 2017
When evaluating YA literature, I usually look for titles that bring a little something different to the genre or do something unique, as to me the “YA coming of age story” trope is often re-hashed a thousand-and-one times over again, just swapping out character names and locations. Unfortunately, in the case of “Aim”, I didn’t really feel as if the book added anything fresh, exciting, or intriguing into the mix.
For a basic plot summary, “Aim” tells the story of 14-year old Junior Bledsoe, who is living in North Carolina at the outset of America’s involvement in World War I (1941-1942). Junior’s father, Axel, is killed in an alcohol-infused situation, and Junior must come to terms with what that means for his future. Will he stay in school like his mother wants, join the Army like his cantankerous grandfather pesters him to do, or get a job at the local mill and try to provide for the family even better than his father ever could? His penchant for fixing things and helping others goes a long way for him, but he also owns a troublesome streak that seems to bite him at the least opportune moments.
The main reason I didn’t enjoy “Aim” as much as I would have liked is because it seems to be chock full of all the standard YA tropes, such as: patriotism, importance of schooling, fatherly advice, family history, budding romance, and same-age friendship. Basically, everything you would expect from the book from looking at the cover and reading the back matter is exactly what you are going to get. That isn’t a bad thing, necessarily, but in order to take on such a large workload there has to be an equally large payoff in the end…something I didn’t experience whatsoever. In short, I felt like all the elements present throughout the novel didn’t mesh together in the end to contribute to Junior’s character growth & decisions (or if they did, it was in the most simplistic way possible). I would have preferred it, I think, if the story would have focused on one of those ideas and made it the central theme all the way through.
I wonder, though, if not having read “Blue” or “Comfort” (Hostetter’s previous two books that take place in the same “universe”) in some fashion hinders my enjoyment of “Aim” (which is actually a prequel for those two). I know that the appeal of prequels is often the return to a certain setting or set of characters, and as a “stand-alone reader” I’m completely missing that element.
Overall, though, I just didn’t enjoy “Aim” quite as much as some other recent YA historical fiction that I have read. I think that the book will do fine with the youngest of the YA crowd, but for those looking for something a bit meatier that gives them more to think about beyond the rote circumstances inherent in the novel, it may not fit the bill.
For a basic plot summary, “Aim” tells the story of 14-year old Junior Bledsoe, who is living in North Carolina at the outset of America’s involvement in World War I (1941-1942). Junior’s father, Axel, is killed in an alcohol-infused situation, and Junior must come to terms with what that means for his future. Will he stay in school like his mother wants, join the Army like his cantankerous grandfather pesters him to do, or get a job at the local mill and try to provide for the family even better than his father ever could? His penchant for fixing things and helping others goes a long way for him, but he also owns a troublesome streak that seems to bite him at the least opportune moments.
The main reason I didn’t enjoy “Aim” as much as I would have liked is because it seems to be chock full of all the standard YA tropes, such as: patriotism, importance of schooling, fatherly advice, family history, budding romance, and same-age friendship. Basically, everything you would expect from the book from looking at the cover and reading the back matter is exactly what you are going to get. That isn’t a bad thing, necessarily, but in order to take on such a large workload there has to be an equally large payoff in the end…something I didn’t experience whatsoever. In short, I felt like all the elements present throughout the novel didn’t mesh together in the end to contribute to Junior’s character growth & decisions (or if they did, it was in the most simplistic way possible). I would have preferred it, I think, if the story would have focused on one of those ideas and made it the central theme all the way through.
I wonder, though, if not having read “Blue” or “Comfort” (Hostetter’s previous two books that take place in the same “universe”) in some fashion hinders my enjoyment of “Aim” (which is actually a prequel for those two). I know that the appeal of prequels is often the return to a certain setting or set of characters, and as a “stand-alone reader” I’m completely missing that element.
Overall, though, I just didn’t enjoy “Aim” quite as much as some other recent YA historical fiction that I have read. I think that the book will do fine with the youngest of the YA crowd, but for those looking for something a bit meatier that gives them more to think about beyond the rote circumstances inherent in the novel, it may not fit the bill.
May 20, 2021
It makes me so happy to have found the prequel to Blue. I love these characters so much. Junior’s story is so heart-breaking but also heart-warming. I love how we get to see what he was like before he was the neighbor that everyone relied on and what it was like for him to become “the man of the house” so soon.
I’m glad they don’t punish people who are left-handed anymore. Those parts broke my heart for Junior and his father.
The best series ever in my opinion. 💙💙
I’m glad they don’t punish people who are left-handed anymore. Those parts broke my heart for Junior and his father.
The best series ever in my opinion. 💙💙
October 5, 2016
As I've done previously, this review uses craft principles I've learned from another writer. This time, I'm drawing from Jillian Sullivan's presentation of The Hero's Journey at Highlights Summer Camp.
Hand me that wrench," Pop wiggled his grease-covered fingers.
I gave it to him, but I wanted real bad to get my hands on his repair job. "I could do this if I had me half a chance," I said. (p. 7)
In less than 50 words Joyce brings the reader into the world of Junior Bledsoe: a world full of unmet desires and tension. In this powerful first chapter, many of Junior's conflicts are foreshadowed. At fourteen, he longs to show his father what he is capable of doing, ("Sometimes I wondered if I'd ever get to show him what I could do."); feels the sting of not being as close to him as Ann Fay is with her father who "go together like biscuits and gravy"; reads in the paper about America preparing to go to war; and hears his father poke fun of him for wanting to stay in school. "After the first day, quit. Least you can say you went to high school."
His father's last words as he drives off in the car come back to haunt Junior later:
"Find yourself a job and take care of your momma." He climbed in the car. "I'll be back before you can say, 'Yankee Doodle Dandy.'" Then he drove off and left me to put the tools away.
"Yankee Doodle Dandy," I said. And he wasn't even out of the driveway yet. (p. 14)
Junior's father never returns.
Jillian Sullivan talked about the reluctant hero--the character who is forced on a journey when one way of life ends and another begins. This is an appropriate description of Junior. AIM narrates the grief and anger-filled year of his life when he searches to find out who he is and where he is headed.
Jillian pointed out that surpassed desires and conflicts can trigger a hero's journey. In Junior's case, his quest to discover himself is prompted by his father's death. But in the process desires and conflicts emerge and he is presented with choices.
"Choices are made when the character must decide what he will give up in order to move on," Jillian said. "Each of these decisions and choices represents a death to self so that by the end, the character must overcome his ego to make a courageous decision."
For Junior Bledsoe, choices assault him on a variety of levels. How he will respond to sharing his bedroom with his cantankerous grandfather? What will he do when faced with the temptation to skip school or steal a car? What will he have to give up to earn self-respect? Can he be different than the generations of men who've gone before him?
Jillian said that heroes often cross several thresholds as they overcome trials, confront their own egos, and ultimately make a courageous decision. In this beautiful coming of age story, there is one scene in AIM that I will never forget. In a moment of introspection, Junior crosses one of these mini-thresholds. He has just tried working at the cotton mill and found it much harder than he'd imagined. He comes home and pulls off his shoes and socks because he wants to feel dirt on the bottom of his feet.
"Eleanor was already bawling and I knew there was gardening to do. There wouldn't be time for going into the woods. I tended the animals, and on the way back to the house I plopped myself down onto a sweet potato crate under Pop's oak tree. I hadn't managed to rake up the acorns last fall, and one of them had sprouted into a small tree not four feet away.
It was only six inches high, but it had four perfect leaves and was doing its best to become a real tree. Any other time I would've pulled up a sprout like that. Today, though, I didn't have the heart to destroy it. After all, what if the big oak tree was hit by lightening one day? The seedling would be there to replace it. (p. 239)"
Even now, I get teary-eyed over that marvelous piece of introspection and characterization.
What are you waiting for?
For fans of BLUE and COMFORT, you will be amazed at how AIM's ending is a perfect set-up for BLUE. On the page it appears effortless. But here's a secret: Joyce wrote that chapter first. It gave her a powerful starting point in her mind. From there she created the wonderful story of a boy named Junior Bledsoe, who spends the year after his father's death learning what to aim for.
If you haven't read BLUE and COMFORT, what are you waiting for? AIM's (Calkins Creek, 2016) pub date is TOMORROW and you can order it here or here. You can download an educators guide for all three books here.
Hand me that wrench," Pop wiggled his grease-covered fingers.
I gave it to him, but I wanted real bad to get my hands on his repair job. "I could do this if I had me half a chance," I said. (p. 7)
In less than 50 words Joyce brings the reader into the world of Junior Bledsoe: a world full of unmet desires and tension. In this powerful first chapter, many of Junior's conflicts are foreshadowed. At fourteen, he longs to show his father what he is capable of doing, ("Sometimes I wondered if I'd ever get to show him what I could do."); feels the sting of not being as close to him as Ann Fay is with her father who "go together like biscuits and gravy"; reads in the paper about America preparing to go to war; and hears his father poke fun of him for wanting to stay in school. "After the first day, quit. Least you can say you went to high school."
His father's last words as he drives off in the car come back to haunt Junior later:
"Find yourself a job and take care of your momma." He climbed in the car. "I'll be back before you can say, 'Yankee Doodle Dandy.'" Then he drove off and left me to put the tools away.
"Yankee Doodle Dandy," I said. And he wasn't even out of the driveway yet. (p. 14)
Junior's father never returns.
Jillian Sullivan talked about the reluctant hero--the character who is forced on a journey when one way of life ends and another begins. This is an appropriate description of Junior. AIM narrates the grief and anger-filled year of his life when he searches to find out who he is and where he is headed.
Jillian pointed out that surpassed desires and conflicts can trigger a hero's journey. In Junior's case, his quest to discover himself is prompted by his father's death. But in the process desires and conflicts emerge and he is presented with choices.
"Choices are made when the character must decide what he will give up in order to move on," Jillian said. "Each of these decisions and choices represents a death to self so that by the end, the character must overcome his ego to make a courageous decision."
For Junior Bledsoe, choices assault him on a variety of levels. How he will respond to sharing his bedroom with his cantankerous grandfather? What will he do when faced with the temptation to skip school or steal a car? What will he have to give up to earn self-respect? Can he be different than the generations of men who've gone before him?
Jillian said that heroes often cross several thresholds as they overcome trials, confront their own egos, and ultimately make a courageous decision. In this beautiful coming of age story, there is one scene in AIM that I will never forget. In a moment of introspection, Junior crosses one of these mini-thresholds. He has just tried working at the cotton mill and found it much harder than he'd imagined. He comes home and pulls off his shoes and socks because he wants to feel dirt on the bottom of his feet.
"Eleanor was already bawling and I knew there was gardening to do. There wouldn't be time for going into the woods. I tended the animals, and on the way back to the house I plopped myself down onto a sweet potato crate under Pop's oak tree. I hadn't managed to rake up the acorns last fall, and one of them had sprouted into a small tree not four feet away.
It was only six inches high, but it had four perfect leaves and was doing its best to become a real tree. Any other time I would've pulled up a sprout like that. Today, though, I didn't have the heart to destroy it. After all, what if the big oak tree was hit by lightening one day? The seedling would be there to replace it. (p. 239)"
Even now, I get teary-eyed over that marvelous piece of introspection and characterization.
What are you waiting for?
For fans of BLUE and COMFORT, you will be amazed at how AIM's ending is a perfect set-up for BLUE. On the page it appears effortless. But here's a secret: Joyce wrote that chapter first. It gave her a powerful starting point in her mind. From there she created the wonderful story of a boy named Junior Bledsoe, who spends the year after his father's death learning what to aim for.
If you haven't read BLUE and COMFORT, what are you waiting for? AIM's (Calkins Creek, 2016) pub date is TOMORROW and you can order it here or here. You can download an educators guide for all three books here.
July 9, 2016
Fans of Hostetter's previous novels will love this prequel to BLUE. If you happened to miss the previous books, start with AIM and then move on to BLUE and COMFORT.
All three novels take place in Hickory, NC. I grew up not far from there and enjoyed reading about actual landmarks and bits of local history.
Junior Bledsoe is from a dysfunctional family. His dad is an alcoholic, and the grandfather Junior shares a bedroom with is an ornery old cuss. Very early on Dad dies, and Junior is faced with becoming the man of the house.
A big part of Junior's struggle is that he's ashamed of his dad's alcoholism. In the end, he learns to embrace his dad's good qualities and aim to do better than his mistakes, but it's a tough journey, with some big missteps along the way.
AIM is a wonderful coming of age novel, with WWII as a backdrop. Highly recommended.
All three novels take place in Hickory, NC. I grew up not far from there and enjoyed reading about actual landmarks and bits of local history.
Junior Bledsoe is from a dysfunctional family. His dad is an alcoholic, and the grandfather Junior shares a bedroom with is an ornery old cuss. Very early on Dad dies, and Junior is faced with becoming the man of the house.
A big part of Junior's struggle is that he's ashamed of his dad's alcoholism. In the end, he learns to embrace his dad's good qualities and aim to do better than his mistakes, but it's a tough journey, with some big missteps along the way.
AIM is a wonderful coming of age novel, with WWII as a backdrop. Highly recommended.
November 27, 2016
Fourteen-year-old Junior Bledsoe lives in rural North Carolina during the early 1940s and wants to prove himself, but how now that his alcholic dad has died;his grumpy granddad, whose own daughters won't care for him, shares Jr's room; and quitting school is not an option with Jr's mother even though his father wanted him to quit and especially now that America is involved in WWII.
Jr's neighbors help him set his sights on aiming to do better than his dad and his granddady.
This family's realistic problems of alcoholism and family feuds are what life is like for many families.
I'd like to read the author's other books now to read about the neighbors.
Jr's neighbors help him set his sights on aiming to do better than his dad and his granddady.
This family's realistic problems of alcoholism and family feuds are what life is like for many families.
I'd like to read the author's other books now to read about the neighbors.
September 10, 2016
I was very impressed with the voice of this book. It is extremely well-written, the story interesting, and the reader feels like they are really living with the character in the early nineteen forties, but it is the voice that really makes this book shine. A very enjoyable middle grade novel.
November 29, 2021
I thought that this book was very intriging. I did not want to put this book down. I would recommened this book to all of my friends. After finishing this book I wanted to read the rest of the series.
July 9, 2016
Reviewed for professional publication.
April 7, 2017
Hopefully poignant.
April 23, 2017
Aim by Joyce Moyer Hostetter is a delightful coming of age story about 14 year old Axel Bledsoe, Junior. It takes place in Hickory, North Carolina, from July 1941 to June 1942. It covers an eventful and life changing year in the life of young Junior, a year in which his alcoholic father dies and World War Ii begins. This book is a prequel to Blue and Comfort, which I had not read, but plan to read in the future; since this is a prequel, it does not matter if you have read Hostetter's other two books. Aim is well written and the language and descriptions of life in a small, rural Southern town during this time period are both accurate and insightful. The characters are well-developed and believable. While the pace is slow, just like Junior's life, the story line is strong and compelling. The reader is taken into the difficult life of a young boy who is trying to come to grips with the hardships in life, and while Junior makes several unwise decisions regarding his future, he remains determined to make his life matter. Aim is a feel good book that will keep you turning the pages and will leave you satisfied in the end.
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