An Invisible Thread

October 31, 2011
According to an old Chinese proverb, there's an invisible thread that connects two people who are destined to meet and influence each other's lives. With Tresniowski (The Vendetta), Schroff tells how, as a busy advertising sales executive in New York, she easily passed panhandlers every day. One day, 11-year-old Maurice's plea for spare change caused Schroff to turn around and offer to buy him lunch. Thereafter, Schroff and Maurice met for dinner each week and slowly shared their life stories. Maurice's tales about his crack addict mother, absent father, and array of drug-dealing uncles were only part of his desperate longing for a life in a safe neighborhood in an apartment with more than one room. As they grow to depend on each other, Maurice asks Schroff to attend his school's parents' night, where his teacher asks Schroff not to abandon the boy. In some weeks, the meals they share become some of the few he has, because any money his mother might "earn" goes to her habit. As Schroff relates Maurice's story, she tells of her own father's alcoholism and abuse, and readers see how desperately these two need each other in this feel-good story about the far-reaching benefits of kindness.

May 1, 2019
Grades 5-8 This young readers' adaptation of the adult memoir tells the affecting and inspiring story of how a chance encounter with a stranger changed a young boy's life. Told in the third person, it focuses on the 1986 meeting between Maurice, 11, and Laura, a sales executive on the streets of New York City. Poor and hungry, Maurice was panhandling when Laura stopped and offered to buy him lunch. This initial encounter led to regular Monday meet-ups for years, even after Laura married and moved away. Maurice's family situation was difficult: his mother was frequently absent or in jail, though her sickness isn't identified as a drug addiction in this adaptation. The book doesn't delve deeply into why Maurice's family members behave the way they do, nor does it assign blame. Back matter includes resources, photos, and suggested ways to show kindness. Young readers will be inspired by this beautiful friendship, which demonstrates how a simple act of kindness can make a difference.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)