The Memory Wall

July 25, 2016
Unable to cope with his mother’s early-onset Alzheimer’s, a boy finds solace in the latest installment of his favorite video game, Wellhall, a complex fantasy world with uncanny parallels to his real life. While his mother accepts her fate, checking into a home where she can receive care, Nick researches other diseases, certain that she can be cured. And as he plays Wellhall, he meets a character that he suspects to be his mother, granting him hope that she’s playing the game as well. Nick’s struggle to accept his mother’s condition interweaves with his online quest, though not always as he expects. Rosen (Woundabout) crafts a complex, emotional story about grief and acceptance, but it’s somewhat diluted by the other subplots at play (Nick is also dealing with bullies, his biracial background, and a nascent romantic interest, and a major theme of the narrative invokes the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall). Even so it’s a strong, thought-provoking novel. Ages 9–12. Agent: Joy Tutela, David Black Literary.

June 15, 2016
Just as his mother enters a nursing home with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, a biracial (black and white) seventh-grade boy finds solace in a complex video game.Nick Reeves hates everything about the day that his white mom goes to be "locked up" at Sunrise House. He's so convinced that she's been misdiagnosed that he keeps a log of her Alzheimer's symptoms, hoping to disprove his parents' conclusions. His preoccupation with his mother's status even leads him to choose exploring her roots in East Berlin for a school history project despite the fact that his historian father's books on the African-American experience would make researching that side of his family a snap. Meanwhile, in his persona as a gray elf treasure hunter/explorer named Severkin in the video game "Wellhall," Nick encounters an older gray elf, Reunne, who he is convinced is his mother, trying to reveal to him the truth of her past and future. At the game's memory wall Reunne declares: "This is my family, my history. This is everything I am." Rosen adeptly explores memory and personal history as well as the loneliness of losing a parent, the complexity of biracial origins, and the metaphors of a quest and a divided city. While the story is occasionally heavy-handed and repetitious, readers--gamers and nongamers alike--will cheer the resolution of Nick's transformative journey. Thoughtful, earnest, and gratifying. (Fiction. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-Nick is struggling to accept his mother's diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The story opens as Nick and his dad bring his mom to live at an assisted living facility-but Nick refuses to believe that his mother is truly ill. Severkin is the character Nick plays in Wellhall, a video game. Severkin is a courageous and adventurous gray elf. While Nick searches for connection with his mother, who may be slipping away more each day, Severkin discovers clues in the game world, and Nick believes they evidence of his mother trying to communicate with him. There are multiple layers and themes explored in this work. Nick's mother's family history links to East Berlin and the fall of the Berlin Wall. There are references to Germanic mythology. Themes about outsider experiences and racism (Nick is biracial) are woven throughout. Most poignant, the details and realities of Alzheimer's are depicted with care and accuracy. The severity of the disease and the impact that it has on an entire family are brought into sharp focus. The video game world of Wellhall is well built, and Severkin's story seamlessly ties into Nick's own. VERDICT A complex and emotionally rich selection that offers a nuanced and needed perspective on the grieving process. A strong addition for middle and high school collections.-Chad Lane, Tulip Grove Elementary School, MD

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.