Jubilee

July 4, 2016
This slender novel about a silent child speaks loudly to the healing power of relationships, both human and canine. “Everything is right around the corner, Judith. You just have to make it happen.” These encouraging words present a particular challenge to Judith Ann Magennis, a fifth grader who hasn’t spoken since her mother abandoned her years earlier. “Something had to be crazy about a girl who talked to a mirror instead of people, a girl whose mother took off and left her,” Judith tells herself. Raised by her loving Aunt Cora on an island off Maine (and nicknamed Jubilee because, “You’re a celebration!”), Judith wants desperately to feel normal in her mainstreamed classroom; instead, she is hurt as peers cast her aside in misunderstanding. Can a dog and an unlikely new friend, both castoffs in their own ways, help Judith take steps toward speaking again? Giff (Until I Find Julian) fills Judith’s story with bighearted characters and a palpable sense of place that readers will be glad to spend time with. Ages 8–12.

June 1, 2016
Judith--called Jubilee by Aunt Cora and No-Talk-Girl by the 5-year-old brother of her former friend, Sophie--narrates her own tale of personal growth during fifth grade.The redheaded white girl's life on an island off Maine's coast seems idyllic; she spends her time swimming, exploring, and drawing cartoons (which, in a nice touch, appear throughout). Adoring Aunt Cora lavishes praise on her niece and allows Jubilee such indulgences as immediate adoption of a stray dog, stealing away independently to the mainland, and even deciding whether Cora should marry the lovable ferryman, Gideon. However, Jubilee is obsessed with the apparent cause of her selective mutism: feelings of abandonment when her mother left her, as a toddler, with Cora. On Jubilee's first day in a "regular" instead of "special" class, her amazingly supportive teacher talks about "firsts." Jubilee thinks, "If I could have a year of firsts, I'd see my mother. Sophie and I would be friends again. I'd speak!" In Jubilee, Giff demonstrates an acute understanding of how people--especially children--can be extremely observant but at the same time misunderstand the behaviors they observe. However, until nearly the end, Jubilee's introspection borders on self-pity, which risks alienating readers who are comfortably living in alternative families. The prose is graceful and brimming with potent physical details, but the adults are alarmingly mature--except for Jubilee's birth mother. An appealing story weighed down by its protagonist's self-pity. (Fiction. 8-12)

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June 1, 2016

Gr 4-7-Jubilee lives on an island with her aunt Cora. Jubilee hasn't spoken a word to any person since her mother dropped her off to live there when she was little. Instead, she communicates with gestures, taps, and drawings. A school psychologist diagnosed the girl with selective mutism. Jubilee has just started fifth grade when she meets Mason, a "sloppy kid who talks too much." They are paired together for a class project, and Mason does not mind that she doesn't talk. He encourages her to draw cartoons to use for their project. Amid the school project, the core of the story revolves around Jubilee longing to meet her mother and learn why she left. Jubilee thinks that in solving the mystery, she will get her speech back. When a birthday card for Aunt Cora arrives from her mother, Jubilee discovers that her mom has moved back to the mainland nearby. Giff pens an emotionally sweet, heartfelt novel of not only friendship but also longing and hope as Jubilee carves her own path. Her bond with Mason and his acceptance of her give her strength and bolster her determination to do what it takes to make her dreams come true. They share a gentle, tender bond that will have readers rooting for both of them. VERDICT A poignant tale of family, friendship, and inner courage. A wonderful addition to middle grade collections.-Erin Holt, Williamson County Public Library, Franklin, TN

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016
Grades 3-6 Ever since her mother dropped her off as a toddler to live with Aunt Cora, Judith hasn't spoken a word, except to a mirror. She's insecure at times and longs to be normal, though she feels at home with her aunt in their close-knit island community off the coast of Maine. Despite the pain she feels when her ex-friend Sophie murmurs, Nobody wants you, Judith begins to hope that her fifth-grade year will be better. After all, she has a rescued dog in her life, an understanding new teacher, and the possibility of a new friend. Her mother's return precipitates a crisis that enables Judith to move forward. The author of two Newbery Honor Book novels, Giff writes with quiet precision about Judith's world and her tentative steps toward confidence, connection, and acceptance. Adults as well as children are portrayed in a convincing, empathetic manner, whatever their flaws and quirks may be. At intervals throughout the story, cartoonlike illustrations representing Judith's drawings illustrate her expressive first-person narrative. A rewarding chapter book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)