Foreverland

February 1, 2020
When growing up becomes too overwhelming, escape to a place where troubles don't exist.... Or where you can pretend they don't. Margaret has run away to Foreverland, an amusement park in full summer splendor. She plans to hide out after closing, gorging on junk food and evading park security. Complicating this brilliant scheme is the tanned, black-haired, Spanish-speaking "Mystery Boy" she keeps seeing and who appears totally at home in the park. But what's his story? For a severely anxious girl with an affinity for acrostic poetry, this is an extreme rebellion. It goes to show how intense the changes have recently been in Margaret's life, particularly an ominous red suitcase by the front door: Her parents are on the brink of divorce. Kear depicts this already-sensitive white preteen in a light that validates all her feelings; similarly, the emotional struggles of the Puerto Rican boy, Jaime, are sympathetically rendered. Margaret's observational distance from others, a product of her need to go unnoticed as well as her personal inclinations, means readers spend a lot of time in her head. The stable but widely varied landscape of the amusement park banishes any danger of dullness. Foreverland "isn't a theme park like Disneyland or whatever," but it nevertheless has several Disney-esque features, like the word "magic" splashed everywhere. The carnival atmosphere, however, evokes more of a Coney Island feel appropriate to the location just outside of New York City. Kear includes gently placed Peter Pan references for those familiar with the tale. This alternatingly touching and suspenseful adventure captures some real-life magic. (Fiction. 9-12)

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April 20, 2020
Sixth grader Margaret, a self-described wallflower and acrostics aficionado, is “not a runaway kind of person,” but she is sick of change. Even before her dad packs a bag and moves out, Margaret is nursing the loss of best friend Priya to a new middle school, and her own “friendless fate” at hers. With everything up in the air, she runs away from home to hide out at local amusement park Foreverland, “Where magic never ends!” The plan is to enjoy a place where her family was happy together, but Margaret soon discovers that she’s not the only kid who’s escaped to Foreverland—a boy named Jaime is there, who asks questions but reveals little about himself. After Margaret’s backpack is taken by security, the two pair up, and Margaret slowly comes to see that maybe she’s not the wallflower she believed. But with Priya showing up at Neverland, and security hot on their trail, Margaret and Jaime find that they have more in common than they initially realized. Largely internalized narration, including Margaret’s pain at her parents’ impending divorce, is well wrought and relatable, and the mystery of Jaime’s story will keep readers turning pages. While the ending may feel a bit pat, this heartwarming, briskly paced adventure offers a ride worth taking. Ages 8–12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

April 24, 2020

Gr 5-7-Margaret O'Shea has been having a really bad year. Her best friend Priya abandoned her the moment middle school started, her sister practically lives at the pool and spends all of her time with her new boyfriend Hugh, and her parents are splitting up. When her life gets to be just too much, Margaret decides to take a break from reality and run away to the amusement park Foreverland. It represents the better times in Margaret's life and is populated by one boy named Jaime. When Margaret almost gets caught on her very first day living in the park, she is saved by the mysterious boy who seems to have also run away from reality. Taking place over the course of just a few days, this title explores themes of loss and divorce through a story line loosely based on Peter Pan. Margaret decides to run away from her problems instead of facing them head-on. She slowly realizes she needs to come to terms with her reality as she maneuvers through Foreverland. Margaret's family may be forever changed when she returns to the city, but she realizes that at least she has parents to go home to. VERDICT Purchase where realistic fiction is popular.-Sara Brunkhorst, Glenview Public Library, IL

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