Falling Over Sideways

Reviewed by: Mary Lehmer - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 8, 2017

Review

This story is about an 8th grader named Claire. She's definitely not in the popular crowd and gets teased by a guy named Ryder (the weird thing is that he used to be one of her best friends). Claire really likes to dance but instead of moving up to the older/top dance group like her two friends do, she gets left behind with the younger less accomplished dancers. But the worst thing of all is when her dad just collapses at the breakfast table one morning and Claire has to call 911. Now he is not the same and might not ever be, or, she might just loose him forever. Some of the stuff Claire says and does, her dad too, is really funny even though what happens to her dad is pretty scary and sad. Claire deals with the situations she finds herself in, in a realistic way and many young people will find them totally relatable. Her friends are quite funny and the way they support her is not always the way you'd expect- even Claire doesn't get it sometimes. The humor in this story is spot on and helps everyone deal with difficult situations that could arise in anyone's life.

Overall Book Score: excellent