Customer Reviews

After Ever After

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

AFTER EVER AFTER by Jordan Sonnenblick is the sequel to DRUMS, GIRLS, & DANGEROUS PIE. It is eight years later and life is continuing for the Alper family.

Jeffrey is ironically starting the eighth grade. That's the grade his older brother, Steven, was in when Jeffrey was diagnosed with leukemia. Jeffrey is now in remission from the disease, but he suffers from some side effects from the chemo treatment that saved his life. He walks with a limp, his attention wanders easily, and his brain just refuses to process anything related to math.

Not a big deal, you say. Well, if your father is an accountant and the mailman has just delivered a letter saying that every eighth grader in the state must pass a set of required tests, including a math test, or repeat the eighth grade, let's just say things have looked rosier.

A lot of other things have changed for Jeffrey, as well. His brother graduated from high school and went off to college. Again, not a big deal, but then Steven decided after three years of college that he would drop everything and head to Africa to become part of a drum circle. That left Jeffrey on his own to deal with his last year of middle school.

Fortunately, back in fourth grade, Jeffrey found his best friend, Tad. Tad was also a cancer survivor. In fact, Tad had survived the disease twice. It left him weak enough to need a wheelchair, but it certainly strengthened his wit and wisdom when it came to dealing with daily life.

When Tad learns about the state testing requirement, he steps up to help Jeffrey by becoming his official math tutor. The two make a deal that Jeffrey will study hard to pass the test, and Tad will train hard so he is able to walk across the eighth grade graduation stage under his own power.

Jordan Sonnenblick continues Jeffrey's story in his signature style using an authentic teenage voice and laugh-out-loud humor. By asking his main character to adjust to a learning disability and a physical handicap, as well as changes in his family structure, Sonnenblick creates a new depth to the sequel. The determination he showed as a young boy dealing with cancer helps him with the struggle to be successful at school and also at any new challenges thrown his way.

This is a sequel I was not expecting, but I was thrilled when it came to my attention.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

At the age of five, Jeffrey was diagnosed with leukemia - lymphocytic lymphoma, to be specific. He was a lucky little boy: His parents and 13-year-old brother, Steven, were there for him every step of the way, and the community rallied around him. He was a lucky little boy: He survived.

Years later, Jeffrey's in remission, but reminded of his illness every day, thanks to the limp and other irrevocable marks left on his body and his mind by the cancer. Radiation and chemotherapy left him "a little scrambled up," making him "spacey" on occasion. Now in eighth grade, he instantly bonds with a new classmate, a girl who just moved to New Jersey from California. The second Jeffrey meets Lindsey, he knows she's his dream girl. Dealing with middle school (and trying to impress female classmates) is hard enough without having physical impairments, but Jeffrey has an unsinkable spirit. His best friend, Tad, also a cancer survivor, is less upbeat about his condition. The two boys have leaned on each other both in and outside of school since the fourth grade. Now, their last year in middle school will test their strength - physical strength, mental strength, and strength of character - over and over again.

After Ever After will make readers laugh and cry and feel. It will be a delight to fans of Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, the book that introduced us to the Alper family, a book that I read, loved, and hand-sold like crazy the year of its release, and have continued to recommend ever since. After Ever After is a solid stand-alone story, so those who came upon After without having read Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie won't be lost, but they would be wise to read the equally-fabulous Drums to see how the story began. Instead of picking up the story right where Pie left off, Sonnenblick opted to fast-forward After Ever After to Jeffrey's eighth grade year and make him the first-person narrator instead of Steven, who was the protagonist of the previous story. Readers catch up with Jeffrey quickly, learning not only of his medical history and current health status but also of his elementary and middle school experiences. Likewise, we are informed of Steven's whereabouts - something I won't give away here, something that was another bold choice on Sonnenblick's part which ensured that this story was now solidly Jeffrey's - and what a great story it is.

"I can't walk too well, but when I'm on my bike, I can fly."

Go, Jeffrey, go.

I admired Jordan Sonnenblick before I even knew his books. Like me, he put in a number of years teaching in the public schools of Houston through Teach For America. Plus he's a funny, unassuming guy who is unstinting when it comes to sharing his experiences. Among other things, he gave me heaps of advice about managing publicity and pulling off high-quality author visits.

Maybe all this awesomeness contributed to the moment of fear that struck my first-time-author heart: what if I don't like the work as much as I like the person?

Not to fear, though: Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie and the companion novel After Ever After hit all the right notes. These are middle-grade fiction at its best. Put it out there for guys or girls. Serve it up in class or outside. These books are real without crossing any of those tricky boundaries that are so worrisome for librarians and teachers of the younger crowd.

I accidentally listened to these books out of order, hearing Jeffrey's story in After Ever After before Steven's in D, G, and DP. It didn't really matter, though, because After Ever After really is a companion book, not a sequel, and nothing is lost for readers who haven't read D,G, and DP. The self-deprecating humor and general wholesomeness of the guys is a common thread, but Steven and Jeffrey's challenges, strengths, and outlooks are appropriately distinguished. Together, the two novels offer a view of how childhood cancer affects--and continues to affect--families.

After Ever After in particular helps readers think about something that they might not consider: the many costs and complications of life for a childhood cancer survivor. Jeffrey and his friend Tad (also a cancer survivor) have to live with side effects from treatment that touch everything from their fine motor control to their walking ability, their memory to their problem-solving skills. (FYI I was intrigued to hear mention of Gleevec as a treatment for one of the boys as this is the medication my Dad has been on as a treatment for gastrointestinal cancer.)

For all their differences, both Steven and Jeffrey are sweet but not TOO sweet boys. The books are clean but not squeaky; Sonnenblick's pitch-perfect voice keeps the reader from ever thinking for a second that the writer is writing at a younger audience. This is writing for middle-grade readers at its best.

I know I mentioned the humor already, but really. Really. So funny. Like Tad in After Ever After calling his little sister the "emergency replacement child" that his parents cooked up just in case he croaked. In light of my colossal inability to generate humor, this kind of funny floors me.

This is a follow up to Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pies, which I had not read (but did after I finished After Ever After). It is not necessary to read the first book to understand any of the references in AEA; the author provides sufficient background information.

Jeffrey is in remission from his cancer, and in 8th grade is now navigating the world of middle school -- juggling the emotions of having a girlfriend who is truly interested in him as a person, an ascerbic best friend who is also a cancer survivor, and his family, particulary an older brother, whom he feels has deserted him to find himself in Africa with a drumming group. On top of all of that, Jeffrey still deals with the long-term effects of the powerful drugs that were part of his cancer treatment.

When I first read the back cover, I thought, "How depressing?" But the book is a blend of humor, sadness, and examples of deep, true friendship. From this I learned the true meaning of beau geste. The characters are believable, and the family dynamics reflect what I imagine it must be like to function on a day-to-day basis with a serious ill child.

I teach middle school, and we are using this book as our One Book, One School novel for this year. I think the students, many who did read Drums, Girls, and Dangerious (both boys and girls) will enjoy this as well

I purchased this book for my middle school library. It arrived super quickly, thanks to Amazon Prime, and the price was excellent. I ordered multiple copies, as it is a nominee for the 2011 Rhode Island Teen Book Award. All of the copies are currently checked out, and I couldn't be more pleased with the transaction.

As a 7th grade language arts teacher to lots of English language learners, I'm always looking for great books that my kids can get hooked on. When I stumbled on this book, I devoured it first on my own, and then decided to try reading it out loud to my kids. They were instantly hooked - every day, I was asked "Miss! Are you going to read today?!"

The characters are very realistic; middle schools boys, like the protagonist Jeffrey, act and think like middle school boys, without it ever being inappropriate. The friendships, romances, and family relationships were also very true-to-life, and I think my students really appreciated seeing elements of their own lives mirrored in a book. There were moments when we laughed out loud, and moments that were heart-wrenchingly sad. Overall, we had a wonderful time reading through this book together, and I heartily recommend it to anyone!

I didn't find out until after I read the book that it was a sequel--and it made no difference. "After Ever After" is brilliantly written and completely draws you in to the story of this teenage cancer survivor. Jeff's character feels thirteen, complete with giddiness over having a girl actually talk to him, stress over tests and schoolwork, hurt that his brother had skipped out on them and complete obliviousness to what's going on with some of the people closest to him. Jeff's friend supported him even while he was going through difficulties of his own. The reciprocal friendship between these two, Tad and Jeff, was the best part about the book. They were going to make it through everything together.
All in all, it is a wonderful story, and the ending nearly brings tears.

When I saw this book on the shelf I knew I had to read DRUMS GIRLS AND DANGEROUS PIE first. And so after that book I read this one on a long plane ride and again needed tissues. This time Jeffrey is in 8th grade and Steven is in Africa "finding himself." Jeffrey and his best friend are survivors and are going through a lot of the same stuff Steven did in 8th grade. Jeffrey misses Steven terribly and writes him letters that he never mails. Another great Jordan Sonneblick book.

If Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie wasn't one of my all time favorites, I'd have probably given this novel higher ratings, but even with great humor, an amazing voice, and fun middle school awkwardness, it lacked something in the plot. The challenges of young cancer survivors were interesting and eye-opening to me, but other elements of the book didn't ring true including the stereo-type California girl (I only eat oranges from Cali because they're sweeter - gag). Also, would someone please get Sonnenblick a different cover illustrator? I can't see the cover drawing in the target age group, which is a shame since I think most middle schoolers would find this engaging and touching book quite enjoyable.

Jordan Sonnenblick's first novel, DRUMS, GIRLS & DANGEROUS PIE, introduced the Alper family. At that point, five-year-old Jeffrey was diagnosed with leukemia, while 13-year-old brother Steven struggled to maintain some sort of normalcy in his life. Readers may well remember the often poignant yet humorous glimpse into the family as they dealt with the unexpected crisis. While that story may have ended with a "happily ever after," their journey was far from over.

Fast forward eight years: Jeffrey is in full remission from the deadly cancer, and his biggest obstacle is navigating through the eighth grade. Having been the poster child for community charity, Jeffrey is perfectly content to just lay low and coast on through to high school. If being a teenager wasn't difficult enough, the effects of his leukemia treatment have left him unable to walk without a limp and a brain that sometimes has trouble processing information. Needless to say, school is difficult, particularly math, and Jeffrey does well just to get by.

Steven flew the coop a couple of years ago to college but always made a point to come home and give Jeffrey the guidance only older brothers can give. And Steven has never let him down. So Jeffrey is at a complete and utter loss when Steven decides to leave the country and fly to Africa to "find himself." Jeffrey still has so many questions that need to be answered:

1) What does he do about the new and beautiful girl from California who is inexplicably interested in him?

2) How does he stick up for his friend, Tad, who is also a cancer survivor but is confined to a wheelchair and has a chip on his shoulder?

3) Is there a good way to sneak out of the house when you're grounded?

Jeffrey was grounded from now until forever for failing to tell his parents about the new state mandate that all eighth graders must pass a proficiency exam to enter into high school. There is no possible way for Jeffrey to pass the math portion without a miracle. And it seems that miracles are in short supply when you are a cancer survivor. Tad strikes Jeffrey a deal to tutor him in math as long as Jeffrey promises to help Tad gain the strength to walk across the stage to collect his diploma. Graduation is a long way off, though, and a "happily ever after" isn't looking too good.

I appreciated DRUMS, GIRLS & DANGEROUS PIE for its funny and heartwarming look at a topic that is both serious and often overlooked in literature. Sonnenblick introduced readers to a family that took one day at a time and still tried to enjoy the little things. While Sonnenblick felt that he "had told the whole story of the Alper family," an email from a social worker that runs a teenage cancer survivor support group told him that the story was far from finished. Thus, AFTER EVER AFTER provides that extra insight into the ongoing battle that is known as life. Sonnenblick once again succeeds with the right mix of sincerity and hilarity.