Customer Reviews

Stinky Stern Forever: A Jackson Friends Book

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The Jackson Friends books have always struck a chord with me because they take on real issues that affect real kids. And Stinky Stern Forever is no exception. The author handles the emotions, fears, and situations that come up after Stinky is hit by a car in this story in a gentle, yet poignant way without ever being overly simplistic or sentimental. The result is not only deeply moving, but also stands out as one of the very few young illustrated chapter books that deals effectively with this extremely sensitive topic. Stinky Stern Forever has the potential to be *the* book about coping with death for this age group.
I can't help but comment on the review titled A Kid's Review that appears below. This story is indeed upsetting to read, but certainly no more upsetting than such Disney classics as Bambi or The Lion King. And in the end, the story is a hopeful one because Stinky's classmates find their own special way to remember Stinky--the good and the bad. Death, sad and confusing as it can be, is part of life. And it's something many, many kids must face.

I've used this book in all my booktalks to teachers and librarians this year. Sensitively written, with attention paid to the emotional reactions of the children and adults who must deal with the death of someone they know -- even when it's someone they don't particularly like or who was mean, which is the case with Matthew (Stinky) Stern. The teacher's guides provided on the author's website provide discussion questions that will help when talking about this book -- whether you're a teacher, librarian, parent, or caregiver. This is another excellent addition to the Jackson Friends series, which many of the teachers we've talked to are using because of the varied backgrounds of the students in the book.

Stinky Stern is the 4th book in the Jackson Friends series. "Stinky" is the class bully. In art class he messes up Pa Lia Vang's snowflake on purpose. He is always doing mean things. Later that afternoon when school is out Stinky is involved in a terrible accident that leads to his death. Follow the students in room 201 as they learn to cope with the tragic death of a classmate.



The book discussed the issues of bullies well. This book could lead to some great classroom discussions.



Dealing with the death of a classmate can be really hard for young kids. This book could get them to talk about their feelings.

Stinky Stern Forever, the latest Jackson Friends book, is peopled with the engaging and funny students of Jackson Elementary. But this book does something more: Its characters-and its readers-delve deep to confront the real emotions and difficult situations that face all our children, whether in their own lives or on the 6 o'clock news. As a Star Tribune reviewer notes, the author captures the "complex and sometimes conflicting swirl of emotions with clarity and sensitivity." (Star Tribune, September 14, 2005.) A touching book that respects and honors the real feelings of real children. Highly recommended.

Bibliotherapy. Familiar with it? That's what happens when something tragic happens to a child or to someone a child knows and that kid's parents decide to work through that difficult situation with books as an aid. Sometimes they turn to a bookstore, but nine times out of ten they come to their local children's librarian with very very specific requests. That's where I come in. I'll be sitting at my desk and a parent will come up to me wanting the exact situation that is occurring to the child, but in a picture book or young reader format. So when a children's book comes out that deals with death in some fashion, I take especial note. Now I had not read any of the Jackson Friends series prior to picking up, "Stinky Stern Forever". This book first came to my attention when it kept showing up on Best Books of the Year 2005 list after list after list. The fact that an early chapter book should tackle a difficult subject is noteworthy in and of itself. That it should do so with the grace and aplomb shown in Michelle Edwards' fourth addition to her series is not only gutsy on the author's part, but fills a distinct and definite need. Even if you don't buy any other book in the Jackson Friends series, you must at least consider adding "Stinky Stern" to your collection.

No matter where you go in the world, you're going to have bullies. That's just a fact of life. And the bully at Jackson Magnet school is none other than Matthew "Stinky" Stern. Pa Lia had just finished making a beautiful snowflake out of paper when Stinky plops a huge gob of glue right in its center. So it was little wonder that Pa Lia was mad with the boy when she left school that day. Just the same, no matter how mad Pa Lia was, she never wanted to see Stinky run straight out into the street without looking and get hit by a white van. She never wanted Stinky Stern to die. Now the kids at Jackson Magnet have to deal with death and losing a boy who was both a bully and, as they remember, a pretty neat kid sometimes. And that means finding a way to always remember Stinky Stern forever.

The fact that Edwards was able to write an early chapter book with this level of complexity is mind-blowing. First of all, I want to make it clear that this book never talks above its intended audience's head. Everything that happens is written in simple words. That doesn't mean that the ideas are simple, of course. And when you look at this kind of situation (one in which a kid, previously marked as the bad guy, is in a tragic accident) you're giving your child readers a chance to work through all kinds of complex emotions. If a kid is dead do you forget that he wasn't nice? What do you remember about him? How do you memorialize someone like Stinky Stern? Edwards takes all these ideas and handles them with a deft hand. In the end, you miss Stinky Stern as much as the Jackson Friends do.

As for the book in general, the characters in "Stinky Stern" are a multi-ethnic crew of varying personalities, temperaments, backgrounds, and opinions. The pen-and-inks are small images that perfectly buoy the story along. As for the writing itself, it's clear right from the outset that Edwards knows how to get a handle on this kind of a subject. That she is able to do so with such simple words, yet convey a whole host of ideas is reason enough to read this story through. In the May/June 2006 issue of Horn Book Magazine, librarian Maeve Visser Knoth advocates reading emotionally complex books to kids before a tragedy has even occurred in their own sphere. As I read it, that way if someone they DO know dies, they'll have a book like, "Stinky Stern Forever" to help them cope with the situation. With that in mind, give this book to any kid you know. It's not just a title for children who've lost a classmate. It's for every kid anywhere who can handle an early chapter book with a little depth. A necessary purchase.

I think Stinky Stern Forever is good because it teaches people many things and one thing is that even if you don't like somebody, you would still care about him if he got hurt or something.

If you are really bad you will pay for it. Stinky Stern was so caught up in the snowflake he ruined that he didn't see the car that hit him.

I like it because it's about a girl that really doesn't like him, but when he dies she's really sad, but she doesn't want anyone to know that. In the end, the class talk about him and she wrote pictures in her notebook about him and it makes her feel all right in the end. She remembers him by writing in her notebook.

(...)

Warning about "Stinky Stein Forever":

This book may be upsetting for your child to read. Stinky Stein is a bully who dies in an accident. Please have your child read this notice before they read the book. This story made me very sad. Actually, I am still very sad about it because I think about how Stinky's parents felt to lose their son. I would not have read this book if I had known what it was about. If you still want to read the book, you could ask a parent or adult to read it with you. I am writing this because there is no warning on the cover of the book to warn young readers that the content might be upsetting. Readers are Leaders! Koa H. Age 7, 3rd grade