Jarrett doesn't mask the flaws or the deep love he has for his mother, Leslie, and his grandparents, Joe and Shirley, who raised him. He details his life with his mother and the bond they had. She was artistic, talented, and fun loving, but at the early age of thirteen becomes a heroin addict. An addiction that she will never be able to shake. Jarret's mother and grandmother could never get along, but her grandfather did what he could to help Leslie. Leslie is arrested, and Joe decides to take custody of Jarrett before he can become a ward of the state. Life with his grandparents was far from perfect. Shirley had a foul, acerbic mouth with no filter. His grandfather would temper Shirley, but would often come home late, drunk. Jarrett misses his mother immensely. Her letters reveal the love she has for Jarrett, often connecting the one thing they share; their creativity and artistic talent.
Art is what keeps Jarrett afloat and becomes increasingly important to keeping him centered. His grandfather recognizes his talent and sends him to an art class at an art museum. Here he is formally introduced to the history and creating of comic art. It is his art that drives Jarret, and he is determined not to let his talent go to waste, as did his mother. There are moments of joy, life changing experiences, and opportunity to meet family he didn't know he had. Jarrett does face crisis, gets himself into trouble, and deals with self-doubt, but we know how it ends.
Jarrett's art work is loose and evocative of his feelings and mood. Cell borders and speech bubbles are left undefined for purpose. Ink washes vary in tone from light gray to dark, with only rusty spot color throughout. Endpages and chapter dividers use grandma Shirley's favorite pineapple wallpaper, as well as images of letters and other artifacts from Jarrett's life.
Mark's Book Picks Score: 4.5 (while non-fiction, I still wanted to rate this book)
Reading Level: 3.5 • Interest Level: 7-12 • AR Points: 2 • Lexile Level: GN510L • Dewey: 921 • Publisher: Scholastic • Pages: 294 • Copyright: 2018 • ISBN: 978-0-545-902489-9 • Available in Perma-Bound Binding
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