.jpg)
by: Yvette Clark
(Amazon) Recommended Age: 10 years and above
Lexile: N/A
Sensitive Topic(s): Terminal illness, death, grief
"Kitty’s mother died on an inappropriately sunny Tuesday. So much has changed in Kitty’s life over the last few months, and she needs the world to stop spinning around her. She needs things to return to normal — or as normal as they’ll ever be.
Normal definitely does not include her family moving from their home in a cozy corner of London all the way to New York City. Moving means leaving behind her friends and neighbors, her grandmother, and all the places and people that help Kitty keep her mother’s memory alive.
New York City is bright and bustling and completely different from everything Kitty has known. As she adjusts to her new school, explores her new city, and befriends a blue-haired boy, Kitty wonders if her memories of her mother don’t need to stay in one place — if there’s a way for them to be with Kitty every day, everywhere." (book summary)
What I Thought:
I loved this book – I devoured this book in two days. I especially love the cover art and how Kitty's love of paints, particularly those from Farrow & Ball, is represented right there on the cover. I think this is one of my favourite covers of all time. This book was written in such a heartbreakingly, painful way from a perspective that can only be described as one of a kid's. Ms. Clark achieved writing from a kid's point of view without making it seem fake or superficial or not relatable. While at the start Imogen (such a lovely and interesting name that you don't see nowadays), portrays Kitty as the wannabe younger little sister and really wants nothing to do from her, by the end of the final chapter you could really see an overwhelming evolution of her, characteristically. Glitter Gets Everywhere deals with this kind of unimaginable and harrowing change in a very sensitive and gentle way, and I love the symbolism of the "grief glitter" From what I understand, it means that even when you think you've cleaned all of the grief glitter, you will still find it at odd, unusual times where glitter is hidden in the nooks and crannies of your life and memories. I also loved Mum as a character and I only wished that we could have had more interaction with her as a living, breathing character and not just as a memory. I did cry while reading her letter to Kitty on her eleventh birthday, though. I can't even imagine someone so young going through this kind of experience without having both your parents by your side. The way she described London and New York City was London was like that reliable friend you had known all your life and so was not that interesting in comparison to New York City who was the loud, popular new kid with many interesting experiences and stories. The transition to living in NYC was something I enjoyed reading about very much because of the different lifestyles I had gotten to know about in both London and in New York City. I strongly suggest you read this book.
Comments