4 stars for Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan.
To tell the truth, at first glance I am somewhat intimidated by the size and thickness of this hardback. I am not confident if I will like Short - which is not so short a story after all given the 296 pages - enough to persevere to the end once I start reading. The reader in me urges me on, chiding me silently that this is not the first time, nor will it be my last, to come across such obstacle and I can surely do better than shun a book because of its sheer volume. And oh, I should mention this. My girl borrowed the book, for me. She read it some time back and now she says is my turn. This is how I come about contemplating a book with the title that is not tall, not long, not fat, but short.
One chapter later, I start to have doubts again on whether if I have made the right choice. I do not know what to make of the story. It does not help that I am kind of confused over the status of a dog called Ramon. Is it alive? Or is it history? I am not sure if I like what I am reading. With the exception of a young girl who is short for her age, and thus the book title, the story seems to be everywhere but nowhere. In short, I cannot tell what the novel is trying to say. I dread to think how many more pages I have to cover, but knowing it is still too early in the novel to decide its reading fate, I read on, albeit half-heartedly. Thankfully, it does get better. Slowly but surely.
As I read on, I come to realise there is actually a theme. It is the theme of grief but one with a light touch. Thank you. The narrator, Julia, is trying to find happiness after the death of her pet dog. She wants to be happy again but has no idea how to fill up the empty space left by her dog. As it is, life has its way of moving one on. First she is cast as a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz musical for Summer Theatre. Then she learns to sing and dance. One thing leads to another, and soon, Julia finds herself involved in projects which she looks foward to being part of. By the end of the Summer, short Julia finds that she has grown, not taller but wiser. To quote "I grew this summer. Not on the outside, but on the inside. And that’s the only place where growing really matters."
I am glad I did not give up on this book despite my not-so-good start. Though titled Short, it is anything but short; it is long on humor, on insight and on role models. It is a positive story, one highly recommended for children aged 8 to 13 years. Though there is grief and sadness, it is kept to a minimum. What shines through instead is the heartwarming and joyous character of Julia, the narrator, who goes about on her journey to self-discovery. She learns to take criticism, setbacks and mistakes in her stride. Through it all, she gains confidence and finds self-acceptance. Well, it is not just Julia who discovers something. In the middle of her story, I discover something else too. It is the author, she sure can write as if she is a middle school kid; the thought processes are uninhibited and she writes with a childlike directness that comes away feeling natural. If I am still in middle school, I sure will have enjoyed the story a whole lot more.
With my reading done, it now makes two of us in the family to have conquered this monstrosity of a book. High five!
Publisher: Dial Books
Publication date: 31 Jan 2017
*** Favourite Quote ***
I grew this summer. Not on the outside, but on the inside. And that’s the only place where growing really matters.
~ Short
Holly Goldberg Sloan
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Julia is very short for her age and this is the summer she gets cast as a munchkin in a production of The Wizard of Oz. She hasn’t ever thought of herself as a performer, but as Julia becomes friendly with the poised and wise Olive – an adult with dwarfism who doesn’t let her size define her – and with a deeply artistic neighbor named Mrs. Chang, she finds that she may not be as tall as everyone else, but she more than deserves to hold her head high.
*Blurb from author's website*
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