Review: "Falling Over Sideways," by Jordan Sonnenblick

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC of this book, that officially was released yesterday. I truly could read everything by Jordan Sonnenblick, even his grocery list, and probably love it. He just has IT, ya know? He gets middle school better than any other author I've read. And his newest, Falling Over Sideways, is no different.

8th grader Claire has no idea how much her life is about to change. Her father, a well-respected author and her favorite goofy sidekick, has a debilitating stroke on a Saturday in September. Claire is the only one in the house at the time and watches in horror as her father starts saying nonsense words and falling over. Before the stroke, her focus was on being a great student, excelling in dance class, and trying to earn first chair playing her saxophone in band. After the stroke, her focus shifted on trying to survive her chaotic new life and trying to adjust to how different her father was. There was hope, of course, that her father would heal and be able to re-learn many of the skills he lost during his stroke. But watching your father struggle to breathe, struggle to walk, struggle to make sentences, is not what anyone wants to do. Claire herself struggles to keep up with her friends and not push them all away in the depression-filled aftermath of her father's stroke. But it wouldn't be a Sonnenblick book without plenty of humor mixed in with the tears. LOVE THIS.

Mrs. Denney's Rating: ***1/2

#review #realisticfiction #fathers #stroke #middleschool #dance #music