This is a book written for 9-12 year olds, but I loved it. My 11 year old son and I read it together. Jake Moon and his mother, who live with Jake's grandfather, Skelly, find out that Skelly has Alzheimer's disease when Jake is in third grade. Skelly had taken in his daughter and her baby (Jake) after she was abandoned by Jake's father and she couldn't make it on her own. He was this wonderful, fun-loving, caring, boisterous man who made others feel good about themselves. This all changes as the Alzheimer's progresses. He has memory issues; his personality changes (he even swears, which he never did previously); he needs help with his hygiene; he says odd things; he forgets who people are; he forgets to put pants on - or underwear. Jake is responsible for "watching him" after school every day for the hour between school and when his mom gets home from work.
My son and I have lived through this experience already, when my own father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease when my son was around 5 years old. By the time he was 9, my dad had forgotten who we all were. All of the things that Jake went through in this book, we went through. At one point I cried! It's a wonderfully written true experience of how Alzheimer's changes a person - and the effect those changes have on family members. Jake struggles with the changes in Skelly. He is embarrassed by him. He resents him. But in the end, he loves him. The story ends with Jake's 8th grade graduation - and with Jake figuring out that the most important thing is his love for Skelly.
I highly recommend this book for any child whose life is affected by Alzheimer's disease. Jake is the narrator and he shows all the emotions that a pre-teen would show - and he also has a good sense of humor. I laughed. I cried. I was affected by this book because of my own personal experience of course, but it's an excellent description of this horrible disease as told through a child's eyes.
Wendy's Rating: *****
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