The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky

November 25, 2013
Axioms like “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” and “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” come gracefully to life in Schindler’s (Playing Hurt) tale about the value of hard work and the power of community. Auggie Jones lives with her grandfather Gus, a trash hauler, in the poor section of town, something that hasn’t been an issue until she starts fifth grade. Now, a wealthy girl named Victoria is trying to steal Auggie’s best friend, and the town’s beautification committee has Auggie’s ramshackle neighborhood in its sights. Auggie and Gus begin using old car parts and discarded machinery to make sculptures to beautify their house, leading to in a battle between the have and have-nots. While the community showdown is none too subtle, it will introduce some readers to outsider and folk art, as well as the subjectivity of beauty and art. A subplot involving Auggie’s missing mother stretches credibility, but Auggie’s enthusiasm and unbridled creativity are infectious, and likeminded readers will envy her creative partnership with Gus. Ages 8–12. Agent: Deborah Warren, East-West Literary Agency.

December 15, 2013
There are no surprises here, but it's a heartwarming and uplifting story nonetheless. Auggie (short for August, after her grandfather, Gus, who is raising her) thinks her neighbors and neighborhood are perfect. As she rides around with Gus in Old Glory, his trash-hauling truck, she excitedly anticipates her first day of fifth grade at a new school in a different part of town. But when she gets there, she realizes that her beloved neighborhood is actually the poor part of town, and worse, she feels ashamed. As she wrestles with her feelings, which are exacerbated by the defection of her best friend to the rich side, Gus and several neighbors receive notices from the town's House Beautification Committee stating that their properties are in violation. Auggie determines to fight back and with Gus' unstinting help, turns their house and yard into a folk-art extravaganza. Further clashes with the committee follow. Auggie's present-tense, first-person narration, rife with similes, often comes off sounding more contrived than quirky, and the story's numerous characters function more as formulaic devices rather than individual personalities. Additionally, the storyline concerning Auggie's absent mother seems more tangential than imperative, and its revelatory windup comes as no surprise. The story shines in its conclusion, however, with vibrant themes of community, self-empowerment and artistic vision delivered with a satisfying verve that forgives any predictability. (Fiction. 9-12)

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March 1, 2014

Gr 4-6-When readers first meet Auggie Jones, she is crammed into Old Glory, her Grandpa Gus's pick-up truck, with her best friend, Lexie, and her neighbor Irma Jean on the way to the local junkyard. Some kids might not enjoy this experience, but Auggie sees the beauty in the way Grandpa Gus turns other people's trash into something new. In addition to the excitement of watching Grandpa Gus at work, the girls are looking forward to starting fifth grade at their new school. Montgomery Elementary, where the girls used to go, is being torn down, so they'll start at Dickerson, a school located in a wealthier neighborhood. The classist attitudes of some of the students begin to make Auggie question, for the first time, the way her family lives. The tension between the kids is brought to a head when the city's House Beautification Committee begins to send notices of code violations and rapidly accruing fines to many homeowners in Auggie's neighborhood. Grandpa Gus and Auggie combat the perception that their house is run-down by using found and discarded materials to make it more beautiful. Some people think the Jones's house is just getting uglier, but others, including some folk-art experts, see beauty in their work. Auggie's rich engagement with her community and willingness to stand up for her beliefs are inspiring, while her struggle to stay true to herself, even when her best friend gets absorbed in the cool crowd at their new school, will resonate with many readers. Some of the secondary characters (including the very bad villain, Victoria) are underdeveloped, but Auggie's own voice is strongly realized and effectively pulls readers into her world.-Gesse Stark-Smith, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2014
Grades 3-6 Auggie can't wait to start school at Dickerson Elementary, a shiny new building in the wealthy part of town. The change promises a chance to discover her shine, or talent. But she does not anticipate losing her best friend or having the city's House Beautification Committee target her working-class neighborhood. Auggie's idea of community improvementsscrap metal sculptures and handmade stained glass windowsdo not meet city approval. Inspired by stories of her mother's courage, Auggie refuses to back down and finds her shine while inspiring the neighborhood to come together. The cast is subtly multicultural, with Auggie comparing her skin to the color of cocoa. She lives with her grandfather, while her mother's whereabouts are a mystery until the book's end. The book's message feels heavy-handed at times, and the pacing is somewhat bogged down with descriptions of sculptures, but Auggie's emotions ring true, and the reader will cheer for her and her self-made family of neighbors.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
When the local House Beautification Committee sets its sights on Auggie's poor neighborhood and fines residents steeply for the appearance of their homes, it's up to Auggie to save the day with her inventive folk art. Though slightly overt, the rich-poor dynamic, especially among Auggie's classmates, will invite valuable reflection, and hopeful Auggie is easy to root for.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)