The year is 1963 and, while the rest of the world is struggling with the prospect of war, Jack's family is struggling in another way. Since his baby sister passed away a year before, Jack's mother has hardly left her bed. Some days he wants to make her laugh again, some days he's mad at her, and some days he simply wants to run away. With a good group of friends, though, Jack may actually be able to help bring his family back together.
AGE RANGE INTERMEDIATE
Interest Level: ages 10+
Reading Level: ages 8+
THEMES
Family
Depression
Politics
History
Music
Friends
OVERALL RATING 7/10
Covers serious topics, shows boys with real emotions, doesn't feel historical
Record Breaker is a rare treasure, being an emotion-filled and honest book for young boys. The children and plot all feel very real. Robin Stevenson does an excellent job weaving historical events and serious topics into a book that will entertain kids. That said, I didn't feel that the book was very immersed in the historical setting - I actually didn't realize that it wasn't set in the 2000s until JF Kennedy was mentioned a few chapters in! Still, an awesome read.
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