Five out of Five Magical Coffee Cups
Oh my goodness! The emotions with this one! Another book written in verse. Books written in verse have fewer words on the page but so much more emotion! Joe lives with his mom and grandmum. Every once in a while, his mom gets “the itch,” and she leaves. Joe never knows how long she will be gone. He is never sure if he is worried that she will never come home or if he is worried that she will come home.
Things are tough with Grandmum. He loves her, and she does her best, but it’s hard. They had been living out of their car because dear old mom jumped bail, and they had to sell the house to cover the lawyer and court fees. They are living off of food stamps and the kindness of others, but even so, every time things seem to look good, “boom,” something happens.
This is a hard book, but there is so much kindness throughout. Joe’s friends are always trying to help him out in little ways. At one point, one of his friends invites them over and has him help clean his dad’s car. While washing the car, Joe gets to soap up a little, too ( he needed a shower). Later, his friend asks Joe if he can stay for dinner. The friend’s mom agrees but tells Joe he needs to change out of those wet clothes (she washes and dries them). So Joe got a shower, cleaned clothes, and food. It’s adorable how much his friends care for him.
But like always, “Boom!” Something goes wrong, and Joe is put in a bad situation. He doesn’t want anyone to know how bad things have gotten, but he really needs help. I loved how hard Joe worked to keep himself afloat, but I also felt for him.
There is a lovely ending, and you might even experience some happy tears.
I told someone about this book, and they said they wouldn’t want to read such a sad book. It is excellent if a book can make me cry or feel such strong emotions. I think books like this can help with empathy. If you are a fan of books that make you feel strong emotions, grab this book and settle in.
Literary Coffee 