Absolutely Almost

I have always found books like ABSOLUTELY ALMOST by Lisa Graff, a bit disingenuous by default. In order to pull off the first person narrative effectively, the author must crawl inside the mind of a child. In ABSOLUTELY ALMOST's case, that child is a very complicated 10 year old boy. As much as adults believe we know what goes on in the mind of a boy like Albie, based on his actions and behaviors and responses to situations, the fact is, we don't.

Which makes the voice in a novel like this a tough sell. For the most part, Graff does a nice job depicting Albie, a socially awkward, learning disabled 5th grader. There are times however, where Albie comes across as too socially ignorant (think Sheldon, from The Big Bang Theory) for the sake of the narrative, a plot point here and there or a funny line of text. There are times where Graff writes Albie very black and white, yet there are times where Albie is able to see the gray between. Sometimes these moments come when the reader would least expect it. Which again, is because Lisa Graff is an adult, writing as if she was a 5th grade boy with a learning disability. As genuine as some of his voice may be, (certainly the intent behind the voice), Lisa Graff is not a 5th grade boy.

But none of that makes ABSOLUTELY ALMOST a bad book. It's actually far from being bad. It's a quick read because Albie narrates in blunt, short sentences. Its themes of friendship, fitting in, struggling in school, bullying, and working parents are very relevant. This book's child audience would find a lot to relate to.

I thoroughly enjoyed the supporting characters in Albie's world. His mother and father try as best they can to be loving parents, but instead are as ignorant of Albie as Albie is of others. Darren, the bully, is as mean as they come (and SPOILER, don't expect him to necessarily get what's coming to him either; Bullies in the real world don't always get what's coming to them). The Oscar for Best Supporting Actress however must go to Albie's babysitter for the majority of the novel, Calista. I loved Calista as much as Albie loved Calista. And my heart broke for Albie following the "sad day" Calista allowed him to have.

In a way, I feel like ABSOLUTELY ALMOST is Newbery bait. This feels like the type of novel the Newbery committee would love. Interesting first person narrative. Emotional learning disability. Bullying. Realistic fiction... Thankfully, I think many kids would enjoy it too.