Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, Wendy Mass, author
Jeremy’s dad died on his 40th birthday, as predicted by a fortune teller. His mom works hard to keep his memory alive, in a happy way, but Jeremy finds it hard to do the same. She tries very hard to support Jeremy and to understand his feelings. He cannot venture beyond a couple of blocks from his home without the help of his best friend Lizzy. He is burdened with his sadness.
Lizzy hides her sadness from Jeremy. Her mom left her and her dad. She misses her and feels the loss of her love. She also feels unloved by her mother, because she abandoned her, but her dad tries to make up for it. He is very loving. Lizzy lives next door to Jeremy. She is very adventurous, often breaking lots of rules. Both families often do things together.
Shortly before Jeremy’s thirteenth birthday, a package from his father is delivered to him. It is a box that contains the meaning of life. His father had prepared it for him, to be given to him on his thirteenth birthday. There is a problem, though. The keys to open the box, which has a complicated set of locks, are missing. He cannot open it. He and Lizzy begin to search for keys that might open it. Lizzie creates plans and leads him on the search, often suggesting bizarre ideas. When they are unsuccessful, and he grows disappointed, refusing to continue to search, she inspires him and gets him out of his doldrums.
The two children come of age as they discover all the assorted ways that different people live their lives to the fullest. They have to discover the meaning of life, and they find it has many meanings, meanings that are different in the eyes of different people. As they search for the keys and interact with different people, they more fully witness life; they grow into their feelings and emotions as they search for the keys. They learn to keep their eyes open, expect the unexpected, grab each opportunity and not to fear trying new things. They learn the meaning of life can be complicated because different people live their lives to the fullest in different ways. The important thing is simply to remember to live!
The meaning of life is to live every moment, to seek joy and love, to find happiness and to grow into your potential, giving to the world as the world gives to you, discovering whatever there is to excite your mind and to grow into a good and responsible citizen, caring for others with an open heart, showing kindness when possible, bearing no malice toward others, not judging a book by its cover, forgiving those who disappoint you, feeling and giving love to others. The book is a wonderful way for pre-teens to learn about life and death, and to understand that each has its place, but to make sure that they remember to live life to the fullest, to choose the fork in the road when they reach it, so they can discover different directions and opportunities.
My twin granddaughters were given an assignment by their English teacher to read this book. The parents of the students were also given an assignment. They were told to create a box for their child/children, with which to surprise them, and to ask friends and relatives, coaches and anyone else that influenced their lives, to write letters to put inside the box, letters to share their ideas about the meaning of life as Jeremy’s dad had done for him. The letters would be put inside the box the parents made and would be given as a surprise to the students. I was grateful to the teacher who wisely chose this book which was going to help my grandchildren come of age, learn about friendship, compassion and the meaning of life, as well as the necessity to deal with the sadness of grief as well as the joy that comes from life and love.