I received this book from "librarything" and was eager to read it to see if it was appropriate for my nine-year-old grandchildren, soon to be ten (10), entering the world of double digits. The twins were really excited about their birthday, and as a former teacher, I wondered if this book was appropriate for their coming of age.

Both of the girls are precocious and experience the normal questions children have about growing up. They wonder about jealousy, rivalry, religion, arguments and fitting in at school and with friends. They are completely different, and yet, I think this book will speak to both of them. As their Oma, I wanted them to be able to read a book that would help them come to terms with many of life’s decisions that they have already faced as well as the ones they will face in the future. This delightful book seems to satisfy that goal as it teaches them patience, compassion and responsibility.

Sylvie Kantorovitz has written a graphic memoir that gently and tenderly helps young children deal with the enigmas of life, from dealing with siblings to dealing with love interests to dealing with the feeling of being different and coming to terms with what they want to be when they grow up and their need to make those kinds of decisions.

With humor, she deftly touches upon so many feelings, like anger, depression, confusion, arrogance, ethics, morality, loneliness, moving, education, friendship, adolescence, life choices, parent/child relationships, boy/girl relationships, independence and much more. She deals with all of these issues with such a light hand that the lessons learned seem natural, as if they will enter the mind of the child reading through osmosis, without any expenditure of effort.

I will definitely share it with my granddaughters, won’t you share it with yours?