This Isn't about the Money - Hardcover

Sally Warner (www.sallywarner.com) has published more than twenty novels for young readers, including the Emma and EllRay Jakes series. She lives in Altadena, California with her husband and their not-so-miniature dachshund, Rocky. 

Grade 5-8-In the instant her family's car is hit by a drunken driver, a large part of 12-year-old Janey's world is lost: her parents, her pretty face, her Arizona home, and her two best friends. She and her five-year-old sister are moved to California where their grandfather and great-aunt, Baby, attempt to pull together the remaining pieces of their shattered family. Told from Janey's perspective, the story explores the complex emotions and relationships of her new situation. She is furious with her aunt, who seems more interested in suing the offending driver than in her losses; she aches for her grandfather, who must continue to work to support them rather than retire; she grieves over her bandaged, burned face, although she is reassured that it can be repaired surgically; and she rejects the overtures of her friends in Arizona "-to get this breakup thing over with." Her healing is encouraged by an empathetic doctor, but it is Janey who takes the first steps that begin to reframe her world as she begins to look through the lens of love rather than pain. Warner develops her characters with a steady and practiced hand, using Janey's inner monologues and dialogue between characters effectively. The plot moves steadily forward from the opening traumatic accident scene without dwelling on the sensational aspects. Both the characters and their sometimes rocky relationships are believable, and readers will cheer as Janey begins to emerge from the horror. The final chapter, her memory of the moments before the crash, is poignant, and recalls for her the foundation of love on which she will be able to build a new life.
Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI
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