Harrowing, hopeful verse tale of tween dealing with poverty.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Joe is in constant fear. His life is full of scary things, especially after his mom's criminal ways cause him and his grandmother to lose their home. His mom is always abandoning him for weeks and months at a time. When his grandmother dies and Joe's on his own without food or money, the power's turned off, and he's terrified of anyone finding out because he doesn't want to land in foster care. One of his poems suggests that his mom smacks him around sometimes. A human throws a dog and her puppies from a box and drives away, abandoning them to their fate.
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Scene-setting, character-defining mentions of superheroes, e.g. Superman and Captain America, who Joe takes as inspirations and role models.
Educational Value
a lot
As a writer, Joe likes the concept of onomatopoeia -- words that sound like what they mean. Hakeem, off to culinary camp in Paris, adds a lot of French to his conversation and shares his food wisdom. The reticulated python, and its chokehold on its victim, is a recurring theme. Some detail about English food, as Joe's grandmum is from there. The concept of bartering is introduced.
Positive Messages
a lot
"Even superheroes need help." On accepting kindness: "If you give when you can, it's okay to take when you need to." "When you're so used to doing everything for yourself, you forget that others will help. If you let them." "Sometimes the best way to take care of others is to take care of yourself first."
Positive Role Models
a lot
At 11, Joe is forced to be far more adult and responsible than any kid should have to be, as his grandmother struggles against overwhelming odds to love and protect him. His friends Hakeem and Nick are always there for him, often with lifesaving solutions like food and a place to live. Joe's grandmother loses her home and ultimately her life trying to care for the son of her thankless, sometimes criminal daughter, who cares for no one but herself and escaping whatever bad stuff is going on -- including any responsibility for Joe. Uncle Frankie the trailer park owner talks a lot about all being family there, but also backs his words with deeds, helping Joe and his grandmother get things like furniture for free. Ms. Swan, the 6th grade math teacher, makes life easier for poor kids with a clothes closet and a lunch system that doesn't stigmatize them.
Diverse Representations
some
"We sure learn a lot from each other," says an adult character as kids learn that what Americans call cookies, English people call biscuits. Race and gender are not explicit issues here, though it's reasonable to assume Joe's BFF Hakeem and his family are Black. Much diversity of education, experience, and economic resources, as one kid has a strong family who encourage his ambition to be a chef and send him to culinary camp, while others live in a run-down trailer park with little or no money. Joe's original home was a snug old house in a well-kept neighborhood, but after a brief stint of sleeping in their car, he and his grandmother land in a mobile home in a run-down, sometimes scary neighborhood. One kid's single mom struggles with depression, and the depression's winning; as a result he's been in foster care and hated it. An adult character lost her house to her daughter's criminal behavior and now cleans houses to support herself and her grandson; they frequently go hungry.
Parents need to know that And Then, BOOM!, by Lisa Fipps (Starfish) is a harrowing, hopeful middle-grade novel in verse. Told by an 11-year-old kid grappling with poverty, homelessness, and abandonment, but also surrounded by kind friends and helpers, it vividly, relatably depicts the grinding everyday reality of being poor, of a grandmother working herself to death for a paycheck that isn't enough to keep herself and her tween grandson fed and housed, of never seeing a doctor because it would cost too much, of the irresponsible adult whose bad ways brought on all this trouble -- but also of the adults and kids who go out of their way to offer help in small but also huge ways. Several of the characters being 11-year-old boys, there's a bit of crude language ("crap," "turd"). Strong messages of friendship, empathy, kindness, and being there for your loved ones. Also that it's important to help others when you can, and to accept help when you need it.
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What's the Story?
Joe Oak, 11, is dealing with a lot of adult responsibility in a world where, AND THEN, BOOM!, everything falls apart in a second and your life collapses. Over and over again. Joe has a nice, though hardly rich, life with his loving Grandmum (she's from England) in her old house; his mom, who's mostly abandoned them both, turns up in their lives only to cause trouble. When the mom's criminal history catches up with her, Grandmum loses the house, and she and Joe are soon living in her battered old car. Joe's pals Hakeem and Nick are true and solid friends, and other people are kind and willing to help -- but the trouble's only beginning.
In this gripping, relatable verse narrative, Lisa Fipps' 11-year-old struggling superhero deals with death, abandonment, crushing poverty, and a mom whose only role in his life is to wreck it. Fortunately, like so many superheroes in their darkest hours, young Joe has a lot of friends and helpers for all those And Then, BOOM! moments when once again, everything you know and love falls apart. Which happen a lot in his life, leading him to long for "a planet in a galaxy where grown-ups act like grown-ups, and do what they're supposed to do, over and over again. The world where I want to live." You'll be glad to know this kid.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about kids who don't have dependable food and housing, and tales like And Then, BOOM! that tell their stories. Are there other stories you know that deal with this situation well -- and maybe offer ways to help?
A lot of people throw away a lot of stuff that a lot of other people could probably use. In the story, Uncle Frankie's warehouse is full of stuff he lets Joe and his Grandmum use to furnish their mobile home. What are some ways to get things people don't want to other people who could really use them?
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like you'd lost everything you could count on? What happened? How did you deal?
How do characters in this story show compassion for one another? What difference does it make? How might you show compassion to someone in a way that makes them feel empowered?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
