About a month ago I posted about Utah's 2013 Beehive Award nominees. My goal is to read all of the nominees by next spring when Utah's students will vote on their favorites. With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo is the first book I have to report on.
I really liked this book. Let me tell you just a little bit about it. This story is about a 12 year old girl, Ollie Love, who travels across the country with her family while her father stops in little towns the preach the good word. In one town they meet Jimmy Koppel. Jimmy's family is basically the bad news family in town. Jimmy's father has just been murdered and his mother is in jail after confessing to the murder even though she is innocent. Ollie and her family decide to stick around to try to help prove her innocence.
This is a very captivating story. I really fell in love with the characters right away. They were just so real. There is just so much about learning to be a good person who looks for the good in others and sacrifices for others, but it never felt preachy.
I think this book is best for kids 12 and older. It is a children's book, but it has some difficult stuff in it. For example, Jimmy's father is a horrible, abusive man. There are a few times when the descriptions of what the father does was really heartbreaking to read. I think it would be too much for kids younger than 12.
So give this book a read. I really enjoyed it. I left feeling like I want to be a little kinder to people, because we don't always know what is happening in their lives and their hearts.
I also just read this book. I really liked it too.
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