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Still a Work in Progress
Still a Work in Progress | Jo Knowles
11 posts | 7 read | 5 to read
In a return to middle-grade fiction, master of perspectives Jo Knowles depicts a younger sibling struggling to maintain his everyday life when his older sister is in crisis. Noah is just trying to make it through seventh grade. The girls are confusing, the homework is boring, and even his friends are starting to bug him. Not to mention that his older sister, Emma, has been acting pretty strange, even though Noah thought she d been doing better ever since the Thing They Don t Talk About. The only place he really feels at peace is in art class, with a block of clay in his hands. As it becomes clear through Emma s ever-stricter food rules and regulations that she s not really doing better at all, the normal seventh-grade year Noah was hoping for begins to seem pretty unattainable. In an affecting and realistic novel with bright spots of humor, Jo Knowles captures the complexities of navigating middle school while feeling helpless in the face of a family crisis."
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TK-421
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My library has been full of stuff since December when we were making room for the xmas festivities. I was tired of not even being able to walk in there let alone reach my shelves so I finally started cleaning up! Made good progress tonight: I found the floor, the desk, and the chair! Next will be getting my shelves back in order. Minerva is enjoying watching me work. #library #librarycleanup

LauraJ Good job! 5y
Itchyfeetreader Wow great room 5y
TheSpineView Pets make the best supervisors!🤣 5y
88 likes4 comments
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Samplergal
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Trying to stick to some goals here. Four of eight completed halfway through the month! #accountability

DivineDiana 👏🏻📚👏🏻 7y
BookNerd9906 Woot! 👍📚🎇 7y
90 likes2 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
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Pickpick

Middle school is seldom easy for anyone. Navigating friendships & relationships along with life in a small school where everybody knows everybody & there are no secrets is the least of Noah‘s worries. Lurking in the background is his sister & the “Thing They Don‘t Talk About.” Everything comes to a head & Noah must learn how to cope in an uncertain world. A funny, heartfelt MG story about family, friendship, & making your way through ups & downs.

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TracyReadsBooks
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“Are you turning into an emu?” Sam asks.
“A what?”
“Emu. You know. A guy who wears eyeliner and tight pants and acts depressed.”
“I think you mean emo,” I say.

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TracyReadsBooks
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“The girls‘ room is like a mystery cave to the boys. All we know is that it smells like twenty kinds of body spray vying for air domination.”

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TracyReadsBooks
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Did I see the spine while straightening the library bookshelves and decide I needed to check the book out (ha!)?!? Yes, yes I did. Now for some reading.

3 likes1 stack add
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jlondon1963
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Pickpick

Great middle grade read that deals with eating disorders and the wake it leaves on the other family members. Curly the hairless cat is the perfect calm to a tense story.

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JoleneWilson
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2 likes1 stack add
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Readerbuzz
Pickpick

Eighth-grader Noah deals with friend troubles, school troubles, and girl troubles. None of these compare, however, to the Thing We Don't Talk About, his older sister's eating disorder. The family dealt with it one time, and now, if they just don't talk about, maybe it will go away....

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Jbrooxd
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Pickpick

This was amazingly good! Typical middle school student, typical middle school topics. But Noah's older sister is struggling and it starts to impact all the characters in significant ways. I don't want to give anything away, but it's very honest and doesn't sugar coat the impact of mental health issues on the whole family.

4 likes1 stack add
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RebL
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My favorite thing about @JoKnowles' writing is how the goofy and profound share the stage. She enthusiastically supports Bernie on Twitter, so naturally after I read about the Fart Squad in her new book, I wondered if she loaned the idea to the DNC Fart-In protesters.

7 likes1 stack add