Kasey was such a wonderful narrator. I swear, that kid charmed the pants off of me. She was witty and sassy, and her every day observations often made me laugh. Yes, her letters were quite humorous, but what really delighted me was the way Kasey grew, and how that month in the hospital really gave her a new perspective.
When Kasey found out she would be the only child on the geriatric floor, she was less than thrilled. She harbored a lot of preconceptions about older people, and it was lovely seeing her view of them change as she spent more time getting to know her floor mates. There was one really special relationship she developed with the oldest patient, Missy Wong. It was very beautiful and quite touching seeing her affection for this woman grow.
Yes, Missy Wong is old. She is toothless. But she's not creepy. She can't help not speaking or being old. She was once a kid like us a long time ago, playing with other kids, running around.
I was even more touched when I found out Missy Wong was based on a real person, who the author met when she spent a month in the hospital at the age of nine. Hughes' past really shows in this story, because she did such an amazing job conveying Kasey's fears and worries, as well as the boredom a 12 year old stuck in a hospital without wifi would experience.
Kasey also grew to realize how much she loved her chaotic family, and I must admit, I sort of loved all of them too. They were loud and messy, but you could tell there they all had a lot of love and affection for each other.
This book was a little gem, that could bring comfort to a child, who may have to spend some time in a hospital or give a little insight to younger people, who have ailing older relatives.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review
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