Her gran suffers with Alzheimer's and is getting slowly worse and more forgetful as well as being prone to going want ring alone with her confusion getting herself into dangerous situations. Zoe is misunderstood by her parents and bullied by her vile cousin whom films an extreme case of threat against Zoe as they find it hilarious making Zoe beg for her life, literally. Grab your tissues, because you're seriously going to be taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride with this book. I found this particularly difficult to read because it hit very very close to home with the character of the Granny. I got half way and I just didn't think I could read anymore because it was getting too personal, but I ploughed through it and I'm really glad that I did. The main character Zoe is the worst teenager to ever exist. And she is the "relatable" protagonist. Her and cousin Madi hate each other. One point Madi and her gang tries to kill her by pushing her off a cliff. I've never heard of girls bullying each other to the point of death. What's her plan? To be a murderer? How can a normal high school bully risk jail time? It's very clear that author Allan Stratton doesn't have a single clue how teenage mindset works. This isn't Gone Girl, Allan. No teens kill other teens like that. On the pleasant side of things, I really did love how the relationship between Zoe and her Granny was portrayed. The love between the two of them was just amazing. Ok so Zoe was very stupid taking her Granny cross country to Toronto but at the end of the day, Zoe just wanted to help and get her Granny away from a place where she knew that she was miserable. I also thought that Granny's Alzheimer's was written perfectly, I genuinely couldn't fault it and I also loved how Zoe didn't lose her patience with her, she just kept calm and tried her best to make sure Granny was getting what she needed.

As the book progresses, Zoe and Granny's relationship takes center stage after Granny is put in a retirement home for her worsening Alzheimer's, and Zoe decides break her out and run away to Toronto to find Granny's estranged son. I love the person that Zoe is when she's with Granny, and the treatment of Alzheimer's in this book is excellent. There are more secrets to be uncovered after the pair arrive in Toronto, which also brought a wonderful and unexpected twist. So yeah, as you can see, I have a lot of anger about the parents on this book. I'm going to try and not get into another massive rant about the character of Madi because that would last forever. She's just a hateful, self-absorbed brat. Zoe decides to break out her grandma and go to her uncle who she never met and don’t even know where he lives or let alone lives at all, which is just about the stupidest decision I’ve heard so far. She freaking let her grandmother who can barely function at all drive on the freaking highway. GIRL GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER. Zoe never learns, and even in the end, she is still rude and hateful. A story which shows family loyalty at it's finest as Zoe refuses to let her gran be unhappy where she doesn't want to be. The bullying aspect is horrific but not unbelievable as situations have probably happened were things have been that severe in events. Meanwhile, the family relationship is so broken when they begin to make amends for not listening to their daughter they finally bond a little like a realistic normal family. I immensely enjoyed this book especially highlighting Alzheimer's as an illness in YA as any young carers will relate to Zoe in how she has to aid her gran so much.

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

He loves travel, cats and dogs, ice cream, working out, doing readings and workshops -- and, oh yes, meeting readers! Ok. Granny and Zoe love each other, so they go on a road trip to visit her long lost uncle Teddy. Granny is not stable, but the very smart Zoe lets her drive them to the train station. Geez. If you're being adventurous at least have a plan. Granny has cash. Call a cab or something. They get to the train station with no injuries, and go to Toronto. What's her plan then? She acts like she has one. She is one impulsive, selfish moron. Overall pretty good, and better than I bargained. I was looking for an easy read (it is) since I had stopped reading for awhile (life and death and crises intervened), and it worked for that, but there were gems, there was hope, there was insight, there was growth. Third, the whole book is basically built around the fact that you’re supposed to feel sorry for Zoe (the main character), which I didn’t obviously . The side characters are if possible even worse than Zoe. Madi, her cousin, is an absolute bitch. She is literally evil. Madi even got her friend to nearly kill Zoe, simply for the fact that she hates her. There are also several mentions of Zoe wanting to end her life. Suicide and murder are NOT to be taken lightly and having teens nearly kill each other or themselves over a stupid fight is not okay. The first half of the book spends time on showing readers why Zoe feels alienated by her parents and so close to her granny. She's in denial of her grandmother's dementia and believes that her parents see her as a problem they want to get rid of. And after one too many times of trying to tell them the truth about her cousin Madi bullying her only to have them think she's lying and talk about sending her away, too, she decides to solve the problem for them and take her granny to see her kind-of long lost son. You can understand what the writer was trying to achieve with this - that Zoe feels a strong connection to her granny, not only because of their relationship, but specifically because of the relationship they share with Zoe's parents. It just felt like it was missing something, and I'm not sure what, but that's kind of what I mean about this story as a fast read kind of working against it a little. The second half of the story focuses more on Zoe's denial of her grandmother's dementia, and her slow realization of just how serious it is. She comes to understand, in taking care of her grandmother, why her parents felt that she was a danger to herself and in need of professional care, but still strives to find a different solution that can work for everybody.

This collection fell flat for me. I am reminded of the way I felt about Amanda Lovelace's new work as well. Early Peppernell's poetry and prose was lush, enticing, and enjoyable. This collection felt stale, overdone, and repetitive. Now, I will not rule out the fact that maybe I have outgrown this author...but when I was thumbing through some of her pervious work I became envious that I'm not getting to read that for the first time! I still enjoy her earlier books! Before you start reading look at the cover together and talk about what the story might be about.As you read the story aloud pauseif your child wants to look at the pictures and talk about what is happening. Talk about the story The Heart and the Bottle is wholly compelling for the importance of its message and the brilliance of how that is conveyed in words and pictures. This is a book to return to time and time again says Julia Eccleshare, Lovereading4kids’ editorial expert. Jeffers was born in Australia in 1977 and brought up in Belfast. He studied visual communication at the University of Ulster, and graduated in 2001. Jeffers became passionate about making picture books when he began to understand the subtle relationship between words and pictures –‘that was what excited me. Until I got really involved, I hadn't realised how just a few words can totally change the meaning of a picture.’ Now living in New York, he works as a painter, designer, printmaker and installation artist, but remains very busy making picture books. I miss Granny. I always will. But not in a sad way. More in wonder, I guess, that Granny and I are together whenever I think of her, even when I'm alone."Some of the illustrations use lots of pictures to show a single action (e.g. the boy putting on his pilot’s outfit and the conversation about fixing the two machines). Can you make a storyboard that shows an action / event? This poetry anthology was written with the panic and claustrophobia, the grief and the uncertainty, that the recent pandemic brought to all our lives. It is very personal, focusing on Peppernell's own losses and mental health struggles, but with themes that are universally experienced. I found many a beautiful passage to underline and much hope delivered after the very bleak first portion.