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Summary
Summary
A girl wishes for a better life for herself, her mom, and her baby brother and musters the courage to make it happen in this moving and emotionally satisfying story for readers of Kate DiCamillo and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.
" Once You Know This reminds me of a flower blooming in the crack of a sidewalk. It's important, and it's special. Just read it."-Ali Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Thing About Jellyfish
Eleven-year-old Brittany knows there has to be a better world out there. Lately, though, it sure doesn't feel like it. She and her best friend, Marisol, stick together at school, but at home Brittany's granny is sick, her cat is missing, there's never any money, and there's her little brother, Tommy, to worry about. Brittany has a hard time picturing her future as anything but a plain white sky. If her life is going to ever change, she needs a plan. And once she starts believing in herself, Brittany realizes that what has always seemed out of reach might be just around the corner.
This debut novel by Emily Blejwas is perfect for readers who love emotionally satisfying books. Thoughtful and understated, it's the hopeful story of a girl who struggles to make her future bright . . . and the makeshift family that emerges around her.
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Author Notes
Emily Blejwas grew up in Excelsior, Minnesota, where she learned to ice fish and love the North Stars. She now lives in Mobile, Alabama, with her husband and four children, and directs the AlabamaFolklife Association. Her first novel, Once You Know This, was a Junior Library Guild selection that School Library Journal called "a poignant and emotionally driven debut."
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Eleven-year-old Brittany's tense home life has turned her into an observant planner. An absent father, an abusive stepfather, and a live-in grandmother with Alzheimer's are just the start. Brittany's little brother has pneumonia, and she and her family do not have enough to eat. Despite the problems swirling around her world, Brittany works on developing her "Plan B." A bright star in her school life is her encouraging teacher, Mr. McInnis, who invites students to imagine their future. Told in the first person, the story is packed with emotion, and readers will root for Brittany. Blejwas doesn't shy away from addressing difficult issues, including domestic violence and suicide. VERDICT A poignant and emotionally driven debut novel for readers mature enough to handle the serious subject matter. Likely to spark discussion.-Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Without an ounce of self pity, Brittany Kowalski gives an unflinching description of her difficult life. She lives in Chicago with her mother, brother, and beloved great-grandmother, who suffers from dementia, in the home of Brittanys moms abusive boyfriend. The family is under constant threat from his violent moods and from the toll taken by poor nutrition and cold. When her idealistic first-year teacher asks his students to imagine their futures, Brittany cannot see whats possible; she can only imagine what she doesnt want, which is to end up like her mother on the street corner and at WIC for eternity. Her teacher suggests that she needs a plan, but Brittany cant even fathom how to make one. Still, she begins by recording thoughts and possible actions in a notebook stolen from the dollar store. What readers discover is a character whose self-determination and persistence create a possible way out of her crushing hardships. The portrait of poverty is heartbreaking, but Brittanys story is ultimately uplifting. An overreliance on metaphors about eyes (cinnamon-and-raisin-toast eyes, trapdoor eyes) is a flaw in the writing, but Brittany gives many readers a compassionate glimpse into their own near-desperate lives and offers others a window into a world they may not really have seen or understood. betty carter (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Fifth-grader Brittany Kowalski looks for Plan B. Home life is complicated for Brittany's family, living in her mother's abusive boyfriend's house on Chicago's struggling West Side. Her great-grandmother has all but disappeared into dementia. There's hardly enough money for food for a growing 11-year-old and her baby brother, so her mother hasn't been eating much. The brutish Jack appears and disappears, is bitingly critical, hits her mother, but won't allow her to work. Blejwas sets her moving account of Brittany's search for a better life in the depressing weather of late fall and early winter. Her first-person narrative doesn't dwell on the abuse but on the details of living in poverty, such as taking the bus across town to get the makings of Thanksgiving dinner from a church food pantry. It's cold in their apartment; people get sick; her great-grandmother dies. A bright (and warm) spot is school, where Mr. McInnis, an eager first-year teacher, pushes his mostly uncaring students and encourages them to imagine their futures. When frustrated by school rules, he looks for Plan B, providing a model. Brittany's family is white; other major characters reflect the diversity of a big northern city. Sadly, some readers may know Brittany's world well, others will find it surprising; all will appreciate the way Brittany's actions propel the resolution. Hard to take but ultimately hopeful. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When Brittany's fifth-grade teacher asks his students to imagine their futures, she finds it impossible look beyond the present: living in poverty with her passive mother, her baby brother, her great-grandmother, and Mom's possessive, abusive boyfriend. After a failed search for her unknown father's family, Brittany reaches out to a distant maternal relative she's never met, hoping for a lifeline to save herself and those she loves. Her repeated attempts at creating a Plan B provide her mother with unexpected options and the possibility of a happy ending to their family's story. Set in Chicago and written from Brittany's point of view, the novel portrays a bright kid doing the best she can within a family immobilized by fear, hardship, and illness. The scenes at school, where her idealistic teacher inspires her to look beyond the present, are as well crafted as those at home, where details of daily life bring her situation sharply into focus. Written with finesse, this first novel offers hope that change is possible when driven by thought, determination, and resilience.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2017 Booklist
