Far from Fair by Elana K. Arnold (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Far from Fair by Elana K. Arnold Deborah Stevenson, Editor Arnold, Elana K. Far from Fair. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016 [240p] ISBN 978-0-544-60227-4 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-7 Despite her parents’ and little brother’s enthusiasm, rising seventh-grader Odette bitterly resents having to move her entire life into a camper and leave her home and friends behind. Even the compensatory dog her father gets her is an infuriating disappointment, a little mutt rather than the Labrador she’s longed for. A thousand miles of travel don’t really soften Odette’s stance, but when the family makes their first big stop, with Odette’s Grandma Sissy in Washington’s San Juan Islands, Odette is faced with a much bigger concern: her grandmother’s fatal illness and plan for a legal assisted death. Arnold, author of A Question of Miracles (BCCB 2/15), again accessibly tackles a challenging subject here. The first part of the book is spot-on in its characterization of Odette, who is legitimately upset about the upheaval in [End Page 401] her life but hasn’t yet figured out that hanging onto her anger is only hurting her. Her grandmother’s passing is handled sensitively yet matter-of-factly, and while the shift to the assisted-death plot may initially seem quite a subject change, it’s actually an effective complementary exploration of the overall theme of dealing with powerlessness. As Grandma Sissy says, “You may feel powerless over what is happening to you right now . . . and you are right. You are powerless, sometimes. Sometimes things happen, and we can’t stop them from happening.” Odette’s triumph is facing that truth while also recognizing things she does have some power to change (like making sure she sees the boy she likes before he leaves the island); the book’s triumph is exploring that truth while also acknowledging the adults could stand to give Odette a little more power. A tearjerker with a brain, this could prompt discussion not only of the right to die issue but also power and fairness. Copyright © 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois