10 Apr / Edward’s Eyes by Patricia MacLachlan
We listen to a lot of recorded books, shuttling the kids here and there. Every once in awhile, you get an unforgettable one like Edward’s Eyes. It’s not very long, but wow is it memorable, especially for parents!
Jake and Edward are two especially bonded brothers in a sprawling family filled with good friends, music, and laughter. They call their bookstore-owner parents by their first names. They have amazing baseball games on the front lawn. Jake has always been there for Edward since their mother placed tiny Edward on Jake’s lap as soon as they got home from the hospital. Jake sat with Edward when he was toilet training, recited Goodnight, Moon to him in French, and taught him all the rules of baseball. Only Edward can throw the perfect knuckleball!
Jake is the one who realizes just how special Edward is … that Edward’s eyes see things no one else can. He knows that their new baby will be a sister who will arrive early, that her name will be Sabine, and that she will quiet to the song “Oh, Canada.” But what neither of them realize is just how short-lived Edward’s young life will be. To survive such tragedy will be the most heartbreaking challenge of all.
Tidbit: I have a special thing for Patricia MacLachlan’s books, especially her five-titled Sarah, Plain and Tall series … Sarah, Plain and Tall which started them all, followed by Skylark, Caleb’s Story, More Perfect Than the Moon, and finally Grandfather’s Dance. My first “child,” although I didn’t give birth to her, was my Little Sister from the Big Brother/Big Sister program, named Sarah. Almost 30 years later, she’s still my kid. Then came our daughter Schuyler, followed by our son Caleb (who goes by his Korean middle name most of the time). I’m convinced MacLachlan was writing those books for US!
Readers: Middle Grade, Young Adult
Published: 2007