Ten Mondays for Lots of Boxes

Ted McGee is an associate professor of English at St. Jerome’s
College, University of Waterloo.

The title of this useful book about moving seems less odd when one
realizes that “Lots of Boxes” is a boy’s name. “Easy as Pie”
is the name of his best friend, whom he leaves behind when Lots of Boxes
and his mother “[have] to move from the big old house with three apple
trees ... to a little old house with twin plum trees.” At his new
home, “Sky Climber” becomes his new friend.

Readers will find much imaginative play in Alderson’s loosely
textured freeverse account of 10 episodes in Lots of Boxes’ life.
Although the story is narrated in the third person, the boy’s
experience remains its focus, as he maintains his old friendship and
starts a new one, plays with a neighborhood dog, and spends a day by the
sea. His mother, though a crucial presence, does not appear in Caddie
T’Kenye’s charcoal illustrations. While at the outset, the story
reveals Lots of Boxes’ anxiety about moving, the narrator focuses the
reader’s attention on the boy’s activities—activities that produce
a happy ending. Recommended.