You've Seen Enough

Anne Hutchings is a public-school teacher and librarian in Ajax,
Ontario.

Danny, 14, finds life like a rollercoaster ride, full of ups and
downs—but mostly downs. His older sister, Shelley, is high on dope
most of the time, nearly flunking out of school, and involved with a
boyfriend aptly nicknamed “Mangy Bob.” Mom and Dad’s frequent
arguments over two major items—money and Dad’s drinking, usually
culminating when Dad punches Mom out—have 7-year-old brother Josh
terrified that they may get a divorce. As if that weren’t enough, now
Danny has to start wearing glasses that are guaranteed to make him look
like a “wilt—somebody who’s really out of it!” Amid all this,
Danny falls in love for the first time.

No easy answers are offered to Danny’s problems, perhaps because, as
in real life, there are none. Danny explains to Josh, “Lots bothers me
. . . I just hold it in. And it doesn’t do any good for me to cry, or
fight, or stick my nose in.” As one of Danny’s teachers puts it, the
ups and downs are “what gives living . . . its excitement, its
texture. Ultimately you have to learn to accept the various textures of
life.”

Paul Kropp, popular author of numerous young-adult novels, has once
again written a book that will appeal to students in grades 7 to 9. Many
of these students encounter problems in their lives similar to those
experienced by Danny, and will find it reassuring to read about how
others cope, and ultimately survive. Recommended.