So B. It: A Touching Coming-of-Age Novel About a Mother's Mystery and a Girl's Journey of Discovery for Kids (Ages 8-12)

This is an extremely well-crafted novel for "young adult" readers. Yet, it never feels "crafted," at all, and this senior, senior reader enjoyed it greatly. In retrospect, I've recognized there has not been a person, an incident, a thought, a clue in 12-year-old heroine Heidi's life and search for her roots that was not prelude to and in someway causative of what she finally learns. Learns after her brave, long trek by bus across much of the nation to satisfy her curiosity about her "bum-brained" mother's mysterious past -- and, therefore, about herself -- all to be uncovered in "Liberty, NY." However, it never seems that those incidents, those persons, those clues are planted by author Sarah Weeks to tie all the aspects of her novel into the seamless whole she provides. Not a hint of it! The reader instead hurries forward, taken on and on by the incessancy of the story and the child's quest -- this is a true "page turner." It hardly allows a rest stop for a late-night reader's, "Have mercy: somewhere, 'Lights Out' for tonight!" The first time I could more than briefly set aside this little book, at least for a night or two, came when Heidi finally reaches her destination -- an old, by this time to her, fabled building on a hilltop at Liberty. There, she encounters an angered older man; a liar, Heidi realizes. Ah, ha, an adult reader understands; I know what this child will learn next; and it will be life-changing -- but not in any way our innocent has anticipated. Too, as Heidi makes several forays to and from that "liberty" hilltop, one finally begins to recognize how importantly, how gently, carefully, quietly, how tellingly, Ms. Weeks has had Heidi learn throughout all of her treks about the entrapments of lies and lying -- and, therefore, about truth. Yes, this is a novel directed at "young adults;" but, I promise, when this child recognizes her saddening, saddening losses of her only known, biological family members -- as it seems to her, "both on the same day," readers of every age will feel those losses almost as greatly as she does. Finally, the novel lifts Heidi, a so-special remnant of her "always" family, two persons Heidi blesses, to everyone's surprise, and Ms. Weeks' readers to cheerful outcomes and expectations. So B. It is a "comedy" in the classical sense -- it has a happy, well, a bitter-sweetly happy ending. It is and has been an often, often highly recommended comedy. One that young people for several decades now have loved and shared -- for good reasons. (Incidentally, "So B. It," the movie -- with a stellar, vibrant cast -- is to be released in late 2017. "Informed, reliable sources" say it is a moving, family film, because of extraordinarily fine acting perhaps even more engaging than the novel -- !! "It will be well worth seeing, and a worthwhile addition to a family's libraries of films.")

This is a wonderful book for youth. It is very engaging, has a very touching story plot, and looks at topics that are valuable for young children to think about. The main character is the daughter of a woman with major brain dysfunction and she is on a search for her family ties that can't be explained by her mother. When she finds an old camera and has the photos developed, she decides to follow the clues that the photos give her to answer her questions about the rest of her family. Discovering the meaning of the word "soof," one of the few words in her mother's vocabulary, is the main purpose of her quest. I read this book to a class of 6th graders and they begged me to read it daily. They were very involved in the journey and the search for answers. It is a delightful book dealing with family connections, relating to those with special needs, innocence of youth, observing and learning from the environment, and the meaning of life and love.

I'm a mom who enjoys reading some juvenile fiction (it tends to be emotionally lighter) and also previews many novels for her precocious, gifted nine-year-old child. Another reviewer's comments about how the book handles the conception of a child by a mentally disabled character convinced me that I needed to preview this one for my son. I didn't need to worry. This book is completely appropriate for its late-intermediate/early-young-adult audience. There is nothing in it (of a moral nature) that I would struggle to explain to my child. He does understand the birds and the bees, in a scientific way, and this book does not nudge a young reader to think past the most basic biology to the complexities of adult sexual relationships. If you have an extremely sensitive child, the most challenging thing to explain/work through in this book is actually a death, not the conception of the heroine. I liked this book. The characters were interesting and less cookie-cutter than many other novels (children's and adult!) The protagonist is a good person, admittedly defying her adult guardians to undertake her quest, but not rebellious simply to rebel. The unorthodox family in this book makes a fine role model of a loving modern family. I really appreciate the lesson herein that we all have limitations, but we have to step up with whatever we've been given and do our best to contribute. The agoraphobic caregiver, for example, who can manage a household without ever going outside. It is also fun to see Heidi develop socially as she moves through the outside world for the first time on her adventure. Because she is older but never went to school, she analyzes and interprets her new social skills (lying, behaviors that people do or don't want to tolerate) in an interesting way, and there may be kids who really learn from this. I'm glad I read it, and not just to preview for my child.

I almost feel guilty sometimes reading books that are advertised as YA since I have not been "Y" for many decades. But I saw the trailer for the movie and so bought the book. I opened it and then suddenly it was hours later and i was still sitting there reading as Sarah Weeks brought the story to a very bittersweet end. 12 year old Heidi does not come across as a preternaturally wise and omniscient protagonist that so often describes literary child characters. She pretty much lives in a bubble with her mentally disabled mother - insulated by a kind neighbor/roommate and her special "good luck" powers that help keep the wolves from the door. Weeks does an excellent job of developing Heidi's growing frustration with how little she knows about herself, her family,or why she is where she is. After finding a clue in an old camera she decides that she has to follow it and the story of that trip and what she finds at the other end is the meat of the story. As in life, there are no pat solutions and no simple answers. She finds more frustration, anger, fear, and unexpected kindness and love and we see through her eyes as she comes to understand how life often does not grant us 'closure". There was an opportunity for a "happily ever after" ending but Weeks shies away from it and gives us a more nuanced explanation - but one that does not give the reader the closure that Heidi worked so hard to find. A wonderful and entrancing read.

I really liked this story a lot. I really appreciated hearing about this through the eyes of a child who simply wanted to know who she was, where she came from, and who her family was. There was so much that was a mystery for her. I really can't say too much more on the book without giving anything away, but what I want to say is this: There is so much to learn from this simple tale about family and the true meaning of love and how we find it in the most unexpected places and people. Definitely a beautiful read for all ages, and will definitely be a prize to own. Absolutely beautiful.

Twelve year old Heidi tells a fascinating tale of her life being raised by a mentally challenged mother and agoraphobic next door neighbor. But where did she come from? Who pays her rent and anonymously provides for her? Her journey is filled with surprises and amazing revelations which at first seem implausible, but as pieces of the puzzle fit together so neatly, one must congratulate the author Sarah Weeks on her creation of a charming and totally believable plot. The warmth and genuineness of the characters shine throughout the book. I highly recommend this book.

What an incredible and exciting book. The twist and turns that you never knew were going to be there were magnificently written. Great break through adult and inspiring story that will make you smile and cry. Literally read this book in a few hours. Could not put it down until I read the whole story. So different from anything else Sarah Weeks has ever written. Children's books to this story, what am amazing transition.

It may be a symptom of my own growing cynicism, but I was expecting something different--an intriguing tale of a young girl who sets out to find out where she came from, how she wound up living next door to a woman with agoraphobia with a mother who has a vocabulary of just 23 words. For about the first half of the book, it delivered. Sure, the secondary characters had absolutely no purpose except to move the plot forward (a pet peeve of mine in children's literature--when authors build a world around a main character where no one has any purpose except to serve the story). But, Heidi is a clearly drawn character who learns a lot about herself as she travels by bus across the country. She's an insightful, intelligent child, who seems like she'd make an amiable traveling companion. But, what's just a plot contrivance in the first half (characters who spring up out of nowhere to teach Heidi lessons and help her find her way) becomes ridiculous when she reaches her destination. There, people fall all over themselves to help her, going so far as to want to keep her forever and ever. (When's the last time you met someone else's kid and decided to offer her your home? I'm pretty sure that's just plain creepy in real life, and in this book it's not a lot better.) I know, it's fiction, and it's not necessarily supposed to mirror real life, but I think in the case of this particular book that this abandonment of reality really harms its message. In the beginning, it's all about Heidi setting out to learn the truth, and in the end, she's learned that there are things you can know and things you can't. And that's a lovely message. But it's diminished by the fantasy elements (of a cop and his wife who want to keep Heidi in their lovely, sweet cottage with a hammock in the backyard, for instance) that seem to serve no real purpose other than to make the reader go "Awww, isn't that nice?" What's more, after about the first half of the book, nothing that happens after comes as any surprise. If the book had of stayed relatively realistic throughout, it might not be so frustrating, but between the fantasy of a perfect childhood dangled before Heidi, and the silly, trite way the mysteries are wrapped up... I really wished I had of stopped halfway through. The book has value in its three original characters, and in Heidi's overall lesson about truth. My recommendation is to read the last half quickly so you don't waste too much time with it and don't spend too much time trying to make sense of anything after Heidi gets off the bus.