The Thing I'm Most Afraid Of by Kristin Levine

Liz seems fearless and yet friendly, and soon she persuades Marlee to promise to help present the oral report, promising her a book of math squares puzzles if she does.

I’d worked with Sally on every project since third grade. At my old school, I was the one whoĪlways ended up doing all the work,” Liz shrugged. Liz has a quick smile, a ready laugh, and no problem talking to anyone, and she quickly asks Marlee to pair with her on an oral report in history. Even in math class, which she loves, she never volunteers an answer and if called on, can only stammer out a number in answer. Marlee can speak at home, but anywhere else, her shyness limits her to one-word answers and nods and shakes of the head. Marlee is only in seventh grade, so her school will open as usual, but her big sister Judy, the one who always does the talking for her, is sent off to Pine Bluff to live with their grandmother to go to high school. But now the school year begins again, and Governor Faubus has closed all of the high schools in Little Rock, for public safety, he says. The Little Rock Nine have integrated Central High School in 1957-58, under Federal order and with the National Guard standing watch. Kristin Levine’s historical novel takes place in the fall of 1958, in Little Rock. To understand me, and how I’ve changed, I need to go back to 1958.

You have to say them, too.īut I’m getting ahead of myself. I guess I’ve learned it’s not enough to just think things. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m starting a Pig Journal of my own.I talk a lot. From the bugs in the Goulash and happy chickens to the list-making and Doomsday and Pig Journals, every reader will find a piece of themselves in this book, a piece of themselves that will feel just a bit stronger for having read this book. She invites us into the lives of Felix and Sara, putting complex feelings and life challenges into simple facts that inspire courage, connection and confidence. Levine so beautifully invites us into Becca’s mind, not only helping us feel what it’s like to be anxious, but actually showing the reader how to get through it.

Yes, Becca tackles her fears and has a summer to remember, but this book was so much more than expected. I thought I knew how the story would predictably unfold in a perfect happily-ever-after story, but I was wrong. It seemed a bit fantastical: an anxious child bravely undertaking a large life event, parents getting along beautifully after a recent divorce and an au pair waiting to oversee it all. The story opens with a bang: Becca, a 12-year old dealing with anxiety attacks is traveling from her home in Virginia to spend the Summer with her father in Austria while her supportive, yet free-spirited, mother prepares to backpack across Europe in her absence. But when I started reading The Thing I’m Most Afraid Of by Kristin Levine, I honestly wasn’t so sure. I dive into each new book with the clear expectation that I will love it.

The Thing I'm Most Afraid Of by Kristin Levine