This is, without a doubt a MUST READ! It is completely charming, the kind of book you want to curl up with like a blanket. I finished it alone in my bedroom and had a good cry. Not in a terrible way. Just because.... It was so good! :') The story is centered around three highschool boys, BB, DJ, and Jefferson who live in a small town in Arizona. They are trouble makers, playing all sorts of pranks on people they know. They aren't 'bad' boys, in the regular sense, they just can't stay out of trouble and they create havoc wherever they go.When we meet the boys at the beginning, everyone thinks they're a lost cause, the type of thing only a miracle could change. That miracle comes in the form of Miss Willie, the new English Teacher.
The Boys
DJ
We are told the story from DJ's point of view. He has lost his mother and his father works continually, leaving him alone at home most of the time, with only an older sister who isn't mentioned much. He is a really kind boy with a lot of potential hidden beneath his rambunctious ways, and I like him a lot. His character was a lot of fun to walk with, especially near the end. He was funny and mischievous, with some whoppers for plans, but underneath it all he was a nice enough boy :)
~....."There was an enigmatic fulfillment, a pervasive tranquility. we felt older, Not just in time, but in Maturity...." ~
Jefferson
Jefferson is my favorite of the boys. He had a strong spirit just waiting to break out and his character ark from the first to last page had the most effect on me. By the end I had completely fallen for him, and could see myself going out with a boy like that.
~"I want to prove.... I want to prove that I'll work for something that I think is right, even though its hard.....~
BB
BB is.... BB is BB. That is basically the only way to describe him. He is the most wild of the boys and has the least scruples when it comes to pranks and jokes. Though he can be a bit slow at times his heart is in the right place, he just needs a helping hand.
"She's got more faith in us than we have in ourselves. Maybe she's wrong, but I'm not going to let her down. I'm going to try...."
Miss Willie befriends the three boys and they in turn, fall head-over-heals for her. Soon Miss Willie is teaching the boys English, the meaning of true gentlemen, what girls like, why Shakespeare has a soul and what makes dancing fun. She sees in them what no one else did; the goodness and the potential to be so much more than they are. Her faith in the boys causes them to do the unthinkable, such as squirming into suit jackets for dance class and scoring above 70 in their school studies. No matter what the challenge, Miss Willie will not be swayed and she will not be stopped. She is a force of nature and her overall charm and attitude takes it gradual effect on the boys, transforming them into true gentlemen. The lessons they learn from her are invaluable and the last thing she teaches them will change their life forever.
~"I believe in you," She said with a whisper, "I've believed in you since the very first day...."~
There was a lot I adored about this story. The way Miss Willie was able to keep her cheerful attitude even when it was hard, even when it was exhausting, was amazing and the way she faced her trials was remarkable. Accepting the boys like she did and rising to the challenge of reforming them was brilliant, in fact everything about Miss Willie was brilliant. I think she's my role model now. She is the most amazing women in the world and her faith in God is something to be envied. I loved how the story interwove comedy with the undertone of seriousness and how there was always something in the chapters that made you laugh. Even at the end, when you find yourself rather weepy, you still feel a fuzzy warmness; You want to run and dance and cry or listen to soft music and draw or write with a cup of tea. That kind of book. It had me in absolute TEARS, I think I re-read the last three pages ten times and still I was shaky. The boys were charming, hilarious and remarkable, Miss Willie steals your heart before you have a chance to protest and the crescendo on the last page is just what you need to finish the story. Go find it right now if you have yet to read it. It is well worth your time and you will never regret reading it. I know I wont *sniffle*
(You can get it for a penny on amazon. A PENNY! WHY DON'T YOU OWN THE BOOK YET??!)
Drawn by Treskie
Rather Soon I shall have a fun post with craftiness and bubbly, energetic me-ness, but until then I must bid fair well.
♪♫....If I could/ Then I would/ I'd go wherever you will go/ Way up high/ Or down low/ I'd go wherever you will go.....♪♪
