“We’ll always remember him. But you are here. You are. And now it’s time to live your own life, because you must.”
Gary D. Schmidt, the best-selling author of many books for young readers, is back with a new novel that won’t leave its readers indifferent. Just Like That is a new middle-grade story set in the same world as one of his previous novels, The Wednesday Wars (winner of a Newbery Honor award).
The book starts off with the main character, Meryl Lee, being sent off to a boarding school for girls on the coast of Maine in the late 1960s. She’s shattered by the accidental death of her best friend and is consumed by grief, and this new setting could be a fresh start for her. However, she can’t seem to get past the “Blank” she feels whenever she remembers her friend. On top of that, fitting in with her peers isn’t easy for her, the rest of the students have known each other for years and they seem to only care about their wealth and class, whereas she seems to have more progressive values that clash with both the students and the teachers. At the same time, the headmistress at the school has taken in an orphan boy, Matt Coffin, who’s running away from his past, harbouring a big secret, and also looking for a new start. Meryl’s and Matt’s stories intertwine eventually and they both seem to be a very positive influence on each other.
Topics of grief, loss, friendship, social issues, and self-discovery and growth are the main thematic elements in the book. The author explores all of these elements in a beautiful way. One of the strongest points in the book is the emotional growth the characters experience, especially Meryl and Matt. They’re both very lonely characters in the beginning but through getting past obstacles and finding new motivations and things to fight for, each of them is able to trust in people and find some peace. At the boarding school, they are encouraged to become their best selves and to become accomplished. Meryl spends a lot of time focusing on this and it’s marvellous to see her progress. Matt also goes through his own process and, although at times heartbreaking, it is also quite uplifting. It’s also wonderful to see how a book (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) that Meryl focuses one of her projects in provides sort of a framework for this growth that the characters experience. Because it’s not just them two, the rest also change a lot which is very interesting to see. The characters all feel very real due to their own particular struggles and characteristics; their personalities really shine through.
Loss and grief are another big theme in the book. And whilst it’s something usually hard to talk about, in Just Like That it is done very nicely and in a way that young readers will be able to understand and connect with. In a year that’s been full of losses and heartbreaking moments for many people, this could be a comforting read for some. It could help them see that they can be happy again and that they will get past their struggles as time goes by. Gary D. Schmidt’s writing is very honest and appealing. On the other hand, the pace of the book is quite slow throughout the first half of the book. Maybe due to the constant flashbacks when Matt’s story is told which could make it hard to focus on the main plot sometimes. But once you reach a certain point in the story, it will be hard to take your eyes off the book.
All in all, Just Like That will be an entertaining and comforting read not just for young readers but for adults too, since the book is quite profound. This is a story about what it’s like to find your place, to find yourself again, after a big loss. A story that encourages both its characters and the readers to become their best selves.
Just Like That is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of January 5th, 2021.
Will you be picking up Just Like That? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Following the death of her closest friend in summer 1968, Meryl Lee Kowalski goes off to St. Elene’s Preparatory Academy for Girls, where she struggles to navigate the venerable boarding school’s traditions and a social structure heavily weighted toward students from wealthy backgrounds. In a parallel story, Matt Coffin has wound up on the Maine coast near St. Elene’s with a pillowcase full of money lifted from the leader of a criminal gang, fearing the gang’s relentless, destructive pursuit. Both young people gradually dispel their loneliness, finding a way to be hopeful and also finding each other.
