A review by lovegirl30
The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade by Jordan Sonnenblick

4.0

Review Previously Posted on The Young Girl Who Loved Books
This book covers some tough topics such as alcoholism and parental abuse of a child. These things are tough topics that might trigger or upset young readers. I would suggest a trigger warning to be added to this book.

This book was extremely hard for me to read. I have experienced many of the things this story dealt with. I have felt all the emotions and shame that these kids feel. I really enjoyed that something like this is coming out now. I wish this book would have been around when I was a child.

There are so many tough issues dealt with this book. The mother of Maverick is an alcoholic, who is living in poverty. The house is neglected as much as the boy is. There is bullying involved. Another student is also being physically abused by his father. These issues are dealt with in a kind and humorous way. The moral of this story is to be kind to everyone because you never know what the other person is struggling with. This is something everyone needs to be reminded of at times.

The only downside I can see about this book is mainly about how the physical abuse by the parent is never resolved. It is witnessed by others, and no one does anything. As a child that has been abused, this is not an okay thing for children to read. A child should be encouraged to report abuse. The story should have involved having the physical abuse of the child resolved and reported.

Don't let the page count scare you away from this book for your child. The font is quite large and the pace is quick enough that your child will enjoy reading this book!

Disclaimer: Special thanks to the publisher for sending me an arc.