my books. my life.

Title: The Everlasting Now
Author: Sara Harrell Banks
Genre: Middle Grade
ISBN: 1561455253
Pages: 157
Year: 2010
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Source: Review Copy provided by the publisher
Rating: 4/5

My Thoughts:

First of all, I love the title of this book. And a good title will at least get me to pick up a book and see what it’s about.   Luckily, this book lived up to it’s title.

Quick summary: It’s the middle of the Great Depression and James Longstreet Sayre, or “Brother” (this book is full of great names), lives with his mom and little sister in their boarding house in small-town Alabama. He loves trains, hates the sheriff, and like all 12-year-old boys, adores Joe Louis. The book takes place during the eventful summer the cook’s nephew, Champion (as in Champion Always Luckey – I told you there were awesome names), comes to Alabama from Detroit and, as Brother puts it, changes his life.

I read a fair amount of middle grade novels, but almost all of them are written for girls, so it was an interesting change to read The Everlasting Now. This book is a wonderful description of 1930s life in the South. It has hobos, boxing, and racial tension. It touches on the difficulties of living during the Depression, the effects of segregation, and the power of friendship and hope.

I find myself being drawn to Southern fiction lately and with each book I read, I continue to discover how enjoyable it usually is.

Giveaway:

Peachtree Publishers has graciously provided me with a copy to giveaway. To enter, fill out the form below by midnight EST on July 15. I will pick a winner from random.org. The contest is open internationally.

Check out the other Peachtree Publishers books on tour!