The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones Hardcover – 25 Oct. 2016

Lots going on here, and it's all good. On one hand we have the first person tale of Lincoln Jones, a funny, observant, generous, and big-hearted eleven year old who's dealing with problems way beyond his full understanding. On the other hand we have the related tales of dozens of people who fall within Lincoln's orbit and who each have their moment on the page as Lincoln watches them and wonders. Then we have a powerful underlying message that forms a theme and frame for the entire story - how does one come out of his or her hiding place and face the real world and the truth? Finally, we have a layered and sensitive and deeply perceptive bildungsroman that demonstrates that novels of "formation, education, culture, and coming-of-age" can be set in middle school if the author is sufficiently skilled.And that's partly it in a nutshell. This is a remarkably well crafted tale. I first read Wendelin Van Draanen when I encountered her first Sammy Keyes book. Sammy was a thirteen year old heroine in that light, funny, detective book. But after seventeen volumes we got to watch Sammy grow up, and each book showed a bit more depth and insight until Sammy was a fully fleshed out and compelling character. I guess authors go through growth spurts, too. Anyway, from that I moved to "Flipped", which is a he said/she said book sketching out a first young romance. Van Draanen showed remarkable range in writing the girl's view and the boy's view of the same interpersonal events, and that book demonstrated to me that Van Draanen has a fine and exquisitely calibrated sense of how young persons think and act and feel.This book struck me as a carefully crafted gem whose facets display all of the many and various influences that shape a kid, for good or ill. We learn about Lincoln's Mom, his family situation, his social and economic condition, his approach to authority, his ability to blend in or stand out, his childish obsessions and his mature yearnings, his mystification regarding "complicated" girls, and so on and on. The book is carefully crafted to appeal to its target audience, from brief snappy chapters to fast pacing to relatable hijinks to reflective bits of calm between the fictional storms.Is the Lincoln character almost too good to be true? Sure. Are Lincoln's observations occasionally well beyond what we could expect from an eleven year old? Sometimes, sure. Does everything wrap up a little too neatly? You bet. Do events fit together and dovetail a little too smoothly? Of course. But this isn't "The Sorrows of Young Werther"; this is a book for middle graders that will entertain, educate, inspire, and teach. It is also drop dead funny, (not Young Werther's strong suit), and sly and wicked in a Tom Sawyer-ish way. I'm not sure how you could find a better or more entertaining book for a middle grade reader looking to step up a bit to a tale of life, drama and coming-of-age. A great find.(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Wendelin Van Draanen's latest novel will capture the reader's heart from the hilarious first page to the poignant final chapter. The story of Lincoln Jones and his struggle to understand and cope with the difficulties of his everyday life is beautifully told in this first-person narrative.Lincoln Jones's secret life centers around the world of the residents at the Brookside Memory Care facility where he goes every day after school to hang out and do his homework until his 'ma' gets off work. Lincoln struggles with fitting in at his new school, understanding the child-like world of the dementia patients at Brookside, coping with living in a one-room apartment with no heat, and dealing with the memory of being abused by his mother's boyfriend.Lincoln escapes the reality of his life through writing fiction stories in his notebook. He has a difficult time opening up and sharing his true feelings. It's easier to live in a world of make believe than to deal with his real life. It is through his encounters with an elderly next-door neighbor, a pesky, 'in-his-business' girl at school, and the delightful residents at Brookside that he comes to understand the true meaning of community, caring, compassion, and friendship.Wendelin Van Draanen has created characters in this story that readers will be cheering for to the end as they deal with the everyday struggles of living. The cross-generational relationships are especially heartwarming and poignant. This book has Newbery Award potential and should be on the shelf of every school and public library. It deserves a wide reading audience of all ages and reading interests.

What I loved about this book is that it captures some of the experiences I had when I took my young daughters to visit their grandfather at a memory-care facility.This book gave me an appreciation of some of the challenges some young people face such as fitting in a new school, dealing with abuse from a step-parent or classmate, struggling financially in a single-parent home, and understanding dementia and elder care. The author presents the issues in a humorous, entertaining, positive, thought-provoking and age appropriate way.Although this is a book for young people, I think it would also be excellent for adults who have family members who are dealing with memory loss. It is a road map to some of the issues we might face.

As a former educator I though this would be a good book to use in middle school, to open up discussion on tough topics like:Domestic Violence, Bullying and Moving to a new school and social community. I felt for Leon as he struggled to make sense of his new life.

Wendelin Van Draanen is the perfect writer for middle school students!

I should have loved The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones. There's plenty of reason to enjoy this middle grade novel. Lincoln is a very likable young man, and it was easy to become involved in his life and understand the issues he faces. Poverty is at the core of this novel, and it was refreshing to see a young person facing poverty with a strong supportive parent and an excellent attitude. A history of abuse colors his perspective, and he struggles to fit in at a new school where he is convinced that no one will understand his situation.Much of this story takes place at the senior care home where Lincoln's mom works. The story paints a rather dire picture of life in a senior home, with residents dancing naked, having food fights, and dying off right and left. Lincoln handles all this with a surprising degree of calm, although he stresses about his classmates finding out he spends so much time there. Lincoln learns many valuable lessons from the senior residents. It was great seeing him learn that even though they might not remember his name from one day to the next, they still had things to teach him.So much great stuff packed in this novel, yet the entire thing fell a bit flat for me. I'm not sure why. I never really bought into Lincoln's relationships with his classmates and his stress level about them finding out about his afternoons at the senior home. The story seemed a bit too didactic to me at times. I felt a lack of authenticity with Lincoln and a story that just tried too hard. The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones will find plenty of fans among tween readers, but is really only an okay read.