Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan

Reviewed by Jennifer

Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

2003 Newbery Honor Book

Ratings Explanation

Language: Jake swears a lot, but the words are not written out. We are aware of his language through phrases like, “he swore”. He also uses the f-word and teaches it to the 4-year-old, but again, it isn’t written out, it is just called the “f-word”. The parrot also swears. “Bloody”, “pisssed”, and “bat out of hell” also used. Because this book is a Newbery Honor book and it is aimed at children ages 10 and up, I gave it a higher rating than I would have if it were geared to older youth.

Adult Themes: Jake, a 13-year-old, is a smoker. He has to hide to smoke as it isn’t allowed in the house. He has been expelled from several schools and the Applewhites are his last chance. If he can’t make this situation work, his next stop is Juvie.

Synopsis

Jake Semple is a 13-year-old delinquent headed for Juvenile Hall. His last chance is to join the artistic Applewhite family’s Creative Academy homeschool. His usual attempts to shock others go unnoticed here by the adults, but Destiny, the 4-year-old, and E.D., the only non-artistic Applewhite, sure notice.

As Jake blends in with the eccentric extended family of artists, he discovers his own talent for acting when E.D.’s arrogant father directs a local, non-traditional production of The Sound of Music. The story centers around the production with plenty of entertaining characters joining the Applewhite family, including the meditating guru, the emotional reporter and a very mean spirited goat. When Jake is given some freedom and the opportunity to discover what gives him joy, the old Jake starts to disappear, but there is no one to put in his place. As he realizes that “acting was what he’d been doing all his life”, Jake has the opportunity to change who he is.

I enjoyed this story, but I have to say that it didn’t strike me as “Newbery worthy”. Jake’s transformation seems a little forced as do the eccentricities of the Applewhites. Young readers are not likely to pick up on these things, and it is funny, just not a stand out book in my opinion.