LitPick Review
True Blue is a book about three best friends named Billy Joe, Wade, and Jeana. The small group of kids have always been best friends since elementary school. They would spend almost every summer together, either going to the pool or having a picnic. As they finish fourth grade though, the two boys, Billy Joe and Wade, begin to view Jeana from a different perspective. They also meet the new kid, Mickey, from Chickasaw with royal blue eyes. Mickey is quickly introduced into the group of friends for his personality and attitude. As fifth grade passes, Wade and Billy haven’t told Jeana about how they feel. During the fifth-grade summer, Wade goes to Florida for a football camp and Mickey ends up with terrible news. Mickey is forced to move to another state due to his dad being able to play baseball again.
This leaves Billy Joe and Jeana to hang out all summer. They eat lunch together, ride bikes, catch bugs, and play outside. Later that summer, Billy Joe finally has the guts to tell Jeana how he feels. However, her response is not what Billy Joe had in mind. When sixth grade comes around, Wade returns from Florida, but this time with a different and nastier attitude. He comes back as arrogant, cocky, and self-centered. Constant arguments begin to occur between Jeana and Wade about him being a jerk most of the time, and their friendship becomes rocky. Will they be able to navigate the difficulty of relationships and growing up.
Opinion:
While reading True Blue by Joyce Scarbrough, I was able to imagine myself in each and every single important character. The main characters can all be described as stubborn. For example, when not wanting to talk to one another, they become distant and start to ignore each other. At the beginning of the book, I felt joyful because all the main characters looked out for one another. Continuing into the story, my mood had suddenly changed unpleasantly. As the main characters entered middle school, I felt uneasy due to the drama and the negativity that has been happening with the main characters. During the book I learned that people change and that there will always be some sort of drama. However, I did like how the author had displayed the change of friendship over time. Personally, I did not like the ending because I was left with multiple questions after I finished the book. I do recommend this book to teens who like suspense and drama.
