Valentine's Day Book All Kids Can Enjoy

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I thought I would share a fun book that focuses on matters of the heart.  But don't worry, you know I wouldn't throw anything too sappy at you.  In this fun story, kids are trying to figure out the whole dating thing, and how to avoid a visit from the Heartbreak Messenger, a person hired by their significant other to break up with them.

Don't forget to follow One Great Book on Twitter for all the updates on books that encourage kids to wait a little while before they start dating.  Now isn't that something you want to encourage?

Title:       The Heartbreak Messenger

Author:   Alexander Vance

Target:    Grade 5-7

Series:     No

What this book is about:
Quentin is in seventh grade and isn’t even thinking about a girlfriend.  But when his friend’s high school brother needs to break up with a girl, Quentin offers to do it for him, for a fee of course.  The next thing Quentin knows he is in high demand and he has become the Heartbreak Messenger.  It proves to be a dangerous business but he has a talent for it and his family needs the money so he keeps it up.  But he finds over time he isn’t feeling so good about himself anymore.

Why I love this book:
This was a nice story.  Quentin is a good kid and I really liked the relationship he had with his mom.  I think the message of the book is solid - that in a good relationship there must be trust and understanding.  I also liked that he struggled with his feelings for one of his female best friends and in the end decides that he is a little too young to date yet.

Of course the humor in the book lies with his breakup jobs.  Comforting a tougher than nails football player, searching the garbage filled sewer for a high school ring that was flung there in anger and delivering the message to the wrong Susan, who knew there were two at the same address, all add to the fun.

Who this book is for:
Nice book for sixth and seventh graders who are beginning to navigate the whole dating scene.  This book works for both boys and girls

Final thoughts:
Please don’t shoot the messenger!

To purchase this book:
Click on the following link to connect to Amazon: The Heartbreak Messenger  A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.