Title: If I Know Its Coming
Author: Nick Hupton
Genre/s: Middle Grade/ Young Adult, Contemporary
Synopsis:
Thirteen-year-old Tim Hansen lives in a quaint little neighborhood in South Minneapolis. For the most part, he leads a normal, preteen existence. He is concerned about friendships, girls, sports and even schoolwork from time to time. But when his mother who is a nurse in the United States Army Reserve, is deployed to Iraq, Tim's relatively normal and happy existence gets flipped upside down. How will Tim cope without his mother? Will his family ever be the same? Middle school was unpredictable enough, but when Tim faces this sudden dose for mortality, the adventure is just beginning.
My Thoughts:
If I Know It's Coming is a preteen contemporary novel about Tim Hansen, an ordinary middle school kid who loves to play baseball, and how he and his family's life changed when his mom, a nurse in the US Army Reserve, was deployed to Iraq.
I thought, at first, that this was going to be a heavy read for me but I was wrong. Tim welcomed me into their story with warmth and with such ease as if his just telling it to a close friend whom he didn't see in a long time. I instantly feel like I know them which makes it easier for me to understand what they are experiencing.
Every flashbacks that Tim recalled, showed how much he misses his mom and his normal life. I can't stop myself from feeling sad for him. Kids at that age shouldn't be burden with such problem. They shouldn't worry about their love ones being in the middle of a war.
But aside from feeling sorry for Tim, I also admired his character. His emotionally strong for his age and I think, he handled his problems quite well. He just needed someone to talk to and I'm glad Nicole was there for him. Indeed, hard times show you who your real friends are.
If I Know, It's Coming is not just about worrying about our love ones who are far away, it's more about finding our real friends who will stay with us even in the bad times, it's about the bond that keeps us as a family, and it's about the happy memories we shared with them.
It is very relatable. I highly recommend this to everyone!
My Rating:
