Honest, perceptive story exploring the complexities of bullying, family dynamics, and peer pressure. A good choice for small group or class discussion. ( )

My Cousin’s Keeper is a problem novel. The problem—eleven-year-old Kieran’s best friend moved away two years ago and ever since then he’s been struggling to gain a place in the “in” crowd, but the arrival of his “weird” cousin Bon throws his life off-kilter. Bon is living with their grandmother, sleeping over at Kieran’s home, and attending Kieran’s school. To complicate matters, Bon has somehow managed to become best friends with the cute girl Kieran has a crush on.

Because such novels usually end happily, or reasonably so, one can predict much of the action in this book. But having a good sense of what’s to come doesn’t matter when the writing is solid and the characters are engaging—and that’s the case here.

Simon has a knack for avoiding all good/all bad dichotomies. The characters have their short-comings. For Kieran that short-coming is his willingness to participate in activities and pranks that make him uncomfortable in the hopes that doing so will cement his place in the boys’ social hierarchy.

My Cousin’s Keeper, marketed to grades 3 through 7, offers a worthwhile read for children trying to make their way in the world, who are still learning how to stand up for what they most believe in. The fact that there are two significant, strong female characters means this is a book that boys and girls both should appreciate. ( )

My Cousin's Keeper is the story of cousins Kieran and Bon. Bon is bullied from the moment he arrives in Kieran's town. He's a little strange, always quietly drawing rather than playing sports, and he wears his hair long and in a braid. Kieran, for his part, struggles with wanting to fit in with the popular kids and wanting to protect his cousin.

I thought that this book handled a difficult subject well. Kieran isn't perfect -- even at those moments he does the right thing; and I found his voice to feel very genuine.

My Cousin's Keeper did, at times, feel a bit didactic, with everyone (parents, classmates, younger sister, etc.) telling Kieran to do the right thing, to stand up for his cousin, to choose what was right over what was popular. There were also a few loose threads that weren't tied up quite sufficiently enough for my liking. But, I do think it's a suitable addition to the anti-bullying reading lists. ( )

11 year-old Kieran has a pretty good life until unknown cousin, Bon, gets dropped into his life. Bon is a loner and different. He doesn't act like the other kids. Being friends with him embarrasses Kieran, and when his friends begin to tease and bully Bon, Kieran participates. It isn't until he begins to understand the sort of life Bon has had that Kieran starts to sympathize and rebel against the bullies at school.

My Cousin's Keeper was an enjoyable book and the language made it a very smooth, easy read, but it moves at a snail's pace and offers no exciting or notable climax. Slow and steady with a good dose of life lessons - especially to to be kind to others.

* I received a copy of this book from the publisher to a review. ( )

I couldn't put this book down until I reached the end. Believable characters and story. Pitched to the middle school age group. Characters were not perfect, but the narrative carried me along. Kids reading this book will most likely get lost in the story as well. Bullying, poverty, mental illness of a parent; these are some of the intense themes addressed in this novel. Totally worth reading. I hope the intended audience has the patience to read it. ( )