The Magical Imperfect

It’s autumn 1989 in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Giants have a chance at the World Series, and small earthquakes are occurring with increasing frequency. After his mother is admitted to a hospital ("The roads/ her thoughts take/ are too windy"), 12-year-old Etan, a budding artist, largely stops speaking. Since his father works construction all day, Etan spends afternoons with his Jewish grandfather, who immigrated from Prague in 1940; Etan watches him repair jewelry, listens to his musings on faith and the old days, and runs errands for the neighbors. One errand leads him to the home of Malia Agbayani, a solitary Filipina girl known cruelly among schoolchildren as "the creature" due to her acute eczema. Etan and Malia quickly bond; he admires her singing, she his artwork, and as their friendship deepens, they find solace and support-and, in the nearby forest, seek a magical cure for Malia’s skin. Telling Etan’s story in first-person verse, Baron (All of Me) creates a close-knit community of adults and authentic intergenerational relationships, but it is Etan’s honest and lovable voice, and its growing strength, that carries this tender novel. An extensive author’s note discusses the earthquake of October 1989 and the history of Angel Island. Ages 9-12. 

Copyright 2021 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 3-7-The whole town eagerly watches the 1989 baseball playoffs, but Etan is unable to fully engage. Since his mother left, Etan has neither the energy nor the will to speak. He spends most of his time with his grandfather in his jewelry shop on Main Street and with the shopkeepers who are accepting of his silence. Delivering a package to a house outside of town, Etan encounters Malia, known by kids as "the Creature" because of the eczema that covers her body. She invites him in to meet her grandmother, a refugee from the Philippines who befriended Etan's Jewish grandparents when they were escaping the horrors of the war in 1940. As this new friendship grows, Etan wants to help Malia's eczema get better with his grandfather's special clay, and to help her gain the confidence to sing at the local talent show. An earthquake that hits that day shakes everything up, but ultimately leads to Etan finding his voice, and Malia using hers to share her story. VERDICT Written in first person, this lyrical novel-in-verse invites readers into Etan's world, who will be drawn in by his very silence and how friendship relies on listening just as much as speaking.

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"Highly recommended, this historical novel satisfyingly blends empathy, a range of diversity, and youthful possibility with serendipity’s sparkle." -- Booklist, starred

Praise for All of Me:

A Southern California Independent Booksellers Association BESTSELLER!
BookRiot Best Children's Books about Kindness
Nerdy Book Club 2019 Award, Novels-in-Verse
A Literacious Favorite Middle-Grade Book of 2019
A National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Notable Book

If you have ever felt lost in the world, betrayed by your body or buoyed by a glimmer of hope or the glow of friendship, then All of Me could be your story, too. -The Los Angeles Times

All of Me is for anyone who has been in search of a tribe, in love with a friend or in need of answers to questions that they can't bring themselves to ask. In other words, everybody.
— San Diego Union Tribune

Astute and stun-ning. All of Me is high-ly rec-om-mend-ed and offers an elo-quent and often-heart-break-ing glimpse into the expe-ri-ences of a lay-ered, com-plex and relat-able pro-tag-o-nist. Read-ers will sure-ly root for Ari as his sto-ry unfolds.—Jewish Book Council

[A] beautifully written and psychologically acute debut. Readers will be glad to accompany Ari on his journey to self-discovery. — Booklist magazine

Any reader who has felt like an outsider will be drawn to Ari's story, which means his audience should be legion.—The Horn Book Magazine

Baron's free-verse poetry is immediate and lyrical, allowing us access to Ari's thoughts and feelings in a way that prose would not. Baron's first-person narration allows the reader to experience Ari's pain and revelations, both of which are balanced with moments of grace and beauty....highly recommended for readers of all ages.—Bookpage

A unique perspective on weight loss and family told in beautiful, pitch perfect verse.—Happily Ever Elephants Blog

Tackling such difficult subjects as anti-Semitism, self-harm, and family instability with heart-breaking honesty and grace, All of Me deftly explores the complex layers of what it means to come of age. Baron's evocative verse beautifully expresses the depth of Ari's feelings; he will be a lifeline to anyone unsure of how they fit in the world.—Joy McCullogh, National Book Award nominated author of Blood Water Paint

I LOVE THIS BOOK. A moving and raw story that will stay with me.— Remy Lai, author of Pie in the Sky

In page after page of gorgeous verse, Chris Baron tells a story of hard-won healing, self acceptance, and hope.— Jarrett Lerner, author of EngiNerds and the Geeger the Robot series

"Chris Baron's gorgeous debut shines with strength, vulnerability, and humor. Ari's journey to self-acceptance is hopeful and inspiring."—Jen Petro-Roy, author of Good Enough: A Novel

Ari's story of love and loss and learning to live life on his own terms broke my heart and put it back together again. Beautiful and necessary! - Kelly deVos, author of Fat Girl on a Plane

Baron's writing is quick-witted and full of depth, allowing complicated characters to navigate growing up, identity and struggling with heavy things — not just body image and bullying but absent parents, self-harm, faith, first loves, interrupted friendships and more. The book is compelling, hopeful and a total page-turner.— The Voice of San Diego magazine

A powerful story, beautifully told. Highly recommended.—Middle Grade Minded Blog