Just a Kid

Nine-year-old Meerin discovers that her beloved Carson’s Field has been put up for sale so that houses can be built on the land. Meerin cannot believe this is happening as she knows many people use the park for various activities like birdwatching, games, beekeeping, and Tai Chi. She can’t believe that such a popular place would be squashed by houses! Luckily, Meerin learned about petitions in school, and she proceeds to go around town collecting signatures to try to dissuade the Town. She gets help from a local journalist who writes numerous articles about the townspeople being unhappy with the development until eventually the Mayor comes to visit the park himself and sees all the wonderful activities that occur there. The story concludes with the field being made into a natural park named in Meerin’s honour.

That Just a Kid has short chapters and the pages have larger margins and spacing makes it not too daunting for early readers delving into their first chapter book. The vocabulary is very basic, and the more challenging words or phrases, such as “zoning amendment”, are often explained in the text. The end notes include questions with the author. The story is a great example of how youth can become ambassadors and get involved in their communities over issues they believe in. While the story has a very convenient ending, it still demonstrates a lot of the negativity that children may encounter when trying to bring about change, namely adults not taking a child’s opinion seriously. Some faults include the stilted dialogue and Meerin’s contentious relationship with her best friend that feels like plot filler rather than anything necessary, but the book’s topic is such a timely one that these are easily overlooked.

A good read to illustrate what advocacy is and the numerous ways children can get involved in their community, Just a Kid is a good introductory chapter book for passionate children.