Before the Ever After ~ Jaqueline Woodson
Jaqueline Woodson has done it again with this gorgeous novel in verse. Through the eyes of twelve-year-old ZJ, Woodson tells the story of ZJ’s dad, a famous pro football player who is suddenly plagued by long, intense headaches, dramatic mood changes, and unnerving memory loss. As ZJ’s mom and many doctors try to figure out what is wrong, ZJ is left mostly alone to process these changes and mourn the loss of the father he used to know.
Through the daily ups and downs of his dad’s condition, ZJ clings to the memories of life before--life when his dad was happy and famous, when he would sing and write songs with ZJ, and when ZJ’s mom didn’t always look so sad and tired. Fortunately, ZJ has three incredible friends who stick by him throughout it all, even when many other “friends” fade away because his dad is no longer a star.
This novel sheds light on the terrible brain injuries many football players sustain on the field, and it demonstrates, with beautiful and heart-wrenching poetry, how so many athletes lose life as they knew it at an unfairly young age. Before the Ever After illuminates the power of friendship and community, and it will make you want to hug your loved ones a little tighter. This story will leave you turning page after page wondering, will ZJ ever get his dad back?
Buy the title here!
Maturity: 1/4
I would recommend this novel to students 12+. While there is nothing that would be considered inappropriate in the novel, the topic and themes are heavy and likely most interesting to a mature reader.
Pages: 161
Lexile: 700L
Lexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child’s reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel’s themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.
If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!
Happy Reading!
♥ Kara & Riley
