See You at Harry's

A book like SEE YOU AT HARRY'S reminds us of the absolute pleasure of becoming immersed in a terrific read. Author Jo Knowles leads us to empathize with her characters, engages us in a narrative that pulls us through in ways that render true the cliché “I couldn’t put it down,” and then leaves us with the stark knowledge that tricky currents are churning in the lives of young people from their families, schools, friends, and really, contemporary culture.As much as I admire SEE YOU AT HARRY'S, reviewing it has built-in challenges. Not much can be said without providing unforgivable spoilers. Here’s what I can tell you though. The first third of See You at Harry’s gives us an appealing narrator, Fern, who sees the world with as much humor as she can muster given the fact that she finds every member of her family at least a little annoying. Sara, her recently-graduated sister, is too cool for everyone around her. Her 14-year old brother Holden is gay, a fact he wants to be accepted without being overtly acknowledged. Fern’s 3-year old brother Charlie is as cute as he is demanding. Fern’s mother spends way too much time in meditation. Her father is wrapped up in the family business, a struggling restaurant and ice cream shop.This book, like life, leads us to have reasonable assumptions about what will probably happen, then surprises us with shattering events and touches of grace. Every member of the family is absorbed in her or his own problems and perspectives. After we come to know these characters and become interested and involved in how they face their problems, they are smacked with a major life-changing tragedy and are suddenly forced to deal with that … situation, and with each other in new ways. SEE YOU AT HARRY'S will lead readers to consider the issue of blame. How do we handle being blamed? What if we blame ourselves? When is blame reasonable? What if we are blaming someone for something that is too much for one person to bear, even if the person is guilty? What does blame accomplish? What are alternatives to blaming?As in her previous fine novels, Jo Knowles writes with humor and compassion as she conveys complex emotions without crossing into melodrama. As I read the last two pages of See You at Harry’s, I found myself getting a little choked up. I’m edging close to one of those spoilers here, so I’ll bring this to a close by simply saying the ending is pitch perfect.

Jo Knowles has created real life characters that you will think about after you have finished the book. I first heard about this book at a BER What's New in Young Adult Literature (2013) and how to use it in your program (grades 6 through 12). So, I already had a copy of it ordered before I started the Teachers Write group on Facebook this summer.It's about a family restaurant that Fern's grandfather started and her father inherited called Harry's. Harry's serves food and ice cream with ice cream being the focus of getting new customers into the building. As with most family business's all family members work there.I love the fact that each of their children have been named for favorite book characters; although the teenagers are less than thrilled about that reality themselves. Fern complains that what can she expect from life when she has been named about a character in Charlotte's Web whose only friend was a pig headed for slaughter. I loved Fern's offbeat humor and middle school sarcasm right off the bat. Jo has nailed the middle school quirks and personalities and I can picture the hallways and classrooms perfectly.The book jacket said that something was going to happen during the course of the book, but my suspicions could not have been farther off track. You'll have to read for yourself to find out what happens.Bullying is a strong theme in the book as well as finding and being true to oneself. Everyone in the book feels responsible for what happens and each suffers in their own little worlds playing the what if game. But, we must move forward like it or not and Jo has done an outstanding job with the grief and recovery section of the book. The dialogue seems real, the advice perfect.Readers who have grown up in a small town with a mom/pop business such as Harry's will have memories restored. For the urban residents who may not have ever experienced such a restaurant, Knowles has been true to her setting. Harry's could be found in Anyplace, USA.Don't miss this new YA novel. You won't be disappointed.

I can't remember the last time I cried so hard while reading a book. See You at Harry's had me teary eyed by page 47. By page 150, I was having a hard time making out the letters on the page because of all the tears. I pretty much cried the whole second half of the book. See You at Harry's is the story of an all too familiar family, loving but disconnected from each other. Everyone is going their own way, wrapped up in their own lives, pursuing their own interests, dealing with their own stresses. Fern sees how unhappy her older brother and sister are and sees how oblivious her parents are to their pain. She worries that her family is going to fall apart from lack of authentic interaction as a family. She was right. See You at Harry's is the story of the tragedy that almost destroys Fern and her family. The pain, anger and grief author Jo Knowles describes are very realistic - not sappy, white washed or cliche, but gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. Knowles also realistically describes how friends and family can help each other through a tragedy, not endearingly, smoothly or faultlessly, but sincerely. A beautiful story.

Chose this book for a book club with 11 and 12-year-olds I thought it was a bit mature for the girls although they really did enjoy it we all cried and laughed.

I've given this book two stars because Jo Knowles' writing style is so beautiful, and she somehow manages to lay out the scenery perfectly without having to give pages and pages of description. I could picture the restaurant and the characters instantly.I can't give it any more than two stars though because I just couldn't finish the book! Everything is fine and well until a terrible event occurs afterwards, but the amount of misery and depression of the atmosphere of the home and the family involved, although expected under the circumstances, just put me off. Whilst it portrays a very realistic attitude and reaction to the events that occurred, the emotions of the characters didn't seem to brighten up at all even when I was three quarters way through (a quarter of the book after the incident occurs) and it was just getting me down!I feel like other books where there is a death (such as John Green's looking for Alaska) still beautifully portray the depth and array of sadness and emotion, but aren't such a drag to read. For me the book ended at the incident, and went downhill from there.

My daughter loves this book, and read it quite fast, getting very absorbed. She actually cried. It deals with death and life issues that young people face via interaction between the characters and their families and friends. My daughter said the book is 'very beautiful and meaningful'

Very predictable but easy read. Would not read it again as I like more story lines to follow throughout a book.

A very touching book made me laugh cry and smile

Such a lovely warm book e my only complaint is it wasn't long enough of your after a good cry this defo is for you