Book: The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones (2016)
Author: Wendelin Van Draanen
Genre: MG, Contemporary
Publisher: Knopf Books
Opening lines from the book …
Ruby Hobbs came out of her room, dancing and singing, buck naked, again. “All I want is a room somewhere, far away from the cold night air,” she warbled, her old body jigglin’ and wigglin’.
MY THOUGHTS…
I read (and reviewed) this book back in 2017, and I really enjoyed it back then! And while I remembered parts of it, there were other parts that I had forgotten. A little Reading Amnesia, if you will. So, it was fun to re-read this book.
I still love books that bring the generations together… Where young kids get to know their elders in a real way. (Usually it’s grandparents—although in this book, it’s the residents of a nursing home.) It’s nice to see Lincoln’s viewpoint change on “oldies”. The one part (with the neighbor) I remembered taking up more of the story. After finishing the book, I was surprised that the neighbor wasn’t in the book as much as I remembered.
Now I also remembered liking the ending. Well, when I finally closed the book, I was like: Yep, that’s why I liked it. There, some six years later, I still highly recommend this book!
If you want to read my original review, check it out here.
YOUR TURN…
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…
Of Maria Antonia 
I don’t have time to reread many books. That’s great that you enjoyed this one and remembered it so many years after you first read it. Thanks for sharing it this week.
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I like Van Draanen books. A favorite is HOPE IS IN THE MAIL: REFLECTIONS ON WRITING AND LIFE. I highly recommend it for children’s writers.
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I love HOPE IN THE MAIL too!
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Poor Ruby Hobbs (I assume she is a resident with dementia and not an elderly nudist – I could be totally wrong!!). Interesting book. Reading amnesia (like the expression!) has its benefits! Thanks for sharing!
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Yes, she had Alheimer’s, I think. 🙂
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Glad you had the opportunity to re-read this and enjoyed it so much. Sadly, I don’t get to do this that much, but now I’m curious what book I would pick… which is probably why I haven’t done this yet. LOL Thanks for sharing and Happy MMGM.
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There are so many good books out there! I always wonder if I’ll like it the second time around.
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I always enjoy re-reading some of my favorite books. I’m way behind you on this selection as I still need to give it a first read. Thanks for reminding me of the story on Marvelous Middle Grade Monday.
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Hope you get a chance to read it!
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This sounds interesting as I love intergenerational books! Like the theme. And, I’m a sucker for stories/movies about seniors — like the Quartet with Maggie Smith. Like your I too suffer from “reading amnesia.” We read so many books, it’s fun to go back and remember.
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I seldom have time to reread books. It says a lot about this one that you did. I’m putting it on my TBR list. Thanks for bring it to my attention.
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