AN INVISIBLE THREAD
Adapted for Young Readers
by Laura Schroff and
Alex Tresniowski
Simon & Schuster
ages 8 and up
224 pages
From New York Times bestselling authors Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski comes the young readers edition of a memoir about an unlikely friendship that forever changed the lives of a busy sales executive and a homeless eleven-year-old boy.
On one rainy afternoon, on a crowded New York City street corner, eleven-year-old Maurice met Laura. Maurice asked Laura for spare change because he was hungry, and something made Laura stop and ask Maurice if she could take him to lunch.
Maurice and Laura went to lunch together, and also bought ice cream cones and played video games. It was the beginning of an unlikely and magical friendship that changed both of their lives forever.
MY TIDBITS
All it takes is a small act of kindness and a person's life can completely change.
Eleven-year-old Maurice met Laura on a corner in New York. He was begging for his usual few coins in hopes of getting enough together to eat. She almost walked by. Their one meal soon turned out to be a weekly event and a close friendship developed between them.
This is a story of hope and a ray of light called kindness. I haven't read the original novel, which was meant for the adult audience, so I can't compare this adaption in that sense. However, reading this was a real treat. It's told from Maurice's point of view and brings him across as a very normal boy, who's just trying to make his way through life. His family, while he doesn't feel unloved, struggles to the point where even clothes or daily meals are a problem each one deals with independently. While this tale bring's Maurice's difficult life to light, it doesn't do it with a sense of pity, but rather, allows it to come across as normal as it was for Maurice. People grow up in different circumstances, each having their own definition of normal, and this book brings that across well. And in a way readers ages 9 to 12 can easily connect to.
There is a lot of heart in this book, and while most of it seems to show Laura saving Maurice, there is more to the message by the end. It is an inspiration which shows that helping others or simply being someone's friend is a wonderful thing.
While I enjoyed reading this very much and found it well brought over to the intended audience, the last chapters left this wonderful flow. I'm not sure if the authors were in a hurry or uncertain how to bring the last bit across to this younger audience, but the ending didn't have the clarity or wonderful pacing which if found in the rest of the book. Still, I'd highly recommend this one and think readers will embrace Maurice's and Laura's tale, and let it inspire their own lives.
And here they are...
Laura Schroff is a former advertising executive who helped launch three of the most successful start-ups in Time Inc. history:
In Style, Teen People, and
People Style Watch. Schroff has also worked as the New York Division Manager at
People magazine. Since the release of
An Invisible Thread, Schroff has been a keynote speaker at over 300 schools, libraries, charities and bookstores, encouraging people to find their own invisible thread connections and appreciate the power of small acts of kindness. Lives in Westchester, NY.
Alex Tresniowski is a former human interest writer at People and the bestselling author of several books. His other titles include An Invisible Thread, Waking Up in Heaven, and The Light Between Us.
