By Hunter Haskett, Staff Writer
Let me tell you a couple of things about “Tell Me Three Things” by Julie Buxbaum. One, this book isn’t your typical Young Adult book. Two, Buxbaum touches on some important topics in wonderful ways. Three, this book is quirky and unique, and should definitely be on your to-read list.
This book follows Jessie Holmes, a junior who has just lost her mother and is forced to move to California from Chicago when her father remarries. Jessie is having a hard time adjusting to her new life at a prestigious prep school when she receives an anonymous email from “Somebody/Nobody,” who offers her advice to survive in this new world.
The story continues as Jessie makes new friends, tries to find out who “Somebody/Nobody” is, and learns to live life without her mom.
“Tell Me Three Things” is Buxbaum’s first novel for young adults. This book is an out-of-the-ordinary, feel-good story filled with life lessons on growing up. If you’re looking for an easy, entertaining read, this book definitely fits the category.
In a note to the reader, Buxbaum explains that she lost her mother when she was 14, as did the book’s main character. She goes on to explain that “Tell Me Three Things” has allowed her to go back and look at a period in her life that she “long ago boxed up, put away, and marked with a big red label that read ‘Too Painful.’ “
Farther along in the note to the reader, Buxbaum explains that she did not want to just write a book about a person’s first loss, but also their first love.
She has managed to capture this, but at the same time I feel as though she could have gone more in depth with Jessie and Somebody/Nobody’s relationship when they realize they really like each other. This book is very good, but at times I had wished the author would have delved a little deeper into parts of the plot.
Buxbaum masterfully weaves together something terrible and something beautiful into a wonderful story full of firsts. “Tell Me Three Things” is a mashup of loss, love, and friendship that you will like from cover to cover.
Sophomore Hunter Haskett can be reached at [email protected].
