Book Review | Megan's Troublesome Pronouns by Dr. Julia E. Antoine

Once again, Dr. Julia E. Antoine creates a story that resonates with readers. In her tenth book Megan’s Troublesome Pronouns, in the Too Clever series, Dr. Antoine uses a very interesting mechanism to help her eleven year old character, Megan Moffat, deal with the loss of her father – association. Association causes triggers to be ignited in our brain, thereby affecting our responses or answers to certain events, incidents, or questions. Megan Moffat uses association, a trick she learned from her father, not only to help her with those troublesome pronouns but also to keep the memory of her father alive.

Appropriately titled, Megan’s Troublesome Pronouns gives the reader a detailed analytical view of Megan coping with the loss of her father through mastering her understanding of pronouns. It may seem unrelated and one may wonder what does understanding pronouns have to do with coping with loss? Writing and reading were the common thread that connected Megan and her father. In developing her writing skills and mastering the English language, Megan felt she was forever linked with her father and that she was making him proud.  Also, in choosing the topic “Coping with Change” for her writing project, Megan is able to use the method that allows her to express her feelings freely. Here she chronicles the memory of a father who had impacted her life greatly.

 

Megan’s Troublesome Pronouns educates readers on the healthy ways of coping with the loss of a loved one, and this is especially seen in Megan’s connection with others around her. Megan was able to see that her actions also affected those around her; that while she grieved, others like her mother and brother Dilan, and her best friend Hailie were grieving too, each in their own way.  Antoine shows that coping mechanisms vary and children should be encouraged to embrace what works for them, as long as the coping mechanism is not a destructive one. The book deals with death, a delicate subject matter, in a very age appropriate way. By highlighting Megan’s struggles and emotions, a touching realistic story emerges, and Antoine once again captures the hearts of her readers. 

Megan’s Troublesome Pronouns is available, along with other books in the series, on the author’s website, http://www.too-clever.com .