Sheila Kelly Welch's Waiting to Forget Book Tour

Author: Shelly Kelly Welch

Date of Publish: October 1st, 2011

Source: Making Connections Blog Tour

Genre: Middle Grade ficiton
Rating: 5/5 Stars

Book Summary:

T.J. has always looked out for his little sister, Angela. When Momma used to go out and leave them home alone, he'd lock the door so they'd be safe, keep Angela entertained, and get out the cereal and milk for her. When Momma's boyfriend got angry at them, he'd try to protect Angela. Later, at their foster homes, T.J. was the only one who knew how to coax his little sister out of her bad moods. The only one who understood why she made origami paper cranes and threw them out the window.

But now T.J. is sitting in the waiting room at the hospital, wondering if Angela, unconscious after a fall, will ever wake up. Wondering, too, if he will ever feel at home with his and Angela's new parents—Marlene, who insists on calling him Timothy, and Dan, who seems to want a different son.

Going back and forth between Now and Then, weaving the uncertain present with the painful past, T.J.'s story unfolds, and with the unfolding comes a new understanding of how to move forward

from Goodreads

My Review:

The story is told through T.J.'s POV, a twelve year old boy. I have to say it is one of the saddest, yet beautiful stories I have ever read. It opens up with T.J sitting in the hospital's waiting room, anxious to know his sister's condition. The story tells about the kind of life T.j and his sister have lived, moving from one foster home to another. One minute their life's going so well, you can feel the joy spreading through T.J through his thoughts, and the next, that life is yanked from under his feet, and him and sister are spiralling to direction.  


The really enjoyed the Ms. Welch unsual writing style. The chapters begin with the words "then, between, now". Ms. Welch tells the story about T.J.'s past life, flits back to the present and in between, all the while maintaining the suspense on what really happened to T.J's little sister, Angela. I cannot really express how much I loved this book. One has to really read it and find the gems within, experience the emotional rollercoaster. 


I highly recommend this book. I really look forward to reading more work from the author.