by Lauren Myracle, illustrated by Jed Henry
Seven-year-old Ty Perry is so excited to have his best friend back at school. Joseph was absent for a few months while he received leukemia treatments and now Ty was ready for things to get back to normal — exactly as they were before Joseph left. But Ty’s family wisely reminds him that the only thing in life you can be certain of is change and that he should try to expect the unexpected. Two things Ty is not fond of: the unexpected and change.
So as soon as Ty walks into school and sees all the attention Joseph is getting from their classmates, Ty begins to feel uneasy. Things certainly don’t appear to be the same. As Ty struggles to understand this new situation and to decipher his own emotions, he relies on his mom and older sisters to help him navigate this unwelcome change. As he and Joseph attempt to reestablish their friendship, they partner together to catch a bird for Ty’s baby sister, and things get exciting.
The Life of Ty: Friends of a Feather — available online—is a fabulous chapter book that is not only a fun, interesting read but also a perfect starting point for conversing about how to handle change, especially when it involves a friendship. Great for boys and girls ages 6-9, the story also offers glimpses into Ty’s emotions and how he is still learning to understand what he is feeling and why. Bestselling author Lauren Myracle, who lives in Colorado, has also written two additional books in this series, as well as other young reader and teen fiction.