Justin Barker

Every page inspires as the author reveals his amazing determination and effort to stand up for what he believed in and did everything he could to make a difference.

At age thirteen, Justin Barker accidentally stumbled across something in a used bookstore that changed his life. Learning where 'meat' came from and the sometimes terrible circumstances animals were raised under, he decided to alter his life. Not sure where to begin, he steered toward the living conditions of animals in zoos. After a success with his first attempts to help animals, he learned of two bears, who needed help, and despite the challenges, he refused to leave them to their fate at that time.

First off, this is a memoir. While I understood it was a true story, it wasn't clear to me that it would take this form...not that this was an issue. The book follows the real life account of the author's beginning teen years as he finds his calling and fights his first battles. His tale is inspiring, not only because of his own determination, but it does show that even younger advocates can make a difference. It's inspiring to see that the adults and organizations took him seriously, and that he was able to do what would normally seem as impossible. Books like this do open doors and, hopefully, give some readers the push they need to chase their own dreams.

This is written in an engaging manner and doesn't let boring passages sink in (which can be the problem with memoirs for this age group). The author allows himself to really remember how he was at that age and does keep this at that level. The tale takes place in the 90's, and there were obviously differences when compared to modern times, but the author doesn't forget this and makes sure to add needed explanations, while keeping them short and on point. My only comment is that this reads as a thirteen-year-old and stays in that swing...which makes it a bit on the low end for the YA audience and more for upper middle graders. But the material and language (when discussing his sexuality) is not really appropriate for the middle graders. So, I'd classify this one more as a tween read, but with caution for more sensitive readers. (It's really about several used terms more than anything else).

All in all, this is a well done memoir and does a wonderful job at inspiring young readers. The foreword for Jane Goodall is touching, and there was a lovely sense of honesty even in the author's ending words.
I received an ARC and enjoyed this one quite a bit.… (meer)