Kids Wonder Too
The meaning of life: it is a question we ponder throughout our lives, and starting from an early age. Often it is the death of a loved one (human or pet) that starts a child wondering what it’s all about, this living versus dying thing. When I was young my father counseled me, “Do not look for happiness in life, life itself is happiness.” I get what he was trying to tell me, forty years later, but at the time I wanted something more concrete to guide me in the questioning of my place in the universe.
Help is at hand, for kids of all ages (including forty-nine!). Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Maas is an absolutely charming (but not cloying or inauthentic) and enchanting book about two friends, both on the brink of teenagerhood, who set out to open a mysterious box and discover the many and varied and lovely answers to the question of what is the meaning of life.
Why are we here? Jeremy and Lizzy hear everything from “We are here because over billions of years, countless variables fell into place” to “We are here to help others” but in the end, answers come from an unexpected source, and from deep within. Life-affirming, joyful, and up to date with what middle school kids worry about, Jeremy Fink and The Meaning of Life is the perfect book for that questioning twelve-year old in your life — or in your head.
