The List of Things That Will Not Change Book Review

The moment I finished my first book of Rebecca Stead’s, I knew she was a special author in a way I can’t describe. The List of Things That Will Not Change, a middle grade novel about a girl coping with her father’s upcoming second marriage and anger issues, confirms that belief.

Ensemble casts are hard to pull off in two hundred pages, but Stead makes each character shine. Even the ones with little time on the page develop in a natural way as Bea, the main character, touches their lives. Bea herself is a little star. She’s down-to-earth and relatable both for middle graders and older audiences as she has to confront one of life’s horrible truths: good people can--and will--make choices that hurt everyone around them, including themselves.

In true Stead fashion, the unreliable narrator enrichens the story and keeps the reader waiting for the next secret to unfold. Foreshadowing has a gossamer touch in the story, with content veiled enough to keep the reader guessing but not enough that it would go over a middle grader’s head.

I adore the short chapters that held a singular moment, whether it be two sentences or ten pages. The use of repeating chapter titles to bind certain sections together adds a cohesiveness to the novel.

A touching story that strips life down to its blood and bones.

“Suddenly I wasn’t sure if no one wanted to try an oyster because it was an oyster, or because Jesse was marrying my dad. // … Jesse just sat there looking hopeful. I could barely stand it. // That’s when Angus stood up. // He walked to the front, and Jesse handed him the half shell with the oyster in it. Angus carefully squeezed a lemon slice over it. When he had loaded it up with juice, I still wasn’t sure if he could do it. But he ate that oyster. // … I’m pretty sure the colonists didn’t have lemon juice on their oysters, but Mr. Home [Bea’s teacher] didn’t say a word.”

Recommended for anyone who’s had to put up with the teasing and just wanted to throw something.

--Grace Nask