Description
★ “Will tug at the heartstrings and tickle the funny bone…This warm tale is definitely one for the keeper shelves. Highly recommended.”—School Library Journal, starred review
Thirteen-year-old Robbie leads a double life. It's just Robbie and his dad, but no one knows that his dad isn't like most parents. Sometimes he wakes Robbie up in the middle of the night to talk about dying. Sometimes he just leaves without telling Robbie where he’s going. Once when Robbie was younger, he was gone for more than a week. Robbie was terrified of being left alone but even more scared of telling anyone in case he was put into foster care. No one can know. Until one day when Robbie has to show the tough new girl, Harmony, around school. Their first meeting ends horribly and she punches Robbie in the face. But eventually, they come to realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought. Can Robbie's new friend be trusted to keep his secret?
The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
Author Bio
Eric Walters is a Member of the Order of Canada and the author of over 130 books that have collectively won more than 100 awards, including the Governor General’s Literary Award for The King of Jam Sandwiches. A former teacher, Eric began writing as a way to get his fifth-grade students interested in reading and writing. Eric is a tireless presenter, speaking to over one hundred thousand students per year in schools across the country. He lives in Guelph, Ontario.
Prizes
- The Governor General’s Literary Awards (GGBooks) - Young People’s Literature TextWinner 2020
- CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens, starred selectionCommended 2021
- Forest of Reading Red Maple AwardWinner 2022
- Rocky Mountain Book Award (RMBA)Short-listed 2022
- Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards - Young Adult / Middle ReaderNominated 2021
- Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Awards - Snow WillowWinner 2022
Review Quotes
“The King of Jam Sandwiches pulls us into the unforgettable friendship of hard-working Robbie and tough-as-nails Harmony in an exceptionally honest survival story that is also compulsively readable and emotionally gripping. Walters has written a heart-wrenching novel about what it is like to grow up amidst poverty and mental illness, one that speaks to contemporary young readers and offers them hope.”
★ “Will tug at the heartstrings and tickle the funny bone…This warm tale is definitely one for the keeper shelves. Highly recommended.”
— School Library Journal (SLJ), starred reviewBiographical note
Eric Walters is the award-winning author of more than 100 novels and picture books. He is a tireless presenter, speaking to over 100,000 students per year in schools across the country. A Member of the Order of Canada, Eric lives in Guelph, Ontario.
