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A review by lauriehnatiuk
The Magical Imperfect by Chris Baron
5.0
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher Feiwel Friends for a digital ARC of this title to read.
After reading Chris Baron’s The Magical Imperfect, I can now say that I will read any book he writes. The Magical Imperfect took me down memory lane, taught me more about not one but two cultures and tenderly shared an intergenerational story, making the book magical.
In The Magical Imperfect, set in San Fransico in 1989, we meet Etan and Malia, who have unique challenges. Etan has selective mutism since his mother went away due to mental health issues. He has a strong relationship with his grandfather, who came to San Fransico during World War II from Prague, ending up on Angel Island with other immigrants. His grandfather owns a jewelry shop, and Etan spends time there while his father is at work. Etan also helps out other community members, such as walking Mrs. Hershkovitz”s dog and acting as a delivery boy for a local shop.
Malia suffers from eczema, which is so bad, her face and limbs are red and raw. Malia no longer attends school because of her condition and the malicious comments from classmates, calling her “the creature.” The sun further irritates eczema, so she stays inside. She lives with her parents and her grandmother. Malia’s relationship with her grandmother is similar to Etan’s relationship with his grandfather; they are very close. Malia loves to sing popular pop songs of the day, and her voice would carry outside the house, which is how the two meet.
Etan delivers a package to their home and inadvertently hears her singing, and the lonely two connect and become supportive of one another. Etan encourages Malia to sing at a talent show in the community while Malia gently draws out Etan’s words.
We see how both families value their heritage and culture. Malia's grandmother often is cooking and feeding the two children various Phillipino dishes and speaks in Tagalog. Etan’s grandfather shares with him some precious items, including clay from the Dead Sea, thought to be magical for its healing abilities. He briefly shares stories about coming to Angel Island and the connections the community has to one another. Readers learn the importance of religion is to his family, especially for his grandfather. Etan’s father struggles to visit the synagogue after what happened with his wife, and this puts a strain on his relationship with Etan’s grandfather that comes to a head during the World Series.
Everything all comes to a critical point on the night of the talent show, which coincides with the third World Series game. Etan promised Malia he would help sneak her out of the house to attend the talent show, so he has to share with his dad that he cannot go to the game with him. His dad promised Etan’s grandfather that he would celebrate Yum Kippur and go to the synagogue, which also is the same night of the game. Malia and Etan are at the talent show, his dad is at the ballgame, his grandfather is at the synagogue, and then the earthquake happens.
The relationships existing between Etan and the community but especially with his grandfather, are tender and gentle. When Etan was at his grandfather’s shop, I felt like I was sitting on a park bench watching Etan and the locals go about their daily tasks helping one another. The way the world should be, the way you want it to be, and how readers will connect and feel the story rather than just read the words.
And oh, those words are melodic and emotional! The way Chris Baron beautifully strung them together made me pause and slow down to savour the phrasing. Here are two of my favourites, but there are many examples that one will experience.
“She says that the roads
her thoughts take
are too windy for now,
and she needs help
straightening them out.”
“It’s not the words,
it’s the noises in between
that the truth.”
The Magical Imperfect has all the right ingredients to hook readers; unique challenges for characters to overcome, relatable family problems, 80’s music, earthquakes, baseball, lyrical words, and a touch of magic make this story MAGICALLY PERFECT.
FIRST LINE:
The alarm
is a wave
that knocks us
out of our chairs.
PICTURE BOOK PAIRINGS: The 1989 Bay Area Earthquake: The Story of San Francisco's Second Deadliest Earthquake (I have not read but the setting and event play a role in the novel), I Got It!, Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup! and I Have Eczema (another book I have not read and now see a gap)
SIMILAR TITLES: Much Ado About Baseball, Wink, After Zero, and A Place at the Table
OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR: All of Me
SUBJECT HEADINGS/TAGS: Juvenile Fiction, Middle-Grade, Novels in Verse, Fantasy & Magic, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Diversity & Multicultural, Friendship, Intergenerational, Illness and Conditions: Eczema, Sports: Baseball, Earthquakes
After reading Chris Baron’s The Magical Imperfect, I can now say that I will read any book he writes. The Magical Imperfect took me down memory lane, taught me more about not one but two cultures and tenderly shared an intergenerational story, making the book magical.
In The Magical Imperfect, set in San Fransico in 1989, we meet Etan and Malia, who have unique challenges. Etan has selective mutism since his mother went away due to mental health issues. He has a strong relationship with his grandfather, who came to San Fransico during World War II from Prague, ending up on Angel Island with other immigrants. His grandfather owns a jewelry shop, and Etan spends time there while his father is at work. Etan also helps out other community members, such as walking Mrs. Hershkovitz”s dog and acting as a delivery boy for a local shop.
Malia suffers from eczema, which is so bad, her face and limbs are red and raw. Malia no longer attends school because of her condition and the malicious comments from classmates, calling her “the creature.” The sun further irritates eczema, so she stays inside. She lives with her parents and her grandmother. Malia’s relationship with her grandmother is similar to Etan’s relationship with his grandfather; they are very close. Malia loves to sing popular pop songs of the day, and her voice would carry outside the house, which is how the two meet.
Etan delivers a package to their home and inadvertently hears her singing, and the lonely two connect and become supportive of one another. Etan encourages Malia to sing at a talent show in the community while Malia gently draws out Etan’s words.
We see how both families value their heritage and culture. Malia's grandmother often is cooking and feeding the two children various Phillipino dishes and speaks in Tagalog. Etan’s grandfather shares with him some precious items, including clay from the Dead Sea, thought to be magical for its healing abilities. He briefly shares stories about coming to Angel Island and the connections the community has to one another. Readers learn the importance of religion is to his family, especially for his grandfather. Etan’s father struggles to visit the synagogue after what happened with his wife, and this puts a strain on his relationship with Etan’s grandfather that comes to a head during the World Series.
Everything all comes to a critical point on the night of the talent show, which coincides with the third World Series game. Etan promised Malia he would help sneak her out of the house to attend the talent show, so he has to share with his dad that he cannot go to the game with him. His dad promised Etan’s grandfather that he would celebrate Yum Kippur and go to the synagogue, which also is the same night of the game. Malia and Etan are at the talent show, his dad is at the ballgame, his grandfather is at the synagogue, and then the earthquake happens.
The relationships existing between Etan and the community but especially with his grandfather, are tender and gentle. When Etan was at his grandfather’s shop, I felt like I was sitting on a park bench watching Etan and the locals go about their daily tasks helping one another. The way the world should be, the way you want it to be, and how readers will connect and feel the story rather than just read the words.
And oh, those words are melodic and emotional! The way Chris Baron beautifully strung them together made me pause and slow down to savour the phrasing. Here are two of my favourites, but there are many examples that one will experience.
“She says that the roads
her thoughts take
are too windy for now,
and she needs help
straightening them out.”
“It’s not the words,
it’s the noises in between
that the truth.”
The Magical Imperfect has all the right ingredients to hook readers; unique challenges for characters to overcome, relatable family problems, 80’s music, earthquakes, baseball, lyrical words, and a touch of magic make this story MAGICALLY PERFECT.
FIRST LINE:
The alarm
is a wave
that knocks us
out of our chairs.
PICTURE BOOK PAIRINGS: The 1989 Bay Area Earthquake: The Story of San Francisco's Second Deadliest Earthquake (I have not read but the setting and event play a role in the novel), I Got It!, Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup! and I Have Eczema (another book I have not read and now see a gap)
SIMILAR TITLES: Much Ado About Baseball, Wink, After Zero, and A Place at the Table
OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR: All of Me
SUBJECT HEADINGS/TAGS: Juvenile Fiction, Middle-Grade, Novels in Verse, Fantasy & Magic, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Diversity & Multicultural, Friendship, Intergenerational, Illness and Conditions: Eczema, Sports: Baseball, Earthquakes