MMGM (3/12/2018): The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech

For MMGM, I am recommending The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech.

Here's the publisher's description:

Fans of Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech's Ruby Holler will love her latest tween novel about finding family when you least expect it.

When a young couple finds a boy asleep on their porch, their lives take a surprising turn. Unable to speak, the boy Jacob can't explain his history. All John and Marta know is that they have been chosen to care for him.

And, as their connection and friendship with Jacob grow, they embrace his exuberant spirit and talents. The three of them blossom into an unlikely family and begin to see the world in brand-new ways.

The Boy on the Porch is a singular story about opening your heart and discovering home in unexpected places.

I am a fan of several other books by Sharon Creech, and this novel did not disappoint! The "parents" in the story, John and Marta, do not have kids, so they are caught completely off guard when they find Jacob on their porch and take him in. The novel is told from Marta and John's points of view as they find themselves opening up and feeling worry about Jacob, pride in him, and a need to provide for him and give him a good home, even if that means trying to find his parents. The couple's kindheartedness and depth make them great characters for the story to be told through. The boy, Jacob, quickly adapts to his new home and, despite refusing to speak at all during the story, displays his feelings through his activities (such as playing with animals, drawing, or making music), allowing us to see, albeit blurrily, into his past and current lives. Creech describes each scene so perfectly that it feels like you are actually looking down into a new world. Toward the end of the book, seeing all of the new kids that John and Marta begin fostering acts as a perfect closing to the story. All in all, The Boy on the Porch is a lovely novel that provides a peek into the lives of both parents and children!