The King of Jam Sandwiches
2020 paperback edition
AuthorEric Walters
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Genres
PublishedSeptember 22, 2020
PublisherOrca Book Publishers
Media type
Pages320
AwardGovernor General’s Literary Award
ISBN9781459825567
Preceded by"Elephant Secret"
Websiteorcabook.com

The King of Jam Sandwiches is a children's book written by Canadian author Eric Walters, published in 2020 by Orca Book Publishers. The book is written in a first-person narrative, recounting Walters' own childhood, making it his most personal and most important book. It won the 2020 Governor General's Literary Award for Young People's Literature – Text .[1]

Backstory

Derived from the author's own childhood growing up living in poverty and with a mentally ill parent, The King of Jam Sandwiches is for Eric Walters "the most important book he's ever written" and "certainly the most personal." It is written using a first-person narrative, which gives the book a genuine tone.[2]

Plot

Robbie is a 13-year-old boy guarding the secret that he is living with a dad who is not mentally well. Sometimes his dad would wake him up in the middle of the night to talk about dying. He would at times leave without telling Robbie where he's going. Once he was gone for more than a week. Robbie was terrified of being left alone but could tell no one, fearing even more that he could be placed in foster care if anyone knew.

This all changes when Robbie is asked to show Harmony, a new student, and a tough fast talking foster child, around school. On day one, she punches him in the face. After realizing they both have a lot in common, they become close friends. Robbie is however unsure whether he can trust her enough to share his secret.

Awards

The King of Jam Sandwiches won the 2020 Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People's Literature – Text.[3]

Reception

The novel was generally well received. Deborah Dundas of the Toronto Star writes, "He provides an intimate and hopeful perspective and a glimpse into a world we rarely see closely enough to understand."[2] In the weekly Canadian Review of Materials, Teresa Iaizz from the Toronto Public Library finds it, "written in a nonjudgmental and compassionate way", "allows children to better understand a very serious topic."[4] Amanda Toth at the School Library Journal writes, "Highly recommended for most middle grade sections."[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Michelle Good's debut novel Five Little Indians, about residential school survivors, wins Governor General's Literary Award". The Globe and Mail. June 1, 2021. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Dundas, Deborah (September 24, 2020). "The King of Jam Sandwiches, by Eric Walters". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Here are the winners of the 2020 Governor General's Literary Awards". CBC Books. June 1, 2021. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  4. ↑ "The King of Jam Sandwiches". cmreviews.ca. June 5, 2020. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  5. ↑ Toth, Amanda (July 1, 2020). "The King of Jam Sandwiches". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
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