Review: Give and Take

Give and Take by Elly Swartz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Maggie keeps things that are sentimental to her and stores them in boxes in her room. She doesn't want to forget anyone or any experience like her grandmother forgot her. Everybody keeps mementos, but Maggie keeps items that most people throw away: gum wrappers, sticks, and empty milk cartons to name a few. If anyone in her family dares to get close to her boxes and find out her secret, she gets enraged. Maggie wants to hold onto everything and everyone she loves, so she is having an especially hard time with the fact that her baby foster sister, Izzie, is about to leave her home to live with her forever family. How can she let go of someone that she already loves so much?

Elly Swartz has tackled a topic that I've never seen in children's literature before: childhood hoarding. This book hit close to home for me because someone I love very much could be considered a hoarder. This person cannot throw anything away, and I've never understood why. It infuriates her if someone suggests that she throw her "junk" away. After reading this novel, I feel like I understand her a little better now. Maggie's hoarding stems from her anxiety about loss, and sometimes her anxiety causes big anger to bubble up and explode. I have seen my own child struggle with anxiety, and I'm sure it is way more common in children than we realize. Children who personally struggle with anxiety or live with someone who does will feel seen and heard after reading this book. Give and Take is a must-add to your MG collection.

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