The Jigsaw Puzzle King

Moving to a new city and a new school is challenging for any 11- year-old. Fitting in is the goal but, for Warren, this might prove more difficult. His twin brother, Bennie, has Down syndrome and often attracts attention that Warren finds embarrassing. At the same time, Warren is protective of his brother. When Bennie wants to enter the school talent show to demonstrate the speed at which he can put together a jigsaw puzzle, Warren decides he has to prevent this from happening. He decides to ask the school bully, Danny, for help to stop the talent show all together.

The Jig Saw Puzzle King will definitely appeal to middle grade readers. Author Gina McMurchy-Barber creates an interesting variety of believable schoolmates and situations. Basing the story on her own life situation, that of having a sister with Down syndrome, McMurchy-Barber captures the conflict Warren faces with empathy and humour. Bennie, who idolizes his brother ‘Wart’, is happy, kind, loves peanut butter and pickle sandwiches and doesn’t care about how others react to him. When Bennie explains to Warren’s classmate, Maya, that the way he does puzzles so quickly is by seeing each piece as different but part of the whole picture, Bennie highlights that “different’ is important. He explains that it’s like looking at his family portrait and seeing that it is only perfect when each person is in its right place.

This message of the importance of diversity permeates the story with empathetic characters, such as Maya, Owen and Jesse, who are contrasted with the bully Danny and his followers. Warren feels he needs to protect Bennie from what people think, but, at the same time, he doesn’t want that responsibility. When his mother explains her own experiences with dealing with people’s reactions, she tells him, “You can only control how you want to be in this world”. However, for Warren, his plan to ruin the talent show so that Bennie will not be embarrassed is already well underway. Readers will be anxiously turning the pages to discover what happens.

The Jig Saw Puzzle King portrays the real-life themes of diversity and perspectives with humour, excitement, sensitivity and warmth. With the inclusion of zombie tag, hockey, an injured classmate, robots, black eyes, and stink bombs, this book will definitely appeal to the middle years audience.