Room 555

Roonie, 14, has a passion for hip hop, dance and her family, especially her grandmother. She has fond memories of growing up surrounded by her grandmother’s love, afternoons of baking and laughter. But now that her grandma is getting sick and has to live in a home for Seniors, Roonie finds herself getting more and more scared of being around her grandmother, and she doesn’t fully understand why. But when an opportunity to volunteer at the hospital puts Roonie in touch with Jasmine – an older lady who also has a passion for dancing – Roonie discovers a lot about herself and her fears and has her eyes opened to a whole new world.

Room 555 is narrated in first person and succeeds in putting the reader squarely inside the protagonist’s mind and heart. Roonie’s fears and emotions are felt through the pages and serve as an invitation to think of the things that scare us the most and how important it is to share and confront those fears. While the plot is well-rounded and Roonie’s journey feels realistic, the pacing of the book makes the growth of the character feel too rushed. Readers don’t spend enough time with the things that will ultimately change Roonie’s view of the world, and the story demanded a higher commitment to certain aspects of its arc.

Another point of criticism is how accurately the book portrays a 14-year-old girl. Details like Roonie’s not knowing what the word “geriatric” means, what scrubs are, or the way her parents talk to her seem to indicate a much younger child. None of the traditional behaviours and concerns of a teenage girl are present in the book, and, if the reader was not told Roonie was in grade 8 and 14, it could easily be assumed she is 10 or 11. The short sentence structure and simplified language, even in dialogue, also imply a younger child – which is why the book is more appropriate for a younger audience. It would also help if readers got better descriptions of what people and places look like. That the reader finishes the story without any clear idea of what Roonie or any of the people in her life look like makes it even harder to picture the story vividly.

A fast read, Room 555 is not particularly memorable, but its contents can help younger readers to think about their own insecurities, fears and maybe even prompt a dialogue about difficult things in their own families.