‘Short’ By Holly Goldberg Sloan: Embracing Who You Are
Sometimes, all we need is a book that can help us feel connected and heard. The part that takes lots of contemplating and close evaluation all comes down to the perfect book.
Holly Goldberg Sloan’s writing will surely either make readers laugh, cry, or feel the urge to tell someone they matter. It’s a story that is ideal for any occasion, whether it’s raining or sunny.
Julia Marks has always been small. So when her mother auditioned her for the Wizard of Oz it was no surprise that she was cast as one of the Munchkins. Julia was hesitant to join the play at first since she isn’t used to stepping out of her comfort zone. But, as a few days passed, the local theater production made her realize that being short isn’t so bad after all. Being short comes with lots of benefits like getting to fly!
Summer starts to wind down and Julia realizes making new friends isn’t as frightening as she thought. Through production, she meets Olive, an adult with dwarfism, and Ms. Chang, her surprisingly talented neighbor. Together, they share wisdom, laughter, and support. All of them learned not only how to deal with life when things get tough, but also learned so much from their enthusiastic director, Shaw Barr. Before long, Julia realized that this was her summer to shine.
Julia Marks is a quirky and sarcastic girl. She is quite short for her age because of the genes passed down from her grandma Mittens. Julia is upset that she is so short, but became devastated when her dog, Ramon passed away. She would think about him constantly, longing for him to be back in her arms. “My goals for this summer, if I even have goals, would be to not worry about my height and also to find new ways to be happy now that Ramon is gone.” At the beginning, Julia is so desperate to get out of the play that she pretends to break her arm!
Her days start to turn right side up when she starts spending more time with her new friends. Olive helps Julia learn how to dance, sing, and embrace herself. Julia and Ms. Chang develop a strong relationship as Ms. Chang crafts her costumes by hand for Julia’s Munchkin part in the play. The days get even more exciting when her director, Shaw Barr selected her and Olive to perform a flying trick together in the play. Soaring through the air on stage at rehearsals, being a Flying Monkey, Julia finally found where she belongs.
At the end of the book, Julia can really embrace who she is and has become now. Out of nowhere she is doing her last performance, dancing and eating pizza. All good things come to an end, but that doesn’t stop her from visiting Ms. Chang and Olive from time to time. She grew this summer, “Not on the outside, but on the inside. And that’s the only place where growing really matters.” Her heart, soul, and mind finally found peace with her body, friends, and family.
From being shy and tucked away to embracing who she is, Julia finally found happiness in something she loves doing, theater. “What matters is how big you are inside.”