Teen Book Review - The Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson

When May Gold’s father dies unexpectedly from a heart attack, the Gold family has to continue on with their lives however hard it may be. May’s mother starts working a lot more to pay bills and becomes disconnected from her three children. The three girls all deal with the grief in different ways. Palmer, the youngest, does nothing but watch TV and play softball. Brooks, the oldest, quits softball and starts drinking. May, the middle child, decides she has to pick up the slack around the house and tries to keep the family from falling apart. Her dad’s best friend and his family also try to help out, but nothing is working. All the Gold family really needs is some closure.

This book was a very enjoyable read. When I picked it up off the shelf, I figured it was going to be average chick lit, but to my surprise it had quite some depth to it. I was able to see the affect the dad’s death had on each girl. It was very well written and all of the side stories made the book exciting, but like all chick lit, it was quite predictable!
Review by Amy