“Leader at his side Jimmy was scratched by the underbrush. The other boys could step over the little gullies, but Jimmy stepped into them. He stumbled over loose stones, slipping and sliding. Leader tried frantically to guide him. He would tug at the harness to pull Jimmy to one side and the next instant throw his weight against Jimmy’s leg to guide him around a small boulder. Leader was panting, tongue dripping. He strained beside his master as Jimmy struggled on.” — Follow My Leader by James B. Garfield. 

A Plumfield Kids Book Review, written by Jack Masarik, age 13

Jimmy Carter is caught in a firecracker accident and is blinded for life. He has to learn the most normal things all over again, like putting on his shirt the right way. He also learns Braille; a language of raised dots. Jimmy gets a leader dog, but it is much more than getting a dog to lead you, it’s also learning to use him correctly. 

Follow My Leader is a very fun, and interesting book. You get to learn quite a lot about the way a blind person learns to do normal things. There are lots of strategies and techniques just to walk from your front porch to your mailbox. Another thing is to learn ways of seeing when you can’t see. A way to do this is to learn to feel a slight cushion of air around a wall or object, to know that it is there. Jimmy Carter, the main character, has to learn these and many other very interesting things. 

At just under two hundred pages, I think this book is very important. It helps people who can see understand and care for those who can’t. Also, there are very strong and meaningful themes. One of these is forgiveness. Jimmy, as I said, was caught in a firecracker accident. One of his friends lights a cracker and by accident throws it in the direction of Jimmy’s face. When it explodes it burns his face and blinds him. Jimmy, for a very long time, hated Mike for what he did. Mike, even though not blind, hurt more than Jimmy did. Mike was hurt deeply because of what he did. His buddies made it worse by kicking him out of their friendship, leaving him to brood alone about what happened. This made Mike mad at the world. 

Jimmy has to learn to look at the accident differently, and to forgive Mike, and learn to function. Also not only does he have to learn to forgive, but to teach his buddies to do the same. 

This book was so interesting. I really enjoyed it.           

 We have Follow My Leader in our lending library.