The Disappearing Seat
by Heather Holleman
This is a sequel to the book This Seat’s Saved. I would recommend reading that book first. Click here to read my review of that book.
Hi! Have you ever been jealous when your friend has something you really, really want? Maybe you didn’t even know that you wanted that thing until you saw that your friend had it. Well, Elita Brown is feeling the exact same way.
Elita has just found her place in middle school, when everything seems to go wrong. While Elita’s friendship with Joy had helped her feel like she had a “seat,” now Elita feels like she’s in Joy’s shadow. Joy is the new focus of their Nature Club because she has discovered a hibernating bear in her own backyard. Joy also seems to be taking the attention of Elita’s crush, Stephen. Elita’s other friend, Margo, has a fancy house and fancy clothes and throws fancy parties that Elita is jealous of. Jealousy seems to be following her everywhere she goes.
In Elita’s English class, Mrs. Crisp assigns the project of demonstration speeches. Everyone has to demonstrate a skill they have. Public speaking makes Elita very nervous. Not to mention that she can’t decide on a topic for her speech. As the days pass and she still doesn’t have any ideas, Elita is more and more desperate. Even when she does think of a topic, her classmate has already taken it. Elita is so frustrated that she feels like she’s lost her “seat.”
Because her life seems to be in a whirlwind, Elita decides to reach out to her old friend, Mrs. Burgley, for help. Mrs. Burgley has moved away, so Elita emails Mrs. Burgley with updates about her life. Mrs. Burgley is a huge help to Elita throughout her struggles. She provides Elita with advice and Bible verses that remind her of the truth. However, Mrs. Burgley has three secret words that she believes will help Elita with all of her struggles. Before she will give Elita those words, Elita has to learn to savor her seat.
This book put a smile on my face. It spoke the truth to people of all ages and I wouldn’t change a thing!
I loved Elita’s relationship with Mrs. Burgley. Despite the age gap and the physical distance between them, they still remain close friends. Elita reaches out to her with everything that goes on in her life, and Mrs. Burgley always makes time for her.
Will Elita ever be able to be happy for Joy? Will she overcome her fear of public speaking? Will she learn to savor her seat and finally discover Mrs. Burgley’s three words? As I always say, read the book to find out!
A few helpful things I like to say about the books I read:
“Run and Get Mom” (how I describe the scariness factor – zero being not scary at all and five being majorly scary): 0
“Yucky-Lovey Stuff” (how I describe the romance factor – zero having no yucky-lovey parts in it and five having major yucky-lovey parts): 1
I give this book 5 wands.
The Disappearing Seat really touched my heart. Elita’s growth emotionally and spiritually was beautiful to watch. She proved that it is easy to focus on someone else’s gifts, but we are each blessed in our own way.
Source: Review Copy