Hopscotch

Who would have ever thought something as simple as a hopscotch board would bring such joy to so many. Set in a hospital, mainly on the pediatric ward, this is a feel good story about how the smallest thing can bring such joy and closeness. The characters are well developed and it is a fast read. The characters draw you in and hold onto you. I really enjoyed this story. Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review. I am going to draw a Hopscotch board in front of my home!!

I would like to thank Net Galley for Hopscotch by Steve Cushman. This is a wonderful easy read good feeling book about a simple game. The book takes place in a hospital and focuses on different patients and hospital staff. A hopscotch board shows up on day on the sidewalk and when people start using it things begin to change. Little different situations blend into each other until the end where everything works out just fine. A very good feel good book. If you are in need of a quick read on a flight or train ride this is the book to take along.

First of all, my heartfelt thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this book. Now, let me tell you how I began reading it. I'm one of those book hoarders whose Kindle is always overflowing with so many to-reads that most of the time I'm confused as to which one to read. Hence, if I don't like a book for a while, I'm guilty of switching to a new book. Why am I telling you all this?
Well, because I'd just downloaded ‘Everything, everything’ after watching the movie trailer and I was raring to read it when I happened to read the first page of Hopscotch. I just couldn't stop after that. This book feels like soft cotton candy, it feels like walking bare feet on wet grass, it feels like a tight bear hug from a stranger saying 'Everything will be okay.'
Thank you for letting me read this book. I loved it to bits!! The sheer simplicity of the narrative is breathtaking and yet there's this warm feel good factor like the winter sun that just pushes you to finish one more chapter even if it is 3 AM in the morning. This is a book about hope in a dismal setting. There is this hospital where there are sick people, where there are terminally ill children and yet it shows how a small hopscotch board can change all that sadness to cheer, even if only for a few moments. This book is about living in the moment. At times, I literally hugged it to my chest and let the tears flow. It was so masterfully crafted and yet not once did it lose out on its childlike wonder.
You can call me a ball of emotions but I really felt as if I was holding a small kitten within my palms and every little thing it did either generated an 'Aww' from my mouth or simply moved me to tears by the purity of it all.
Finally, being an aspiring author, I sometimes try to understand the techniques that make me fall in love with an author's work.
For this inspiring book, I was reminded of this quote by Jack Kerouac:
"One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple."
Thank you for reminding me about this message, Steve Cushman. I wish you all the very best with your writing career. You have created magic with this book.

A beautiful story full of sadness and hope taking place mainly in a hospital. The heroes and heroines are the patients and their families, but also the hospital staff – from the doctor and the administrator to the janitor – and their families.
The author does a terrific job connecting all these stories, using a restrained style and creating cleverly and tersely drawn characters.
It all happens because of a hospital – hospitals are microcosms and seeing only the surface we don’t imagine all the problems and dramas unfolding.

This was a mysterious but heartwarming tale about a hopscotch board that keeps reappearing after being cleaned away. Loved the different perspectives between the hospital and staff. The characters are vivid, the writing is clear with just the right touch of details. Loved the ending with everyone coming together and Emily finally feeling like any other girl.

What a wonderful story of hope and generosity of heart. I'm not sure if I'd classify this as Christian Fiction but the message is uplifting and heartwarming. Who knew a chalk hopscotch board on the sidewalk in front of a North Carolina hospital could create such a stir. The doctors, nurses, patients and visitors are all drawn into the mystique. When the head of the hospital orders it removed it in back within minutes. With the Christmas season as a backdrop, this is a wonderful story for readers of all ages. Not too long but it packs an punch. Will be a great gift for many on my Christmas list. Enjoy this one for sure.