Julia and The Difficulties of Thirteen
Arguably thirteen is the worst year of childhood; you are too young to be taken seriously for anything, but too old to be babied. Of course, Black Swan Green follows Jason through this rough year which supports the point even more. Throughout his trials of being a thirteen year old boy Jason’s older sister, Julia, develops a stronger bond with him. At the beginning of the book, in “January Man”, Julia refers to Jason as “Thing”. Honestly, as an older sister myself, this isn’t that crazy of a nickname, but the evolution to his nickname “Jace” just a year later shows them both maturing through their relationship. Not only does Julia turn to accept him more as a friend and less as a pesky younger sibling, but the building of their relationship while their parent’s relationship is failing keeps a constant bond in both of their lives. To me, an evident turning point was in “Rocks” when Mrs. and Mr. Taylor had an explosive argument that stemmed from the new landscaping Mrs. Taylor want...