This is a test review because I work for the publisher and don't want to skew the results but need to get these off my shelves.

An Emotional, Thought-Provoking, and Sentimental Read. This story wasn't what I expected, but I didn't really know what to expect at first either when it was described as a Middle-Grade book about Alzheimer's.
This story is about Archie, who's 13/14 yrs old and living with his Mom and his Grandpa while attending school and having a crush so it has a little bit of that cute and awkward crush romance that happens at 13/14 yrs old in it. And so Archie is living with his Grandpa when one day his Grandpa forgets who Archie is and he starts to put together all these incidents and realizes what's likely happening and has to tell his Mom what happened and so his Mom sets up the appointments to get him checked out for Alzheimer's disease.
It's about how Archie, his Mom, and their family cope and deal with their Grandpa/Dad beginning to lose his memories and being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Archie tries to figure out what to do to help with the situation and he wants to help his Grandpa to not lose his memories as much as he can so he begins to create role-playing fantasies and quests for them to go on together to try to help his Grandpa stay in the present. As things progress with his Grandpa and the Alzheimer's and life, he finds out some things about his Grandpa and things that happened in the past and Archie has to decide how he feels about learning and knowing about these things. Archie has to decide what he feels makes life worth living and remembering and who he wants to be as he starts to grow up more.
The timing of this book for me personally is part of what makes this hit me so much in the feels right now. I worried when I started it that I might get bored or something, but I didn't - I read this almost entirely in one sitting and was thinking about it in-between times too. I also expected that I might get emotional, but I made it to the ending of the book or rather almost the end and wasn't emotional so I thought Whew I made it, and then...it happened right before the end and at the end and I could barely breathe through the intensity of emotions and emotional response that I had.
This is very well written and a great perspective on Alzheimer's from a child/teenager's point of view and how it affects them and their family as well as some about how the person experiencing Alzheimer's is affected too. It's necessary to have for Middle-Grade readers to read and adults too. It's enlightening, emotional, and poignant. I would definitely recommend picking this one up to read and check it out, but make sure you have some tissues handy just in case.'
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for letting me read and review this wonderful story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to the author for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This Last Adventure follows Archie, who is trying to navigate through a difficult period in which his grandfather gets diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a disease which slowly eats away at a person’s mind and leads to confusion and memory loss. There are so many important and heavy themes in this book, and we shall pick them up one by one in this review.

One major feeling that is prominent throughout the book is that of helplessness. Archie felt angry and frustrated because despite knowing that his grandfather was slowly losing parts of himself, he could not do anything to help him. Even the grandfather himself was no longer fully in control of his own mind, he often felt lost and confused, and on his good days he too felt helpless against the disease.

Then there was the constant battle for Archie between fantasy and reality. For a while, Archie relied on spinning adventurous fantasies for his grandfather to get his memories to come back for a few moments, but soon he realized that a few moments of active consciousness from his grandfather were not actually helping anyone.

Through the course of the story, Archie learns to accept that his grandfather would never be the man he was again, and he’d have to live with that because it was nobody’s fault. This gradual acceptance was something I found inspiring and realistic, since i’m pretty sure nobody gets over their loved ones fading away quickly (cough*deaths in fantasy books* cough).

The story also touched on the fact that someone you idolise need not be perfect, they can have their flaws and you can still look up to them.

Overall, This Last Adventure is an emotional and poignant coming-of-age contemporary which I’d recommend to anyone looking for a quick read with lots of learning. Quick, add it to your tbr because it releases on February 1st!

This Last Adventure: This Last Adventure tells the story of eight-grader, Archie, and his struggle to come to terms with his grandpa’s Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. Archie’s grandpa has lived with him and his mom for Atchie’s entire life. Archie grew up hearing heroic stories about his grandpa’s time as a firefighter and thinks of his grandpa as a hero. But Alzheimer’s disease is slowly chipping away at his grandpa’s memory and it seems to be changing the man Archie has always known. Throughout the story Archie learns what life is going to look like going forward and who his grandpa really is to him.

This story is moving. It captures the many complex feelings of a family facing a loved one losing memory and facing personality changes as a result of Alzhimer’s. Having lost my grandmother to Alzhimer’s recently, I felt incredibly seen by Archie’s desire to help his grandpa remember himself in any way possible, as well as the desire to escape the situation. The need to take breaks, the need to rely on family support, and the eventual need to rely on outside professional support is all heartbreakingly real. I loved the elements of hope that permeated this book even though it did not shy away from the difficult realities of the disease. Everyone is going to experience this situation differently, but it is wonderful to have stories like this available, especially to young readers, to help people process their experience or help them empathize with a friend going through a similar experience. Content Warnings: Vietnam veteran PTSD is briefly discussed, as well as some perils of the firefighting profession.

What a wonderful story! I truly hope this book gets more notice. I am sure my love of this book is in no small part because I could relate to so much of it. My grandfather also had Alzheimer’s and he and my grandmother lived with us for most of my middle school and high school years. He and I had been very close when I was younger and it was terrible seeing him slip away more and more with each passing day. This book handles many of the scarier parts of Alzheimer’s in a very age-appropriate manner.

The story felt very real, including his interactions with his school friends and project partners. Archie is a great kid and definitely matures over the course of the story. Archie tries to help his grandfather keep his memories through these grand adventures he conjures up. These fantasy sections add an element that will appeal to the middle-grade reader, while still allowing the book overall to impart a powerful message about family, friendships, and change.

I really loved this book… definitely one of my favorite reads of 2021. All the characters are well developed and authentic. It is ultimately a feel-good story even with the family pain so elegantly portrayed. It’s rare I feel as excited about a book as I do this one… I will be shouting its praises from the virtual rooftops in an effort to get more people to read it! I recommend it to any fans of middle-grade fiction and anyone of any age who has now or ever had a loved one with Alzheimer’s.

Archie lives with his mom and much-loved grandpa. He shares with his grandpa a love of making up adventure/fantasy stories complete with heroes and dragons as well as the reading of classic books together. When his grandpa is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Archie becomes convinced that if they can continue to have these imaginative adventures, Archie can slow down the disease taking his grandpa from him. Added to the plot is Archie’s group school project on “what he wants to do with his life” – he has no clue – and part of the group is a girl he secretly likes as well as the class jock that he doesn’t. A touching, well presented story on a difficult subject

This story is a tapestry of multi-faceted threads masterfully woven from start to finish. At its core is a thirteen-year-old boy and the grandfather he has idolized all his life, and how the relationship is being tested and ravaged by the onset of Alzheimer’s. The book also deals with situations and topics you’d expect to find in a book for this age group, such as a spark of romance, coming of age, and questions about one’s actions, worth, and place in the world—among others. This book is cataloged as middle-grade fiction. However, the subject matter and complex treatment seem better suited to a slightly older audience. But whatever the age, thoughtful readers will thoroughly enjoy all this wonderful book has to offer.

This is one of those middle grade novels that makes me want to read more middle grade. This Last Adventure follows Archie as he navigates eighth grade while his grandfather and role model is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. As his grandfather's condition worsens, Archie grapples for ways to help him hold onto his memories, learning about his grandfather's triumphs, tragedies, and regrets along the way.

Beautifully told, This Last Adventure is about family, bravery, and what it means to be a good person. Archie comes across as a very believable eighth grader—dealing with crushes, school projects, peer pressure, as well as the weight of his grandfather's illness. But I love how the story never underestimates Archie, and his emotions and realizations come across as thoughtful and heartfelt.

Neither too heavy or too light, the poignancy of this coming-of-age tale leaves you with a feel-good ending and plenty to think about. I'd definitely recommend to upper MG readers and those looking for a reflective tale that fully captures the uncertainty of growing up.

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

The Last Adventure is a middle grade book about a boy and his family as his grandfather comes down with Alzheimer’s. This book abounds with love and grief, and it about ripped my heart to shreds because it felt so personal. Truly, I haven’t had a book make me cry this much in years. Dalton has written from the heart, and it shows.

I wish I could have had this book as my grandpa was dying of a terminal illness when I was 11. It would have helped me a lot… and it will help a lot of kids now. The beauty in this read isn’t just about the tender relationship of grandparent and grandchild, but people in general. The other kids at school are shown with realistic nuance. The family’s struggle and emotions feel real, too. Even the book’s portrayal of fantasy and stories as coping mechanisms felt genuine—that’s how I got by as a kid.

Honestly, I am having trouble writing this review because I am getting so emotional. Go buy this book. Share it with the kids in your life.

A great read to introduce dealing with Alzheimer's! Found myself wanting to not put this down. Character development was good. Easy to follow. Relationship between grandson and grandfather is challenged as the disease progresses. A subject not often explored for youth and the impact not only on them but everyone involved. Enjoyed this read. Great teaching tool for youth!

“Whatever you do, however you find your way through the fog, I hope you remember what makes it worthwhile. The people who travel through the fog with you, the lessons they teach you, and the purpose you find that gives your life meaning. I hope your life’s work isn’t just a job, but becoming the person you want to be. And when you get there . . . I hope you’re happy.”

This Last Adventure is about a young boy and his family as they cope with his grandfather’s Alzheimer's. Archie and his grandfather explore different stories from their past as the disease starts to affect his grandfather more and more.

Holy crap, this book was really, really lovely. Remarkable even. I went into it thinking it would be a sweet and touching middle-grade book but I was left with something so utterly profound. It was extremely poignant for a middle grade/YA book, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

It will b released on February 1, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A beautiful and touching story about a boy coming of age and the relationship with his grandfather that has framed so much of both who he is and who he wants to be. I wasn't entirely sold by the device of playacting and storytelling as a temporary way to address Alzheimer's, but overall I thought the story was sweet, multifaceted, and carried some lovely messages.

What worked:
Illness, injuries, and death are parts of young people’s lives, and this book focuses on Alzheimer’s Disease. Archie looks up to his grandfather and loves him with all his heart, but Archie worries about the times when his grandfather’s memory slips. His grandfather forgets to use Archie’s nickname during their daily greetings, and he doesn’t remember he’s living with Archie and his mom. The author skillfully expresses the frustration, anger, and fear of watching a loved one’s mental capacity slowly deteriorate. He also addresses how the loved one experiences those same emotions to demonstrate how Alzheimer’s affects the entire family. You’ll go through the same range of despair. However, the story leads to a tender, emotional resolution that will bring you to tears.
The characters create subplots that mesh into an overall engaging book. Archie and his best friend Zig work in a school group with Archie’s crush, Desta, and the school’s top jock, Spencer. Zig adds humor to the story, and he’s truly a loyal friend. Desta is pretty, intelligent, and the most popular girl in school, and she’s equally kind to everyone. Archie manages to help the others in his group improve their projects, but he’s frustrated and embarrassed that he can’t think of a career for himself. Becoming an author is the obvious choice, but does it reflect his passion? Maybe there is something more important than asking a seventh-grader what he wants to be when he grows up.
The grandfather has good days, bad days, and really bad days. On the good days, he enjoys time with Fletch, his nickname for Archie, and he offers life lessons to his grandson. He’s kept a journal of happy and sad memories and shares it with Archie. He marks the pages Archie’s allowed to read, and Archie uses those moments to create fantasy adventures with his grandfather to stimulate positive thoughts. However, Archie and readers will wonder about the forbidden pages in the journal. Grandfather is Archie’s hero, so it’s impossible he could have done anything too terrible to share. The truth is revealed in the end and forces Archie to reflect on his expectations of others, and himself.
The final verdict:
A special, loving bond spanning generations. This book shares an emotional roller coaster of adventure, heartbreak, and affection. The curse of Alzheimer’s is a ruthless enemy, but pleasant and passionate memories must not be forgotten. This book will appeal to a wide range of readers, and I highly recommend you add it to your list of must-reads.