The Retired Kid

Retired Kid, The by Jon Agee
Illustrated by Jon Agee
2008

     Brian is exhausted: school, soccer practice, violin class. walking the dog, babysitting his little sister..."So, one day, Brian decided to retire. 'It's been a wonderful eight years.' he said, 'but I need a break.'"  In The Retired Kid, an eight year old gets to "enjoy" and early retirement in Florida.  There's no homework or school but there are other issues when everybody around you is over 60 years old.
     Jon Agee uses his no-nonsense illustration style, which I love, and tells a story many of us dreamed of when we were younger: enjoying a permanent vacation away from our kid responsibilities.  It's also a thought provoking story for all those Alpha parents that don't give their kids a second to breathe between school and a million other planned activities.