Gillian McDunn

Elliott is on the spectrum and has ADHD. He’s most comfortable and happy in the kitchen cooking elaborate-for-a-middle-grader meals, but lately even cooking can’t calm the disturbances in his brain caused by his father remarrying and the new wife being pregnant. His grades have fallen in a drastic way, and there was an “incident” that he now must go to weekly therapy to work through. The one thing he’s looking forward to is summer cooking camp. But when his father decides that Elliott should be made to pay for the damages he caused with this “incident,” Elliott realizes he’ll have to use the money he worked hard all year to save for camp to do so. Just when things couldn’t get any worse, they do: his friends cut him out of a group project at school and he's left the only one in the class without any partners, sad and embarrassed. But it turns out that the Most Popular Girl in School also doesn’t have a partner after she leaves her own friend group in a huff. And then the two of them come up with a plan that just may possibly earn them an A, and enough money for Elliott to pay back his father *and* go to cooking camp.

I get what this one is trying to do, but I don’t think it works. Elliott is just…not a likable character. And I get that the author is trying to give him a growth arc (from so hyper-focused on something that he’s unaware that he’s being offensive to other people’s feelings, to having a wider appreciation for the fact that those other opinions can also be valid), but the beginning of that arc is painted with too strong a brush stroke and with way too much paint, so that it’s difficult to redeem the character in a believable way. There’s also too much of Elliott’s inner dialogue that tries to be clever/funny and instead feels forced, which makes it easy to pull back the curtain to see the adult author behind there pretending to be a kid. It just didn’t work for me. To be fair, I think that that must be the most difficult part of writing for children: getting those young voices right and authentic. And I honestly think it’s rarely done really well.… (meer)

Honestly Elliot is written from the perspective of a kid with ADHD; it also explores family life in two homes that have different values and styles. There are lots of obstacles for this unlikely hero to overcome - his best friend has moved away, he is having a hard time to adjusting to the middle-school work load, he is trying navigate the middle social scene. He's a kid who loves to cook, but his father disapproves.
This is a big-hearted story about a kid trying to find the best way to be his best self.… (meer)

Recommended Ages: Gr. 4-7

Plot Summary: Bex and her brother are inseparable. Bex speaks for Davey because he's suddenly become mute. They go everywhere together, and they especially love taking the little rowboat out to the Thumb, where they climb the oak tree and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. But then one day Bex discovered a hand sticking out of the water. It turns out it's a statue that's been underwater for a while. Bex convinces Davey that this should be their mystery to solve. Every day she explores and investigates, trying to figure it out. They want to figure it out quickly, because while out at the thumb, they meet some developers who are working on a plan to build a bridge right through the area to finally connect the mainland to the island. When a parent gives a clue that there is probably a nod to the artist, Bex works harder to solve the mystery while Davey peers at her worriedly from the tree. With an idea of a possible clue, they write to the local art museum to find out if the symbol they found may lead to an artist. Will they ever figure out who created this statue and why it is buried underwater?

Setting: possibly one of the Carolinas?

Characters:
Bex - incoming 7th grader, aspiring writer with major writer's block
Davey - 9 yo, Bex's little brother, loves to read, makes Bex think, super smart, only eats the yellow M&M's and carries them in a jar in his red backpack
Mom - a researcher who came to the area for research but fell in love and hasn't left, became a science teacher but loves doing research during the summer
Dad - born and raised on the island, works on the ferry boat, loves spending time with his kids who will frequently visit him on the boat
Millie Ochoa-Chen - Bex's former friend but now Bex avoids her
Mrs. Ochoa - Millie's grandma, runs a shop on the island, next door neighbor

Recurring Themes: siblings, island life, mystery, development, friendship, independence, boating, drought, death

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: This book is about the relationship between siblings. Bex practically idolizes her brother and the surprise ending will help the reader understand why. It is well written but a little slow up until the big reveal. This book is based on some true things from the author's life. Bex is given a lot of independence which seems plausible for a small town.

Genre: realistic fiction

Pacing: slow
Characters: well-developed
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity:… (meer)

A simple, yet heart warming story of a young girl growing up over the summer. Cat isn't really fond of her role of being guardian to Chicken her autistic younger brother. Since the death of her father she had to be the glue that keeps everything together especially with her mom always working. Cat barely has time to be a kid and sometimes that frustration shows between her interaction with Chicken. Over the course of the book we do get valuable insights of her mother's relationship to her parents and the prioritization of work over family can have detrimental long term effects. While these things are important, I do wish more time was spent with the children on the island and Cat biracial identity in regards to discrimination and hair. These two things in particular was presented in a rushed, one-dimensional way and I'm afraid younger readers might not fully get the point it is trying to established. I would have rated the book much higher, but I wasn't that interested in the Grandparents story-line.… (meer)