Book talk: charlotte and ben live in two different states, but connect over an online scrabble game. Both are facing huge family crises as well as struggling socially at school.
What I liked about this book was the alternating viewpoints, the nerd information, and the authentic feel of the characters.
Best audience: 5-7 grade.
Heavy issues: divorce, parental illness ( )

I keep trying to like Erin Entrada Kelly's works, but I think I'm just really not the intended audience. There's nothing wrong with this book at all, it's just not my cup of tea. ( )

children's middlegrade (navigating middleschol 6th/7yh grade, changing friends, bullying)
sweet story about one kid whose parents are going through an unexpected, though amicable, divorce and his online scrabble friend whose dad has just had a serious heart attack. Both kids are in real need of a good friend (though both kids do have loving parents). This is a pretty forgettable story, but young word pundits may enjoy the wordplay (which isn't a major feature) and other kids should be able to relate to feeling a bit lost and uncared for in the reality that is middle school. ( )

Twelve-year-old Charlotte and 11-year-old Ben are both going through an extremely stressful week -- Charlotte's older father in hospital after a heart attack and Ben's parents have just announced to him that they are getting a divorce. Entering middle school has meant both tweens have grown apart from their elementary school friends and aren't sure who they can reach out to now. The pair -- who only know each other through a virtual Scrabble game -- begin talking to each other on the phone.

This was a lovely book about the difficult feelings that often happen to middle school students -- losing old friends, making new friends, feeling lonely, feeling disconnected, dealing with school problems, dealing with home problems, worrying what everyone is thinking about them, and dealing with bullying and teasing. It was extremely heartfelt and I can imagine many children will see themselves in some of the situations presented. The power of friendship (as well as strong family bonds) is highlighted throughout.

Using just one week of their lives was an interesting device, and Kelly manages to explore the characters in great depth by using memories of past events to fully flesh out the characters and storyline. Everything is not perfect by the end but the conclusion is optimistic. I would definitely recommend this to middle school students who will either recognize themselves in the characters and/or gain empathy for others they see at school or social events. ( )

Written by Erin Entrada Kelly. This book addresses several of the issues that children in schools are dealing with – bullying, separation of parents and self-esteem. Ben (11) and Charlotte (12) live in different states and have never met. They are both very intelligent and considered nerds among their peers. They met online and play Scrabble together. In Philadelphia, Charlotte struggles with her dad’s recent heart attack and the loss of her best and only friend. Ben, in Louisiana, has just learned his parents will divorce. He decides to run for student council, which is a long shot and gets bullied in the process. Since neither has a friend to turn to when they have problems, they begin to rely on their online friendship. Nightly phone calls provide the sounding board they each need to work through difficult issues.