Thanks to Netgalley, I was able to read one of my most highly anticipated middle grade books of 2024 early—but don't worry, you won't have to wait long! You can pre-order ​Take it from the Top now, and it will be available in November.

On to the review! Let's start with the publisher's description:

Set at a camp over the course of six summers, this novel dives into the falling-out of two girls from different backgrounds who thought they'd be friends forever. Claire Swinarski, regional indie bestseller of the ALA Notable What Happened to Rachel Riley?, tackles privilege, perspective, and the power of friendship in this page-turning puzzle that readers will devour.

Eowyn Becker has waited all year to attend her sixth summer at Lamplighter Lake Summer Camp. Here, she’s not in the shadow of her Broadway-star older brother; she’s a stellar performer in her own right. Here, the pain of her mom’s death can’t reach her, and she gets to reunite with her best friend, Jules Marrigan—the only person in the world who understands her.

But when she gets to camp, everything seems wrong. The best-friend reunion Eowyn had been dreaming of doesn’t go as planned. Jules will barely even look at Eowyn, let alone talk to her, and Eowyn has no idea why.

Well, maybe she does…

There are two sides to every story, and if you want to understand this one, you’ll need to hear both. Told in a series of alternating chapters that dip back to past summers, the girls’ story will soon reveal how Eowyn and Jules went from being best friends to fierce foils. Can they mend ways before the curtains close on what was supposed to be the best summer of their lives?

I absolutely loved this story! Eowyn and Jules are both wonderful and wonderfully-crafted characters. I wish I could be friends with both of them…and still I found myself ready to smack both of them at various points throughout the story (okay, so I was a little invested). Like all of Claire Swinarksi's books, character development takes center stage, but Take it from the Top also brings the setting to life in such a tangible way. I could practically feel the stage makeup tickling my nose and imagine the chilly lake and cozy cabins of summer camp (and that says a lot considering I never went to summer camp). 

This is an obvious pick for the theater lovers in your life. What might not be as obvious from the description is how much Take it from the Top is a book about families—how they form us, how they hurt us, how they heal us, how they make us who we are and how who we are is not defined by them. The friendship between Jules and Eowyn is the central relationship in the story, but the entire plot revolves around how their two respective families and family situations create a conflict that Jules and Eowyn have to work to overcome. Perhaps this reminds you a little of a very famous play? Maybe the name Jules was chosen as a subtle nod? While these very normal American families may be no Capulets and Montagues with ill blood between them, Take it from the Top presents a more (to my mind) interesting and relevant inter-family dynamic: can our backgrounds be so different that true understanding is impossible? Of course the answer is no…but it is also: it might be difficult. And that's okay. Because so many of the things worth putting our time into in life are difficult. Like family. And friendship. And singing on stage in front of hundreds of people.

As usual, a note to parents on whether this book is right for your child. Here are few topics and themes I'll discuss with my children either before, during, or after they read Take it from the Top:
-death of a parent and how it affects a family
-a couple cases of characters taking God's name in vain (my children are very sensitive to this)
-a lot of crushes… The main characters are 13, and my 13-year-old has absolutely no interest in crushes. :) For that reason, I'll probably give it to my older daughters first. I love that the boy-girl relationships are always innocent—the relationship between Eowyn and her crush is particularly very sweet, but I would discuss with my kids that she sneaks out of her cabin to talk to him at night several times… I know, I know, kids do this. But I'm a mom of teens and my child safety detector is on high alert.
-some of the songs and musicals mentioned are more mature than what I let my 13-year-olds view, so I'll be giving them a heads up before they start searching Youtube…

(I always provide these notes as an aid to parents, teachers, and librarians, but I won't recommend any books I wouldn't feel comfortable handing to my own kids—as a parent, I simply always appreciate having more info rather than less! Sometimes I incorporate topic notes into my reviews, but in the future I'm going to try to list them out like this for viewing ease.)

As I said, Take it from the Top will be available in November, so be sure to pre-order from your favorite bookstore or library now!

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, visit: http://alwaysinthemiddle.com

Want another book to add to your 2025 Newbery hopeful list? You've come to the right place. The Secret Language of Birds, by Lynne Kelly, has so many elements that I love in a middle grade novel: a main character with a fun obsession, a plot that revolves around friendship and fitting in (or learning when not to), an evocative setting, and a "plot problem" that is both realistic to the middle grade years while feeling high stakes for that character. 

Here's the publisher's description: 

Nina is used to feeling like the odd one out, both at school and in her large family. But while trying to fit in at summer camp, she discovers something even more two majestic birds have built a nest in the marsh behind an abandoned infirmary. They appear to be whooping cranes, but that’s impossible—Nina is an amateur bird-watcher, and all her resources tell her that those rare birds haven’t nested in Texas for over a hundred years.

When Nina reports the sighting to wildlife officials, more questions arise. Experts track all the endangered birds, but they can’t identify the female bird that Nina found. Who is she, and where did she come from?

With the help of some fellow campers, Nina sets out to discover who the mystery bird really is. As she gets closer to the truth, will she find a flock of her own?

This instant classic from award-winning author Lynne Kelly captures the coming-of-age moment of learning to spread your wings in a way you'll never forget.

I think I can safely say that my very favorite types of characters in middle grade (maybe in all books?) tend to have one trait in common: they LOVE things deeply. They get obsessed. They can tell you every detail about their favorite things, whether you asked or not. So Nina's obsession with birdwatching automatically pulled me into her story—especially, okay, because birdwatching is an obsession I might just happen to share. Lynne Kelly even managed to get two of my favorite birdwatching bits of trivia into the story (how to tell the difference between young herons and egrets—hey, it comes up a lot when you live next to a river—and one I will call "the Shakespeare one" so I don't spoil it for you, but it's very funny). My children have heard me monologue for minutes on end about the recovery of the osprey population in Connecticut (as I explain WHY I am so excited about something that is now so commonplace as an osprey nest), so none of them were surprised at all when I fell in love with a book about two endangered birds and a girl who loves them.

All that said… even if birdwatching holds very little interest for you, you will be pulled in by Nina's story. Because birdwatching is just a fascinating canvas on which Lynne Kelly paints the story of a girl who is learning to love who she is and to love others for who they are, too. Who is growing in her ability to accept love and to give it. Basically, a girl who is learning how to be a friend. And there's no more quintessentially middle grade story than that.

Mostly, the themes in this book are appropriate for even young middle grade readers, though before you hand this off to a sensitive reader, you may want to be aware that is discusses purposeless hunting of an endangered bird. The main character also sneaks off by herself several times throughout the book and keeps secrets from adults—but both of these issues are met with consequences; she does regret her bad choices and learns from them.

Have you read ​The Secret Language of Birds ​yet? What did you think?

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, check out Always in the Middle at http://gpattridge.com

Today's featured book made me laugh out loud, cry actual tears, and think deep thoughts. I absolutely loved it. It's also a book I would never, ever have picked up as a kid. I might not even have enjoyed it, had I been forced into it. It's not because it's an adult-focused book, or one kids won't enjoy. In fact, my teenage daughter read it before I did and enjoyed every minute. It's simply because people change, and thank goodness there are books written for every step of life we take. The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman, by Jennifer Choldenko, while its story might bear little resemblance to my actual life right now, was somehow, mysteriously exactly what I needed at this moment in time.

Here's the publisher's description:
When eleven-year-old Hank’s mom doesn’t come home, he takes care of his toddler sister, Boo, like he always does. But it’s been a week now. They are out of food and mom has never stayed away this long… Hank knows he needs help, so he and Boo seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact.
But asking for help has consequences. It means social workers, and a new school, and having to answer questions about his mom that he's been trying to keep secret. And if they can't find his mom soon, Hank and Boo may end up in different foster homes--he could lose everything. 
Gennifer Choldenko has written a heart-wrenching, healing, and ultimately hopeful story about how complicated family can be. About how you can love someone, even when you can’t rely on them. And about the transformative power of second chances.

It's been a bit since I read a contemporary middle grade story this compelling, or with a character so completely lovable as Hank. My long-time readers know that "issue books" aren't my thing, so I will assure you that while this story touches upon many painful topics, it is not about them. It's very much a story about a boy and his relationship with his sister and his mother, as well as his own growth in understanding of himself and his worth. 

​As I mentioned, my teenage daughter read this before me and loved it—she warned me that it was serious in moments and would probably make me cry (yup), so I asked her "Are the sad moments like Gary D. Schmidt sad or Bridge to Terabithia sad?" Her answer: "Well, it's hard to say… It's more like Claire Swinarski sad."  After finishing it, I knew exactly what she meant. Hank Hooperman hit me in the gut and pulled at my heartstrings just like Claire Swinarski's middle grade books. If I was shelving books based on their vibes and the range of emotions I felt while reading them, this one would go right next to Swinarski's The Kate In Between. 

If you and your kids love books like that, this is a must-read. But if you don't usually…maybe give it a chance. Books are such wonderful ways to expand our imaginations and our empathy, to grow in understanding of people whose lives are very very different from our own but who are very very worthy of love. 

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, check out Always in the Middle: http://gpattridge.com