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Book Reviews, Middle-Grade Book Reviews · November 2, 2020

Review | Stick with Me by Jennifer Blecher

Book Review | Stick with Me by Jennifer Blecher

Summary: Stick with Me

In Stick with Me, Izzy and Wren, two very different 12-year-olds are unwittingly brought together at just the right time in their lives. Izzy, a sweet, creative artist with a love for stickers lives in Boston with her parents and older brother Nate. Her best friend, Phoebe is now friends with popular, not-so-nice girl, Daphne, and only hangs out with Izzy because their mothers who are best friends, make them.

Wren, on the other hand, is a determined figure skater whose little sister, Hannah has epilepsy. Wren is understandably upset when her parents mention that instead of spending her winter break practicing, they’ll be moving into a home several hours away to be closer to the hospital where Hannah will have brain surgery for epilepsy.

As Wren stays in Izzy’s room for the week (Izzy and her family move into their basement apartment), she has to deal with her emotions about her parents and sister, while attending theater camp with Izzy and her classmates. Izzy and Wren begin a tentative friendship, but a misunderstanding with Phoebe and Daphne threatens to ruin their connection.


The Good

I really liked this book — more than I did Blecher’s debut Out of Place. Both books have similar themes of bullying and female friendships, but in this one, the story is told from two perspectives. Wren and Izzy are nuanced characters. Izzy is sweet and hides her sadness about her strained relationship with Phoebe from her mother because she doesn’t want to be a burden. However, she releases most of those emotions by drawing not-so-nice comics about Daphne and Phoebe. Wren is angsty because although she loves her sister, like any healthy child in a family with a sick sibling, her needs are often relegated to second place — and reasonably so sometimes.

I liked Wren’s passion for ice skating and Izzy’s talent for art. I also loved Izzy’s relationship with Nate, and both girls’ realistic, warm relationships with their parents and families. Blecher understands the ache of feeling left out and Izzy’s response to being dumped by her best friend will touch anyone who’s ever felt that way. I liked the camp scenes and just reading about the daily comings and goings of both girls; this book is a true slice-of-life novel with that still manages to have strong plot points and a satisfying resolution.


Overall: Stick with Me

Jennifer Blecher’s Stick with Me is a heartwarming middle-grade book about finding friendship in unexpected places. This sophomore novel explores female friendships, bullying in middle school, life with a sick sibling, and pursuing artistic passions and a love for ice skating. Readers who enjoy family-centered novels and books featuring strong female protagonists will enjoy this one.

Stick with Me is out November 3. Don’t miss my interview with Jennifer Blecher TOMORROW!


Buy This Book

stick with me - jennifer blecher
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More Middle-Grade Book Reviews

  • A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi
  • A Place at the Table by Laura Shovan and Saadia Faruqi
  • Turning Point by Paula Chase

Have you read this book or any other book by Jennifer Blecher? What are your favorite middle-grade books about bullying? I’d love to hear!

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Posted In: Book Reviews, Middle-Grade Book Reviews · Tagged: bullying, family, Female friendships, ice skating, sick siblings, sports, strong female protagonists

About the Author

Afoma Umesi is the founder and blogger at Reading Middle Grade. She's a writer and editor with a deep love for children's literature. Her favorite genre is contemporary realistic fiction, but she'll never say no to a graphic novel. Read More…

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Afoma (Reading Middle Grade)
📚 booksmarts don’t define you ❤️ This bo 📚 booksmarts don’t define you ❤️

This book by @brigityoungbooks was one of my favorites last year. There aren’t many middle grade books I wish a younger me would’ve had. But this is one of them. 

Marianne Blume has convinced herself that she’s not smart. She’s gotten through school so far by charming teachers out of questioning her. But her eighth-grade teacher, Mr. Garcia, isn’t easily fooled. To pull up her grades for high school, Marianne tries to win his favor by joining the school’s trivia team (which he coaches). 

But as the term progresses, Marianne bonds with the trivia kids and learns that there’s more to being smart than book smart — but also, she’s more intelligent than she gives herself credit for.

This is a deeply insightful book about labels, persistence, and self-belief, featuring themes like sisterhood, female friendships, and family. This one will be extra meaningful to the kids (like me) who are so afraid of failure that they stop trying. 

It also teaches a valuable lesson that learning isn’t effortless — for anyone. More importantly, it’s a poignant reminder that book smarts aren’t the only valuable skill. People skills are incredibly powerful, especially for leading others. 

I hope I’ve convinced you to pick this one up. I loved the voice in this story—it will speak to kids in grades 6+. Have you read this book?

#booksforkids #middlegradebooks #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram
🎤 new chapter book series alert 🚨 Frankie 🎤 new chapter book series alert 🚨 

Frankie and Friends: Breaking News is the first in the new Frankie and Friends series. Frankie's mom is off on a reporting trip, and the whole family is missing her. 

With her stuffed animals as partners, Frankie decides to use the journalism tidbits she's learned from her mom -- like finding your beat and being honest -- to solve a surprising family mystery.

This is a charming, educational, and imaginative start to a fun series that's perfect for new readers. With a good mix of journalistic terminology, sister relationships, and depictions of imaginative play, supported by gorgeous full-color illustrations, kids will love Frankie and her determined efforts to break the news.

#chapterbook #booksforkids #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram
🕵️‍♀️ a new mystery for spelling bee fa 🕵️‍♀️ a new mystery for spelling bee fans

If you’ve been looking for more high-stakes mysteries for tweens, let me introduce you to THE WINTERTON DECEPTION! Meet 13-year-old twins Hope and Gordon. They’ve just found out that their dad was Brandon Winterton (of the wealthy dictionary magnate family). Unfortunately, Hope can’t stand rich people, especially since the twins and their mom are barely making ends meet and living in a motel. But their fortune is about to change.

When Gordon enters the family into the Winterton Bee, they’re thrust into into the midst of family’s secrets, with a deadly enemy, and a scavenger hunt set up by the family’s dead matriarch. 

This is a fast-paced mystery with plenty to gnaw on between the twin relationship, family drama, character development, and flashbacks that help readers learn more about the Winterton family.

So happy that more and more mysteries are coming out for readers in the 6th-8th grades. This one does touch a bit on addiction and there’s a scene where the kids’ lives are in danger but all ends well!

It’s out at the end of October! 🤩

#mysteriesforkids #middlegradebooks #bookstagram
👯‍♀️ TWINS in middle grade literature 💕 

I love seeing more twins in middle grade books. For a long time, the only twins I knew in middle grade lit were the Sweet Valley High girlies. Then, I got a glimpse of twin life with Issa and Jessie in @karinaisreadingandwriting’s THE VANDERBEEKERS. 

Since then, we’ve seen more depictions of twins, including Varian Johnson’s TWINS (a graphic novel about twin sisters Francine and Maureen entering 6th grade), MIRROR TO MIRROR by Rajani LaRocca, and Hope and Gordon in THE WINTERTON DECEPTION (review to come)!

And of course, these two books, TWIN CITIES and SAVING SUNSHINE (which I just started and am loving)! While these stories will appeal to twins, I think everyone who’s ever been curious about twins will love getting a glimpse into what life feels like as one half of a whole. 

Which middle grade twin stories have you read and loved? 😍 

#middlegrade #twinbooks #mglit #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks
📰 a beautiful graphic novel about speaking the 📰 a beautiful graphic novel about speaking the truth 

This stunning graphic novel follows Cinzia, Avvisi writer’s apprentice living in sunny Sianerra. Cinzia and her mestra write news stories/pamphlets to the city, but not everyone likes when they tell the truth. 

After an edition exposing the ruling family for extortion, cinzia and her mestra are arrested at night and she has to join forces with the princess to fight back against censorship. 

Besides the wonderfully imaginative and powerful storyline, loved the visuals and the diversity representation in this graphic novel. The main character has a bad leg and gets around with a walking stick, which is something rarely depicted in graphic novels (and it’s barely even discussed—it just is!).

Although, this book is closer to fantasy (but without magical elements), it’s set in a Renaissance-style Italian village, so it could work for lovers of realistic fiction too.

Look out for it in November! Have you read this graphic novel? Thoughts? Is it on your radar already?

#graphicnovels #mglit #booksforkids
🩰throwback Thursday - meet one of my favorites 🩰throwback Thursday - meet one of my favorites

Looking for an upper middle grade book about ballet, friendships, and body image? Meet TURNING POINT. 

This book focuses on Monique (Mo) and Rasheeda (Sheeda)’s friendship and how it changes over a summer when both girls are drawn into different pursuits. Mo is off at a ballet intensive with Mila, while Sheeda is stuck at church (with her church “friends”) feeling like she has no life.

At the ballet intensive, Mo comes face to face with her competitive attitude which is fueled by feelings of not “fitting in” with the mostly white, skinny ballet dancers. Even though she makes a couple of friends (who basically lovingly force her to befriend them), she’s insecure at times, afraid to be vulnerable because everything feels so different. On the other hand, Sheeda is desperate for something new. Unfortunately, she falls into a risky situation with Mo’s brother whom she happens to have a crush on.

Paula Chase is one of my favorite writers for this audience and this may be my favorite of hers so far. It’s in the same universe as two of her previous books, DOUGH BOYS and SO DONE but you don’t need to read them in order. 

I’d say her books are great for kids ages 12+
Have you read any books by this author? Which ones are your favorites?

#booksbooksbooks #mglit #bookstagram
🇲🇽Twins on opposite sides I’d seen this b 🇲🇽Twins on opposite sides

I’d seen this book floating around for ages but was never drawn to it (the cover maybe?) until I saw a review somewhere I can’t remember 🤪 I was pleasantly surprised!

Twins Luisa and Fernando find their paths diverging as they’re entering sixth grade. Luisa will be attending middle school in the US just across the border from Fernando’s school in Mexico. There, they come to face to face with different, but equally pressing challenges that threaten to tear them apart.

I really enjoyed this book. The side by side depictions of both kids parallel lives, the way the illustrations celebrate Mexican culture, living, and traditions, and the heartwarming way the twins find their way back to each other. 

I’d recommend this one to 6th graders and up (heads up for content warning: text mentions and depicts illicit drug use by a minor, although portrayed in a negative light) as a fascinating look into Mexican culture, life as a twin, and finding your own identity.

#kidlit #graphicnovels #mglit #booksforkids
♠️ on spades and what it means to be a man An ♠️ on spades and what it means to be a man

Ant isn’t your average 10 year old. He loves a good game of spades and he and his best friend are planning to revamp their reputation after losing badly at the last spades tournament. But things are changing in Ant’s life. His dad is acting weird, asking him to hide things from his mom. There’s a new girl in class who Ant maybe likes and who plays spades better than many boys he knows. 

When his best friend is grounded, Ant teams up with Shirley, hoping to impress his father and finally be tough like Joplin men should be. But instead, he learns what it really means to be a man—and it’s not about never crying.

There’s SO MUCH going on in this story, but the author does a stunning job of keeping all the threads in place. I was very surprised by all the protagonist has to manage at his age and the fact that it all remains believable. The story is told by Ant’s ancestor, lending a touch of magic realism. There are also many details about playing a game of spades and I loved, loved the audiobook narrator.

If you’re looking for a meatier middle grade book perfect for kids ages 9-12 (and older, really—love the cover!) looking for books that balance levity and relatability with real issues like toxic masculinity, parental addiction, friendship issues, and crushes.

#mglit #middlegrade #middlegradebookies #kidlit #booksforkids
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