P.S. I Miss You

Petro-Roy, Jen, P.S. I Miss You
March 6th 2018 by Feiwel and Friends
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Evie is angry with her strict Catholic parents when they send her older sister Cilla to live with their aunt on her farm. Cilla has gotten pregnant, is going to give away the baby, and will go away to boarding school afterwards. Her aunt has no internet, so Evie decides to write her letters, even when Cilla doesn't respond. At eleven, Evie is going through changes with friends and attitudes, and seeks her sister's advice and support. Evie's old friends are becoming more distant, her home atmosphere is sad and angry, and she is glad to meet June, a new girl in town. June is a lot of fun to hang around, and soon both girls realize that they like each other as more than friends. Since June is an atheist and a "bad influence", Evie is very afraid that her parents will choose to deal with her in the same way that dealt with Cilla is they find out she is gay. When a family secret emerges, Evie is even more angry with her parents, but that emotion helps her to be true to her own feelings despite what her parents might think.
Strengths: I am always looking for middle grade appropriate LGBTQ+ titles like Dee's Star-Crossed and Barakiva's One Man Guy. By "age appropriate", I mean that the gay characters have a romantic arc in the story similar to what we see with heterosexual characters. They might kiss, hold hands, worry that the other person doesn't like them, etc. YA romance often involves a lot of drinking and graphic or instructional descriptions of sex. That's not the sort of story most middle grade students find appealing. Evie and Jen's budding romance was very well done and realistic as were Evie's worries about her parents. I especially liked how she shared the information with her friends, and their reactions. There were several same sex couples in my younger daughters' grade eight years ago, so I think that the vast majority of middle grade readers almost expect to see those relationships in real life. They ought to see them in literature as well.
Weaknesses: Readers who are not familiar with the Catholic religion and its tenets might be baffled by the extreme actions of Evie's parents. I grew up in a Catholic community, so knew of the various values, but more explanation of them in the book would have helped. Also, while the epistolographic style of then novel is well explained, it still felt outdated.
What I really think: I am torn about this one. On the one hand, I really liked Evie and June's romance. On the other, I have many students who don't have fathers, and I worry that they might feel bad about themselves after reading about how judgmental Evie's parents are. I had trouble believing that anyone in today's society would assign stigma to an unmarried mother. This might be a book that does better in some communities than in others.

Cestari, Crystal. The Best Kind of Magic
May 16th 2017 by Disney-Hyperion
Public Library Copy

Amber's mother runs a magic shop off the Navy Pier in Chicago, and is also in charge of a local coven. Unfortunately, the magic has skipped Amber, and she is "only" a matchmaker-- she can look into someone's eyes and see who their true love will be. When the mayor, who is a good friend of her mother's, is searching for his fiance, Amber gets involved when his son, Charlie, approaches her to help. Charlie is quite popular at their private school, and Amber has only her friend Amani, since people are often displeased with the futures she tells them. Searching for Cassandra leads the two into some of the seedier dives in Chicago and puts them at risk from vampires and trolls. Amber knows that she isn't Charlie's "the one", but she does like them, and as they spend more and more time together, she starts to doubt her abilities as a matchmaker, especially when she locates Amani's match... and Amani hates him. Charlie and Amber manage to solve the mystery and make a connection. What will the next book, The Sweetest Kind of Fate, bring?
Strengths: This was a super fun, high school romance book that was also middle grade appropriate. The magic elements are just an accepted part of the world, and no one blinks at them. The private school settings and brush with celebrity (football playing mayor) are always great elements to add. Amber is a typical teen, who has dreams of being a pastry chef, fights with her mother occasionally, and makes a few bad choices. Enjoyed this one a lot.
Weaknesses: I didn't think it was necessary for the girls at school to be quite so mean to her!
What I really think: I don't really have the readers for this now-- they've all gone the way of Judy Moody and super short, easy books. My 7th and 8th graders used to love this sort of title. I will buy this and the sequel and hope that my readers pick up the pace a little!