Shouting at the Rain

Hunt, Lynda Mullaly. Shouting at the Rain
May 7th 2019 by Nancy Paulsen Books
ARC provided by Follett First Look

Delsie lives in an East Coast seaside resort town with her Grammy. It's always been just the two of them, and Grammy is reticent about Delsie's parents. Things are a little tough, but the two make do with a support network of friends. As summer starts, Delsie's two best friends from school are involved in a local production of Annie, but her summer friend, Brandy, is back at her family's cottage. Unfortunately, Brandy has become more mature, wearing fancy clothes and wanting to get manicures rather than digging in the sand, and when she makes friends with Tressa, Brandy has no patience with Delsie's "immaturity", and the two fall out. There's no one else to hang out with but Ronan, the son of a new worker at the resort that employs Grammy. Ronan is a bit odd and skittish, but he is willing to talk about the weather with Delsie and go on lots of adventures with her. They play a made up version of Monopoly, help neighbor Henry with his boat, eat pancakes at a local café, and uncover secrets about each other's pasts while enjoying a summer that is mostly sunny, but with enough storms to make it interesting.
Strengths: The friendship problems with Delsie and Brandy are absolutely typical, yet not many middle grade novels address them. Grammy, with her t.v. game show addiction and no-nonsense attitude toward everything, was a great character. There are an increasing number of students being raised by grandparents, so that is also good to see. The seaside setting is interesting to those of us in land locked Ohio (unless you are a fancy person and hang out at Lake Erie), and Hunt's writing is always engaging.
Weaknesses: I wanted a bit more of a plot. This was very lyrical and atmospheric, but there were a lot of issues that were addressed briefly that I wanted to know more about. (Delsie's love of weather, her parents, even her problems with Brandy.)
What I really think: Hunt's other books are popular in my library, so I will probably purchase even though there have been an inordinate number of books set in seaside resorts in the summer recently. That and summer camps seem to be the new trend!

SCHEDULE

WEEK ONE

April 22 – A Gingerly Review – Review

April 23 – So She Tries – Review

April 24 – KidLitExchange – Review

April 25 – InRandom – Review

WEEK TWO

April 29 – Book Princess Reviews – Listicle: Books that take us through an emotional storm

April 30 – Mama Panda Bear – Review

May 1 – Ms. Yingling Reads – Review

May 2 – Elysian Artiste – Moodboard + Review

WEEK THREE

May 6 – Teachers Who Read – Review + Classroom Lesson

May 7 – Two Points of Interest – Review

May 8 – Just Commonly – Q&A

May 9 – Homeschool on the Range – Inspired by the Book: Learning Unit

Author Bios

Lynda Mullaly Hunt is the author of New York Times bestseller Fish in a Treeand Bank Street Best Book One for the Murphys. She's a former teacher, and holds writers retreats for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two children, impetuous beagle, and beagle-loathing cat.