Ways to Build Dreams (Ryan Hart #4)

Watson, Renee. Ways to Build Dreams (Ryan Hart #4)
October 17, 2023 by Bloomsbury Children's Books

E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this sequel to Ways to Make Sunshine, Ways to Grow Love, and Ways to Share Joy, we see Ryan finishing up her fifth grade school. Her baby sister Rose is cute, but requires a lot of care, and her older brother Ray is still annoying. She's planning an elaborate prank to get back at him, but not sure what to do; she only knows she will somehow tie it in to his poetry recitation. The biggest thing at school is a project on Black leaders who made an impact in Oregon, and Ryan's group is assigned Beatrice Morrow Cannady. While she's excited to work on the project with friends Kiki and Hannah, she is less than excited to work with Brandon. Ryan also is struggling with the impact that she wants to make on the world, although her parents and grandmother are insistent that the kind of person she is when she grows up is more important than what she will do. Her teacher, Ms. Anderson, also has positive and supportive messages for the class, asking them all to write about the person on display in the room, when Ms. Anderson has them looking into a box where there is a mirror, so the students are writing about themselves. Ryan asks her familiy to help her with these projects, and they also help her when she is afraid of public speaking. 

Strengths: Ryan is an engaging character who has realistic reactions to many common elementary school experiences. I did appreciate that Brandon turned out to be a much better classmate than Ryan expected, even saving her from getting into trouble for not doing work with some quick thinking. I also really enjoy herr grandmother and their thrift shopping. I would really like to see the next book start a new series, with a slightly older look for middle school readers. It would be nice if the first book had enough of a recap that readers could start it without having to read the first four books. Not sure what that would look like, but I'm always up for a realistic fiction series for middle school. 
Weaknesses: The prank never seemed in character with Ryan's personality, and in fact ended up being a poorly timed celebration rather than a prank. I would have preferred a different sub plot. 
What I really think: The page decorations and upbeat attitude make this a great choice for readers who enjoy series like Sheth's Nina Soni, Cabot's Notebooks of a Middle School Princess, and 

Moreno and Lovett's Maggie Diaz.