Not the Worst Friend in the World, Dancing in the Storm

Rellihan, Anne. Not the Worst Friend in the World

February 6, 2024 by Holiday House

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

Lou and Francie have been friends since kindergarten, when Francie continually got into trouble for her outspoken ways. At the start of 6th grade, however, they are not speaking due to something that Lou did and regrets. Because she is no longer in Francie's orbit, she feels invisible at the Our Lady of Perpetual Hope Catholic school they both attend. When new student Cece shows up, Lou feels that there is an air of mystery about her, and agrees to meet with her when Cece passes her a note. The two have a few things in common, including a love of Fitzhugh's Harriet the Spy (1964), and Lou isn't sure what to make of it when Cece confides that she thinks that her father has kidnapped her. There is some compelling evidence: her parents are separating, her father has taken a leave of absence from his university job to come back to move to Mayfield, Missouri to be with his mother, whom he has not spoken to in a while and has seemed to dislike. Cece hasn't spoken to her mother in at least a month, and she has some evidence that before her mother left for a weekend with her Aunt Julie, she was planning on returning home. Lou agrees to help Cece investigate, because Cece doesn't want to go to the police and get her father in trouble. The two also end up working on a project for school together, and Cece has decided to interview local psychic Angel, and maybe get some help from her. Lou has a few problems of her own; her father lives in Kansas City, and her last visit with him was awkward. She likes her stepfather James, and her two young half siblings, but her mother is very busy. Lou doesn't feel she can tell her mother about the problems she's having with Francie. As the investigation continues, Lou starts to realize that Cece's father has not kidnapped her, but she doesn't know how to let her new friend know without making her angry. When Lou is scheduled to spend time with her father in Kansas City, Cece wants to come so that she can find her mother. When Lou finally admits that she hasn't even asked her father, Cece gets angry and lashes out in a hurtful way. When Cece goes missing after a birthday sleepover at Francie's, Lou knows she needs to speak up about her possible whereabouts and finally be honest with her friends about her feelings. 

Strengths: While it might seem far fetched to adult readers that Cece firmly believes she is the victim of parental kidnapping, Rellihan does a great job of offering convincing reasons for why Cece feels this way. It is also realistic for Lou to be reeled in by this, and for her to discount other information that presents itself because of her desire to remain friends with Cece. The girls' investigation is hampered by the fact that neither has a smart phone, and their corralling of sketchy technology to do their investigations does ring true. It was interesting to see the dynamics of a small town Catholic school, and the way the girls go about their project with April the psychic rings true as well. I love that the offered to pass out flyers to her, and also that April was concerned about Cece. Friend drama is a huge part of middle school and upper elementary, so I imagine that young readers will love "all the drama".
Weaknesses: The mystery would have been enough to propel this story forward, and the flashbacks to Lou and Francie's past slowed the story down. I'm also not entirely sure many second graders read Harriet the Spy now, and I know that teenagers are not reading magazines the way that Francie's older sister seems to be. My fairly good sized town (almost 40,000 residents) no longer supports a newspaper, the way that Mayfield can. 
What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who loved Shang's Bubble Trouble (2023), Walker's Let's Pretend We Never Met (2017), Vernick's Water Balloon (2011), or Comerford's Rissa Bartholomew's Declaration of Independence (2009). 

Hitchcock, Shannon and Specht, Amie Darnell. Dancing in the Storm

February 6, 2024 by Rocky Pond Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Kate is an avid gymnast, and her family supports her endeavors. Her grandparents even come from West Virginia to Louisiana to visit when she has a big meet, where she does very well. Her shoulder has been bothering her, but that's not unusual in the sport, so she doesn't tell her mother. She has two good friend, Claire, with whom she does gymnastics, and Mindy\ who is much more fun and does things that are not related to gymnastics, like baking or just hanging out. Kate is missing her dog, who passed away a bit ago, but continues on with her training and competition. When the pain becomes too much, she tells her mother, who discoverers a large bump on her shoulder. An appointment is made with the doctor right away, but he reviews Kate to an orthopedic specialist, who refers them to a geneticist. The root of Kate's problem is a genetic disorder called Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), a rare condition where trauma causes tissue to turn to bone. Any kind of sport is discouraged, as well as any kind of activity that could lead to injury, and even things like shots or surgery that could traumatize muscles. Gymnastics are definitely out of the question. It takes some courage to tell people in her life, including her grandparents, her teachers, and her friends, and Kate is sad to give up gymnastics, although her parents decide to put in a pool to encourage physical activity. While Mindy is supportive, Claire and her friends from gymnastics just try to ignore this news. Kate's mother takes her to look at rescue dogs, and she adopts a new pet whose owner has passed away. When Kate is assigned a speech for class about something that she is passionate about, will she be able to adjust to her new reality and find some way to express how she is going to go on? 
Strengths: I had never heard of FOP, and it certainly is a life changing event for Kate. I love that Kate referenced Judith Heumann, who passed away recently. This is a realistic view of one girl's struggles with a rare and potentially debilitating disorder that changes the activities she loves and her relationships with her friends. 
Weaknesses: This got off to a rocky start for me, and seemed different from Hitchcock's usual writing. It's interesting to see this collaboration though; Hitchcock has done a number of these. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want to are interested in the challenges of using a wheelchair in Stroker's in A Chance to Fly (the author is mentioned in the book), the discussion of Cystic Fibrosis in Baldwin's No Matter the Distance, or the issue of declinging eyesight in Johnson's Dog Driven. 

When I was young, I found the classic Light a Single Candle, about author Beverly Butler's descent into blindness riveting and reread Marie Killilea's 1952 Karen, about her daughter's struggles with cerebral palsey several times. There is something interesting about how people handle adversity, and the resilience that people can show in times of difficulty. I've often wondered about Karen Killilea, and was sad to discover that she died several years ago, and the age of 80, having lived on her own and worked as a receptionist for 40 years, despite being given the slimmest of chances to survive when she was born.