February 18, 2025 by Charlesbridge
E ARC provided by Netgalley
Zella lives in Kettleby, a small New England town, with her mother and grandfather. Her grandmother, who started Trudi's Treats, the ice cream shop the family lives above, has passed away, and her grandfather is struggling with vascular dementia after a stroke. Zella is in 6th grade, and as the end of the year approaches, is obsessed with masterminding the greatest prank the school has ever known. It's a tradition, and while there are rules, the administration is okay with it. Zella walks to school with her friend Janae, who is interested in posting her fashion creations on ClicqueClok, and Bowiw, who is struggling a bit since his parents' divorce. The other students are as excited about the prank as they are about the class trip to Bayborough Beach, except for the new kid, Declan. Declan seems to be planning something, which irritates Zella, since he's also a social media sensation with his gaming and Zella is struggling to come up with ideas. We also meet Shelby, an aspiring investigative journalist a year younger than Zella, who wants the scoop on whatever goes on. The chapters are headed with the name of the person from whose perspective the story is told; we even get the views of the town sometimes! Things are rough at home for Zella, since the ice cream store isn't doing well financially, and her mother is very harried trying to run it while keeping the grandfather safe. Zella eventually figures out that the class prank could be a spin on yarn bombing after she meets a woman who is involved in Fiber Riot, and it's also a good way to use some of her grandmother's yarn. It also makes sense and is a little philosophical, because the school mascot is the spindle, since the town had been home to a sock factory. Zella manages to get a lot more supplies, including scarves and sweaters to use in the yarn installation in the school. She tries to follow the rules and stay safe, but does use the sculpture of a spindle, of which the principal is very proud, in the installation. The day of the prank starts off with the front door being inaccessible because a storm has felled a tree in front of it, but the prank goes well... until the principal pulls the rope that Zella added without her classmates knowing. A banner unfurls, but is unstable, and ends up damaging the spindle and a showcase, and one of the teachers is showered with a bucket of glitter. The principal says that the class trip to the beach will be canceled unless someone owns up to the damage. Zella does, and the principal makes her a deal; the prank tradition started as more of a community service project but has gone awry, and if Zella can pull off a service project, the class can go. After Zella's grandfather wanders off in the rain and Shelby helps her find him and bring him home, Zella gives Shelby two ice cream gift certificates. Shelby, in turn, gives them to two other people, giving Zella the idea of the "ripple effect" project that spreads joy around the town and even helps the family business.
Strengths: Zella is an exuberant but misguided middle school student who is concerned about her legacy and her reputation with her classmates, but doesn't pay attention to her friends as closely as she should. This is very realistic. Everyone in the book has problems of some sort; Declan's sister is in the hospital, Bowie has to travel between households, and even grocery store owner Ruby struggles with her store on delivery days. This makes the town ripe for Zella's plan, and even helps her mother's business by cleaning up a nearby abandoned lot. The yarn bombing was intriguing, and the link to the town's industrial past was informative. There are lots of good details about what it is like to run an ice cream shop, and good descriptions of the flavors!
Weaknesses: This was on the long side (400 pages) and had a lot going on. Also, I found it hard to believe that any school administration would condone a prank of any kind, or allow the trip to continue when the money clearly needed to be spent on replacing the showcase that was broken. (Even small ones would run $3,000.) I can't imagine the custodians were pleased with the clean up.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers want to make the world a better place and enjoyed Hurwitz's The Summer I Saved the World-- in 65 days or Shienmel's The Kindness Club series.
Weaknesses: This was on the long side (400 pages) and had a lot going on. Also, I found it hard to believe that any school administration would condone a prank of any kind, or allow the trip to continue when the money clearly needed to be spent on replacing the showcase that was broken. (Even small ones would run $3,000.) I can't imagine the custodians were pleased with the clean up.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers want to make the world a better place and enjoyed Hurwitz's The Summer I Saved the World-- in 65 days or Shienmel's The Kindness Club series.
January 14, 2025 by Delacorte Press
E ARC provided by Netgalley
Bess Stein is very excited to find out that she has been elected class president, and new student, June, is her vice president. In addition to a panini maker in the cafeteria, Bess is excited that Mr. Jasper has been able to work with the PTA and get a book vending machine in the library. Students will get a coin on their birthday for a book, and June's brother Knox is one of the first to pick a title. Bess' mother is an equine therapist, and her her father owns the Blackbird Cafe in their small town. Her younger brother, Avi, is in kindergarten and has an invisible friend named Penelope. When Bess notices that many of the titles that she and her friends helped pick out for the vending machine aren't being included, she finds that someone has challenged them. She goes to a Book Warriors meeting with librarians and others concerned about book bans, and decides to leave books around towns with sticky notes describing what the book is really about so that people can learn about them instead of just banning books. She is distraught to find that one shop owner she really likes won't have a book in her shop. When Bess finds out that June's mother is the one who got the books removed, she's angry, and doesn't understand when June won't stand up to her mother even though she doesn't believe in the book banning. The issue goes to the school board, and while the books are reinstated, Mr. Jasper is put on administrative leave and there is a substitute. He eventually leaves to take a job at a nonprofit promoting literacy. Eventually, June speaks her mind and stands up with her own opinions, and the Book Warriors seem to be successful.
This can be added to the list of recent books that address the current issue of book bannings, like Gratz' Ban This Book, Varnes' Property of the Rebel Librarian, Yang's Finally Seen, Levy's Not Another Banned Book, and King's Attack of the Black Rectangles. I do wish that Bess had been more understanding of June's situation; the mother could have been abusive, and June could have been in danger had she stood up to her. Also, not all librarians are in a position to get a new job, as Mr. Jasper was.
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