May 20, 2025 by Jolly Fish Pr
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Joey (aka Giovanni Carlo) Bellini has been struggling with a lot recently. Two years ago, his grandfather, Nonno, passed away, and he feels responsible. Recently, his best friend Xander's mother was diagnosed with diabetes, and his whole family has adopted healthier habits. Xander is on the cross country team now, and would rather hang out with teammates or go running than sit on the couch and watch soccer matches with Joey while eating his Nonna's Italian food. Not only that, but his cousin Leo, who was there when Nonno died, is coming to live with Joey's family for the entire summer, and expects Joey to train in order to hike Mount Whitney with him later in the summer. Joey just wants to wallow in cannoli and television, but his mother, a pediatrician, isn't having it. Joey reluctantly goes on hikes with Leo, and the two have a hiking group, led by Deb. This is a rag tag bunch dubbed "the Ascenders" that includes emo-looking Romero and the silent Dominic, the recalcitrant Maya, and some adults. While Joey doesn't really mind hanging out with the cross country team, especially Desiree, who seems to like him, he misses his one-on-one time with his best friend. He also misses the closeness he had with Leo, but just can't get past his anger over Nonno's death, even though there is something really wrong with Leo's health. As hiking becomes more enjoyable, and Joey is even invited to hike Mt. Baldy with Desiree, will he be able to make some peace with both the past and the present in order to stop feeling so horrible?
Strengths: It's always fantastic to have writers who do things most of us will never do (climb Mt. Whitney!) and then write about them. The details about being on the trail are great, and it's good to see Joey changing a lifestyle that many of my students embrace. Middle grade friendships often fall apart because of changing interests, so the fact that Xander still includes Joey with his new friend group is rather admirable. Having a light romance with Desiree is perfect, and Harrison is a perfect nemesis, with his stockless loafers and ironed pants! The family dynamics are realistic; grandmother moving in with the family after the grandfather's death, Leo having problems with his stepfather, and the mother worrying about Joey will all resonate with this age group. Leo's illness is sad, but handled in a hopeful manner. There's a lot of Italian culture and cooking, which I don't see a lot. Having grown up near Youngstown, Ohio, though, it certainly sounds very familiar! Fry clearly knows middle school students well, and crafts another excellent novel about overcoming a variety of challenges.
Weaknesses: I was really rooting for Joey to join the cross country team! Ms. Fry coached middle school cross country at about the same time I was coaching, so I was thinking this book would take a similar turn to her 2012 Losing It. Also, the beginning of this is frighteningly similar to my own sad attempt at middle grade fiction (of which I wrote just seven chapters), Two Mile Sprint! I also would have been happier with a little less angst, and for Joey to come around a bit more quickly.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked Downing's Just Keep Walking or Messner's new The Trouble with Heroes. I'm not sure that I want to take up hiking up mountains, but these books might certainly encourage my students to look into the sport.
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Joey (aka Giovanni Carlo) Bellini has been struggling with a lot recently. Two years ago, his grandfather, Nonno, passed away, and he feels responsible. Recently, his best friend Xander's mother was diagnosed with diabetes, and his whole family has adopted healthier habits. Xander is on the cross country team now, and would rather hang out with teammates or go running than sit on the couch and watch soccer matches with Joey while eating his Nonna's Italian food. Not only that, but his cousin Leo, who was there when Nonno died, is coming to live with Joey's family for the entire summer, and expects Joey to train in order to hike Mount Whitney with him later in the summer. Joey just wants to wallow in cannoli and television, but his mother, a pediatrician, isn't having it. Joey reluctantly goes on hikes with Leo, and the two have a hiking group, led by Deb. This is a rag tag bunch dubbed "the Ascenders" that includes emo-looking Romero and the silent Dominic, the recalcitrant Maya, and some adults. While Joey doesn't really mind hanging out with the cross country team, especially Desiree, who seems to like him, he misses his one-on-one time with his best friend. He also misses the closeness he had with Leo, but just can't get past his anger over Nonno's death, even though there is something really wrong with Leo's health. As hiking becomes more enjoyable, and Joey is even invited to hike Mt. Baldy with Desiree, will he be able to make some peace with both the past and the present in order to stop feeling so horrible?
Strengths: It's always fantastic to have writers who do things most of us will never do (climb Mt. Whitney!) and then write about them. The details about being on the trail are great, and it's good to see Joey changing a lifestyle that many of my students embrace. Middle grade friendships often fall apart because of changing interests, so the fact that Xander still includes Joey with his new friend group is rather admirable. Having a light romance with Desiree is perfect, and Harrison is a perfect nemesis, with his stockless loafers and ironed pants! The family dynamics are realistic; grandmother moving in with the family after the grandfather's death, Leo having problems with his stepfather, and the mother worrying about Joey will all resonate with this age group. Leo's illness is sad, but handled in a hopeful manner. There's a lot of Italian culture and cooking, which I don't see a lot. Having grown up near Youngstown, Ohio, though, it certainly sounds very familiar! Fry clearly knows middle school students well, and crafts another excellent novel about overcoming a variety of challenges.
Weaknesses: I was really rooting for Joey to join the cross country team! Ms. Fry coached middle school cross country at about the same time I was coaching, so I was thinking this book would take a similar turn to her 2012 Losing It. Also, the beginning of this is frighteningly similar to my own sad attempt at middle grade fiction (of which I wrote just seven chapters), Two Mile Sprint! I also would have been happier with a little less angst, and for Joey to come around a bit more quickly.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked Downing's Just Keep Walking or Messner's new The Trouble with Heroes. I'm not sure that I want to take up hiking up mountains, but these books might certainly encourage my students to look into the sport.
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