May 20, 2025 by Roaring Brook Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Glory St. Germaine is spending the summer in Sweet Olive, Louisiana with her Nana Pat, a nurse, and Papaw Jack, who is retired and struggling to recuperate from a stroke. Her father is a long distance trucker, so can't always care for her in their home in Baton Rouge, especially since her mother has gone "on vacation". The parents are divorced, and Glory lived with her mother, who had trouble paying the rent and taking care of Glory. Still, Glory is hurt that her mother hasn't been in contact with her at all, and resents having to go to her grandparents's house, since they didn't communicate much with her mother. It looks like it might be a boring summer, watching Papaw nap, but when Glory goes to the park, she runs into Gus, a blood hound who seems to be in distress. When she follows him, she finds a neighbor, Homer Babin, lying in his yard. She calls 911, and paramedics come to take him to the hospital, but someone needs to take care of Gus. Since Mr. Babin knows her grandparents, he asks Glory to take his dog. Papaw doesn't mind, because it's the right thing to do, and Glory tries to give Cus a bath to help Nana accept him. She, too, grudgingly agrees. Since Gus is a bloodhound, Glory wants to learn how to train him, since she's very interested in Agatha Christie's mysteries. With the help of Rosemary, who is stuck babysitting younger siblings, she visits the local library and starts investigating small cases, like a librarian's missing sweater. She misses her mother and father, and wants to know where her mother is, but she is enjoying a stable life with her grandparents. When Mr. Babin is released from the hospital, Glory is worried that she will lose her new friend, who has recently endeared himself to everyone after finding Rosemary's missing brother. What will Glory's life be like after a summer in Sweet Olive?
Strengths: There are a lot of middle grade students who are being raised, at least temporarily, but grandparents, so it is always interesting to see this represented in literature. I loved that Nan was still working as a nurse, even though Papaw was dealing with a lot of health issues. Having Rosemary (and her young charges) befriend her was perfect, and the light mysteries that Gus helps solve are realistic. The real draw here is seeing a child who had a difficult life find some stability and grapple with her parenting situation.
Weaknesses: Glory is old enough to wander around town with Rosemary, so it seemed a little odd that she would believe her mother was "on vacation" and wouldn't have more of an inkling that her mother had just left, especially since things had not been going well. This is probably just her way of dealing with the situation, but did make her seem younger than she was.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked Butler's Kayla and King or Brockenbrough's To Catch a Thief.
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