March 10, 2026 by Holiday House
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Callie is a 6th grader who has trouble regulating her emotions, and with some good reason. Her parents were both killed in a car accident when she was very young, and she's being raised by her Granny and Grampy. Before school started, she was allowed to adopt a dog, Archie, from the shelter, even though her grandparents are not particularly fond of him. Callie used to be the smartest kid in her class, but has taken a back seat to Philip Kumar, who wears a bowtie to school and is Mr. Perfect. Callie is by no means perfect; she often argues with her teachers and has meltdowns when things don't go her way. When her best friend Peggy is late and runs into Miss Kippenberger's class, destroying her 43-year-old cardboard model of the Parthenon, Callie loses her temper with her teacher after Miss Kippenberger is somewhat rude and upset with Peggy. The principal is very understanding, and thinks there was just a lot of misunderstanding in the heat of the moment. Since Callie knows her grandparents aren't happy with her meltdowns, she is relieved... until she gets home. Her grandmother's arm is in a cast because she tripped over Archie while trying to get to the phone to answer a call from Miss Kippenberger! This leads Callie to vow to be a better person, which includes studying ancient Greek philosophy with Mr. Davenport, the school librarian. Things don't always run smoothly; Callie (who adopts her long name hoping that it will improve her) washed the kitchen floor with too much water, has a disastrous time hanging out laundry, lies about Archie leaving a deposit in a judgemental neighbor's yard, and thinks the police are after her when she lets Archie off the leash in the local dog park. For Miss Kippenberger's project (which used to be a ten page research paper but now includes a variety of choices), she decides to write a Greek tragedy where Philip is the villain and she is the heroine. She's a little jealous of all of the attention Peggy gets for her clever comic book, but when Miss Kippenberger finds the portrayal of herself on the cover (as Athena) offensive, Callie has another meltdown defending her friend. When her grandfather has a serious health issue, she is even more worried that Archie will have to be returned to the pound. Will Callie be able to keep her life on an even keel?
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Callie is a 6th grader who has trouble regulating her emotions, and with some good reason. Her parents were both killed in a car accident when she was very young, and she's being raised by her Granny and Grampy. Before school started, she was allowed to adopt a dog, Archie, from the shelter, even though her grandparents are not particularly fond of him. Callie used to be the smartest kid in her class, but has taken a back seat to Philip Kumar, who wears a bowtie to school and is Mr. Perfect. Callie is by no means perfect; she often argues with her teachers and has meltdowns when things don't go her way. When her best friend Peggy is late and runs into Miss Kippenberger's class, destroying her 43-year-old cardboard model of the Parthenon, Callie loses her temper with her teacher after Miss Kippenberger is somewhat rude and upset with Peggy. The principal is very understanding, and thinks there was just a lot of misunderstanding in the heat of the moment. Since Callie knows her grandparents aren't happy with her meltdowns, she is relieved... until she gets home. Her grandmother's arm is in a cast because she tripped over Archie while trying to get to the phone to answer a call from Miss Kippenberger! This leads Callie to vow to be a better person, which includes studying ancient Greek philosophy with Mr. Davenport, the school librarian. Things don't always run smoothly; Callie (who adopts her long name hoping that it will improve her) washed the kitchen floor with too much water, has a disastrous time hanging out laundry, lies about Archie leaving a deposit in a judgemental neighbor's yard, and thinks the police are after her when she lets Archie off the leash in the local dog park. For Miss Kippenberger's project (which used to be a ten page research paper but now includes a variety of choices), she decides to write a Greek tragedy where Philip is the villain and she is the heroine. She's a little jealous of all of the attention Peggy gets for her clever comic book, but when Miss Kippenberger finds the portrayal of herself on the cover (as Athena) offensive, Callie has another meltdown defending her friend. When her grandfather has a serious health issue, she is even more worried that Archie will have to be returned to the pound. Will Callie be able to keep her life on an even keel?
Strengths: There are many children being raised by grandparents these days, so seeing Callie's struggles with Granny and Grampy will speak to many readers. Her anger management skills are on par with many students as well. The school interactions at the lunch table are completely realistic, and Peggy is an understanding friend. The friction with Philip is also something that happens in middle school. There was a nice balance between school and home life, some helpful dog training, and a neighbor to rival Anne of Green Gables' Mrs. Lynde. Readers who want to know more about ancient Greek philosophy will finally have a fiction book to turn to.
Weaknesses: Since Miss Kippenberger is only about five years older than I am, I thought she could have been portrayed more sympathetically. Certainly, she wouldn't be wearing a gray bun! Sure, she's angry about the destruction of her 43 year old Parthenon, but Callie is quite a difficult student. Also, if she's been teaching for that long, I'm pretty sure that she would LOVE a good PowerPoint, and she certainly would have turned her computer on to check e mail. I definitely agree with her love of chalkboards.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like flawed but exuberant characters like Sonnet in Mills' own The Last Apple Tree, Zella in Caprara's The Ripple Effect or nearly every child in Glaser's The Vanderbeekers series.
Weaknesses: Since Miss Kippenberger is only about five years older than I am, I thought she could have been portrayed more sympathetically. Certainly, she wouldn't be wearing a gray bun! Sure, she's angry about the destruction of her 43 year old Parthenon, but Callie is quite a difficult student. Also, if she's been teaching for that long, I'm pretty sure that she would LOVE a good PowerPoint, and she certainly would have turned her computer on to check e mail. I definitely agree with her love of chalkboards.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like flawed but exuberant characters like Sonnet in Mills' own The Last Apple Tree, Zella in Caprara's The Ripple Effect or nearly every child in Glaser's The Vanderbeekers series.
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