Middle Grade Monday: Sunny Figures It Out by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Image: Scholastic

Sunny Figures It Out by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm. Sunny #6. 224 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc. July, 2025. 9781338792478. Review of finished purchased copy.

Middle Grade Monday features Sunny Figures It Out by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm. This sixth installment in the Sunny series does not disappoint. Sunny is enjoying her friendship with Tony, but is pressured to take it to the next level by her boy-crazy friend, and it just doesn't feel right. Meanwhile, her mom is about to re-enter the work force. 

I love this series and the fact that all the 70's stuff, like rotary phones is explained. The peer pressure to conform has not changed at all though, making this gn memoir relatable to contemporary readers. Keep them coming!

Teen Tuesday: Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon

Image: Penguin Random House

Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon. 368 p. G.P. Putnam's Sons/ Penguin Young Readers Group, August, 2019. 9780525517641. (Review of finished book borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon. Brandon's debut is a historical fiction set in 1973 during the Watergate hearings, when Americans are still fighting in Vietnam and homosexuality is considered to be a mental illness. Sixteen-year-old Jonathan Collins lives a sad and lonely life at home and at school. He's bullied at school, his alcoholic father is distant; he misses his mother terribly and he's also missing his best and only friend, Starla, who is away demonstrating agains the war. His only refuge is a small crawlspace beyond his closet where he retreats to write, commune with his hero, Ziggy Stardust and occasionally talk to his mother and other dead relatives. When new kid, Web enters his life, Jonathan is thunderstruck. Web is everything Jonathan is not, fearless, comfortable in his own skin and, impossibly, Web seems to like Jonathan!

This coming-of-age novel vividly evokes the tumult of 1973 as well as Jonathan's journey to self-acceptance in his first-person, stream-of-consciousness narration. I will admit that it took me a while to feel comfortable with it. I kept stopping to reread because I felt I missed something. Once I settled, the book was hard to put down. Jonathan's story is painfully compelling. Thankfully, there were lighter moments to ease the tension. 

I was sorry to be reading a library copy because there were quite a few passages of absolutely gorgeous writing I would've highlighted to savor later. I also adored the voice and may check to see if there are plans for an audiobook. This is one I would definitely reread. Mature teen readers are in for quite a bit of discomfort as Jonathan's journey unfolds. Jonathan and Web are two characters who will leave an indelible mark on your heart. An author's note at the end helpfully provides historical context and more information.

Ziggy, Stardust and Me is the book for you if you love historical fiction, romance and David Bowie. Impressive debut. I look forward to reading more from James Brandon.

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo

Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo. 240 p. Candlewick Press, October 2, 2018. 9780763694630. (Review from arc courtesy of the publisher.)

Louisiana Elefante is not a happy little girl. Life with Granny has not been easy; but she is grateful that she has her considering her trapeze artist parents are not in the picture. She finally made a couple of best friends in Raymie and Beverly (from Raymie Nightingale) and now Granny has dragged her out of bed in the middle of the night muttering about a reckoning. They are leaving Florida forever, never to return and Louisiana is devastated. Soon it is evident that Granny is suffering or ill and Louisiana has to drive the car to find a dentist. They are broke; so paying for services is going to be a bit difficult. Louisiana and her Granny are resourceful though. Louisiana is determined to find her way home. Only it may not be what she expects. 

Louisiana's voice captivates from page one. There is hilarity but there is also plenty of heartbreak - more than enough for one little girl to carry so resiliently. Resilience seems to be a theme in middle grade literature this year. 

Kate DiCamillo is a fearless writer. Each of her books is different. I will be honest. Raymie Nightingale was not a favorite of mine. I enjoyed it but wondered what kind of reader among my students would tackle this quiet story set in the 1970s. Still, I was eager to read this companion. It is not necessary to have read Raymie Nightingale. Louisiana's Way Home utterly floored me. The writing is spare and lovely. Little moments are so beautifully nuanced you might stop to savor or go back and reread. I marked this as a rare reread. I will most likely reread it with my ears. I cannot wait.

Louisiana's Way Home is a must-purchase title for any library. Your DiCamillo fans will thank you as will your gentle readers who love sad books. Will it be DiCamillo's Newbery hat trick? Not sure. The competition seems fierce this year. Each MG book I read seems better than the last. It's not one you want to miss.