Middle Grade Monday: The Lost Language by Claudia Mills

Image: Holiday House

The Lost Language by Claudia Mills. 304 p. Margaret Ferguson Books/ Holiday House, October, 2021. 9780823450381. (Review of finished copy courtesy of author.)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are psyched for this short week running up to the holiday break. Middle Grade Monday features The Lost Language by Claudia Mills. This novel in verse is narrated by Betsy, a sixth grader, who is very good at "being second." She's an only child, who strives to please her strong-willed, critical, over-achieving mother. Her mother is a professor who studies lost languages. She's also BFFs with Lizard, who calls the shots in their friendship and calls Betsy "Bumble," a name Betsy's mother detests. Betsy's mother is constantly suggesting that she branch out and try new things. Read: make new friends. She feels caught between two strong wills.

When Lizard proposes that the two rescue a lost language by learning it and teaching it to their classmates, Betsy agrees, hoping that her mother will be impressed. The club bombs, but Betsy does connect with several classmates and does "branch out" by auditioning for the school play, much to Lizard's chagrin.

Friendships wax and wane throughout age groups (including adulthood), but friendship loss seems most intense during middle school. This is why books about friends and friendship are in high demand at my library. This story is just lovely, mining all the angst and uncertainty, but also unique in that readers will feel sympathy for both the dumped and the dumper. Young readers will grow to understand that both people and friendships can be fragile and flawed. The poems are spare and evocative. Both Betsy and Lizard are relatable, complex and interesting characters.

Readers who crave and love friendship books, will love The Lost Language.

Waiting on Wednesday: Blue Daisy by Helen Frost

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Blue Daisy by Helen Frost. 96 p. Margaret Ferguson Books/ Holiday House, March 20, 2020. 9780823444144.

Publisher synopsis: Sam and Katie find a stray dog and make a big mistake, but it’s hard to make amends–how can you apologize to a dog?

A dirty, skinny, dog shows up in Sam and Katie’s neighborhood. They start to follow it, and they don’t like what they see: The Wilson sisters yell at it because it goes in their garden and the Tracy twins chase it on their bikes and throw things at it.

Sam and Katie want the dog to know they’ll be its friends. They think it should have a name. Most of all, they want it to like them. But then they do something thoughtless, and after that, it’s hard to make things right, especially because the dog now won’t come near them.

How they earn the dog’s trust, help it find its place in their town and how it gets its name, makes for a heartwarming story told in two voices using prose and poetry. Blue Daisy is illustrated with 20 black-and-white illustrations and includes recipes for dog biscuits and snickerdoodles.

I'm a real fan of Frost's work and am super-excited to read this. 

Arc Review: Nixie Ness: cooking star by Claudia Mills

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Nixie Ness: cooking star by Claudia Mills. After-School Superstars series #1. 118 p. Margaret Ferguson Books/ Holiday House, June, 2019. 9780823440931. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Nixie Ness is one happy third-grader. She loves to bake and baking is doubly fun when she does it with her BFF, Grace. She and Grace have been best friends since they were two and they do everything together. They are in the same class, sit together at lunch, play soccer together on the weekend and, best of all, get to spend each day after school together at Nixie's house until Grace's mom gets home from work. Life couldn't get more perfect. 

Then, Nixie's mom gets a job in a bookstore and Nixie learns she'll be attending after-school camp. When she learns that Grace will not be attending camp, Nixie is upset. When she learns that Grace will be going home with Elyse, a classmate, Nixie is devastated. How can they remain best friends? What if Grace becomes best friends with Elyse? How can Nixie get rid of this friend stealer?

Still, she must admit that After-School Superstars is fun. She's teamed with Vera, Nolan and Boogie. When she's there, she can almost forget her troubles. But when Vera makes shy attempts to extend the friendship past after-school camp, Nixie shuts her down out of loyalty to Grace.

Move over Ramona, Junie B. and Clementine. There's a new spunky heroine on the scene. Nixie is spirited and appealing in this gentle story about changing friendship. Elementary readers will relate to Nixie and her humorous and sometimes cringeworthy attempts to save her friendship. The dialogue is spot-on. The unfinished sketches and spot art will add appeal in their finished form. A recipe for Morning Glory Muffins is provided at the end of this satisfying story. Where can I sign up for After-school Superstars camp?