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: The First Thing About You by Chaz Hayden

Image: Candlewick Press

The First Thing About You by Chaz Hayden. 368 p. Candlewick Press, September, 2022. 9781536223115. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

The Daily Book Talk/ Take Two: Happy Tuesday! Argh! I was in the middle of writing my Teen Tuesday post early this morning and accidentally closed the page in my school's learning platform, which doesn't have an autosave feature!

Teen Tuesday features a hilarious and heartwarming debut, The First Thing About You by Chaz Hayden. Fifteen-year-old Harris has moved from California to New Jersey because his father got a better job. He's hoping to use this opportunity to start living "a real teenage life," which includes finding a girlfriend. However, Harris has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which means he's wheelchair bound and totally reliant on others for eating, bathing and doing school work. It's kind of hard to get people to look past the "kid in the wheelchair" to see Harris for who he is. He also has a theory about colors. His go-to conversation starter is, "What's your favorite color?" The answer gives Harris an idea about possible compatibility. The first person to reach out to him is Zander, whose favorite color is yellow. Yellow and blue mix well. When he's paired with Nory in Physics class, she assumes that he's not smart because of the wheel chair. Additionally, she won't tell him her favorite color. He's disappointed because she's smart and pretty.

While he and his mother interview nurses to hire, she attends school with him, trying to keep the fact that she's his mom on the down-low. She's actually pretty cool and Harris appreciates the fact that she shoulders most of the burden for his care and is a fierce advocate for him with the school. He has an IEP and the school is not prepared to accommodate him. After the first nurse that was hired failed epically (and hilariously), Harris' mom reluctantly hires Miranda, a nursing student. She is a former student of the high school and has a reputation for making bad choices. Still, she works well with Harris and he's happy.

Teen readers will be immediately captivated by Harris' wry narration. The author also has SMA and explores themes of friendship and belonging authentically. Harris is a memorable character, bright, irreverent and introspective and The First Thing About You is a smashing debut. I'm looking forward to reading more from Mr. Hayden.

I always look up the availability of my daily book talks in our library cooperative for my students. This morning, I discovered that The First Thing About You is available as an e-audiobook! I'm eager to reread this with my ears! Happy reading!

Teen Tuesday: Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Image: Penguin Random House

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~7 hours, 48 minutes. Read by Bahni Turpin. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House, June, 2021. 9781984833129. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Happy Tuesday! I'm a bit late today posting because I was working on a big house project since early this morning! Teen Tuesday features Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon. Ms. Yoon's last book, The Sun is Also a Star is a TMS fan favorite. Both that book and her debut, Everything, Everything were adapted for film, both of which my students adore. Instructions for Dancing is quite cinematic as well!

Evie Thomas swore off romance ever since her parents' divorce. The fact that she caught her dad cheating has also put a serious strain on their previously close relationship. She even went so far as to purge all her favorite romance novels from her home library. While donating the books to a little free library, Evie encounters a strange, old woman who insists she take a book called, Instructions for Dancing, and also seems to put a spell on her. Evie finds that whenever she spots a couple kissing, she has visions of the beginning, middle and end of their relationship. These visions seem to confirm her new cynical views on romance and Evie wants them to stop, so she tries to track down the old woman. The only clue inside the book is an address for La Brea Dance Studio.

There, she meets X, short for Xavier, a handsome musician who is staying with his grandparents while he and his band try to make it in L.A. His grandparents own the studio. Evie doesn't find answers at the dance studio, but she does allow herself to be talked into a free dance lesson by Fifi, the fierce and opinionated dance instructor and, eventually into an amateur ballroom dance competition with X as her partner.

Will X's "say yes to everything" attitude rub off on Evie? Her sister and mother seems to have moved on after the breakup. Can Evie? This smart romance asks some deep questions and features many likable characters, witty dialogue and swoony dancing. Fans of Ms. Yoon's work will not be disappointed.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Puddin' by Julie Murphy

Puddin' by Julie Murphy. Unabridged Audiobook on 1 MP3-CD. 11 Hours Read by Erin Mallon and Kyla Garcia. Balzer + Bray, May, 2018. 

Teen Tuesday features Puddin' by Julie Murphy. This companion to Dumplin' can potentially stand alone but it would enhance the reader's experience to have read Dumplin' first. Puddin' picks up months after Dumplin'  and is Millicent and Callie's story. The two alternate chapters to relate the events that throw them into each other's unwilling company. Both books are highly recommended for teen readers.

This was an engaging companion to Dumplin' though I must admit that Mallon's low-range voice and smooth snarkiness threw me a bit. Though it was not the way I envisioned the Millicent's voice, I grew to love her in Puddin'. This new-to-me narrator turned in a well-paced performance. Garcia, on the other hand, perfectly embodied the alpha girl Callie I heard in my head. 

The narrative bounces back and forth between the two and readers come to realize along with the characters that they are more than folks' assumptions. Commentary about body positivity is leavened with humor but is still sharp, smart and hits home. 

Puddin' is a must-read for all fans of Dumplin'! I thought I read somewhere that the story is in development for Netflix. I sure hope they do a better job adapting it than Dumplin'. While Dumplin' was entertaining if you hadn't read the book, some curious decisions were made about omitting a couple of important characters.