Weird Little Robots by Carolyn Crimi. Illustrated by Corinna Luyken. 240 p. Candlewick Press, October 1, 2019. 9780763694937. (Review of arc courtesy of publicist.)
Middle Grade Monday features Weird Little Robots by Carolyn Crimi. Eleven-year-old Penny Rose is new to town. She might've won a couple of science competitions, but making new friends is not her strong suit. She prefers to hole up in a shed in her backyard building robots. She also keeps a "conversation" notebook to help her interact with her peers. She may be on the autism spectrum. This is not explicitly stated. She is very observant. The methodical and logical way she allows the blossoming of a friendship with equally quirky Lark is so endearing! Lark is an outlier as well. Her passion is birds and all things birding. But she brings a unique perspective to Penny Rose's interest in her robots. You see, Penny Rose has created some unique robots from spare parts. Each one has a different personality and Lark helps to encourage their talents.
Still, Penny Rose is not quite confident in this new friendship and when she receives notes stating that a secret science club is interested in her joining, her commitment to her friendship with Lark wavers.
Oh my. This book! This book! Not only is it a sweet story of fledgling friendship, but, science! Whoa! Science! Penny Rose does not equate an interest in science with popularity and so, her mind is blown when she learns about who belongs to the secret science club. Can she keep her two worlds separate?
Black and white illustrations add to the interest. Spot on dialog, enticing intrigue, and an unabashed love of science make this friendship novel stand out. Engaging, humorous, suspenseful, this is one to hand to a multitude of readers.
Lucy and the String by Vanessa Roeder. unpgd. Dial Books for Young Readers/ Penguin Young Readers Group, August, 2018. 9780735230491.
What would you do if you saw a loose string? Tug it, of course, especially when it is such an inviting red color. What would you do if it got stuck? Yank it until it gives, of course. What you do if you encountered a grumpy, big, old bear at the end of that beautiful yarn? He's grumpy because Lucy has unraveled his beautiful red knit pants. Will our irrepressible heroine make amends? Find out when this delightful book hits the shelves in August.
Using just three colors, Roeder has created a disarming story about how our actions have consequences and how we should find a way to fix our mistakes. Rosy-cheeked, gap-toothed and spirited, Lucy just can't resist the bright, red string, delighting in the ever-growing snarl of yarn until she hears a real snarl and discovers that she is unraveling the sweater of a huge, very unhappy bear! Hank is not happy.
Brilliant cartoonists can convey such a range of emotion with a few simple lines. In one double-page spread Lucy's rosy cheeks turn into a pink face of embarassment while Hank's red face is clearly angry. The following spots show the shifts Lucy and Hank's emotion as remorse turns to resolve. When her attempts to cheer him up do not work, she decides one hilarious fix after another.
This is one begs to be read aloud again and again.
The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer. 312 p. G.P. Putnam's Sons/ Penguin Young Readers Group, May 1, 2014. 9780399163937. (Review from arc courtesy of publisher.)
The only family twelve-year-old Grace has known her whole life was her mother, who up and moved them whenever she got the itch. Grace was tired of their itinerant ways and told her mother so- the night before she died. She wanted to stay put with Mrs. Greene and her daughter, Lacey, Grace's best friend. Now Grace not only finds herself without Mrs. Greene but in the custody of a grandmother she never knew, a grandmother, according to her mother, who never wanted her.
Oh my. What a lovely, poignant and heartbreaking book this is! There's a beautiful blurb by Richard Peck on the cover and it has received starred reviews from PW and SLJ as well as a warm and positive review from Kirkus. What more can I add? Not much, except that this story and Grace's voice has stuck with me since early May when I first read the book. It has it all - voice, lovely setting, memorable characters, and gorgeous cover. It's perfect. There will be tears, but also a few chuckles and maybe a bit of irritation with Grace along the way to a well and truly satisfying conclusion.
Grace's mother was an artist who loved poetry and imbued a love of poetry into her daughter, who loves to write but finds she can't since she discovered her mother's body down by the river.
"I noticed you aren't carrying around your notebook. I used to think it was stuck to your armpit," Mrs. Greene said.
It was too confusing to explain my thoughts on Before and After, since I wasn't real firm on it myself. "I haven't much felt like writing."
"I don't much feel like taking my fiber in the morning. But I need it." (p. 181)
Mrs. Greene is such a wise and wonderful character in a story filled with vivid characters.
"You will go your whole life, Gracie May, and every single person in it will fail you in one way or another. It's all about the repair. It's all about letting yourself change those pictures."
"Maybe the repair is Grandma's job. Maybe that's why Mama never went back."
"This isn't like a hole in a boat, where you get yourself some wood and some patching and you're good to go. It's a two-person job."
"So maybe I need Grandma to make the first move."
"Hasn't she?" (pp. 188-89)
This auspicious debut is a must purchase. It is a 2014 favorite of mine. I would not be surprised to hear about it come next January. Give it to your thoughtful tween readers who love weepies, lovely, layered writing, or who loved Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur.
Many thanks to Stacey Barney for sending this to me. I'm sorry I took so long to write about it.
