Sara Lewis Holmes

Intense, at least more so than the cartoon-style cover art would lead a reader to believe.  A little too earnest, maybe.  Perhaps a bit formulaic, in that one parent is facing a personal challenge & is absent, and the other won't tell the child what is going on.  I think, by now, we know we need to talk to our kids - especially the imaginative ones.  And because the girl in this book is so very imaginative, the story is charming, and the ending, while not HEA, is satisfying.  I'd love to read more by the author.… (more)

Miss Loupe is Bo's 6th grade teacher at the Air Force base where his father works. She's a young, inspirational teacher who encourages her students to think outside the box and create art and beauty. But she becomes emotionally sidetracked upon hearing the news of her brother's severe war injuries in Afghanistan and it's up to Bo and his classmates to bring her back, by creating a production of drama and art that involves the wider community. This is the first novel for kids I've encountered that seems to get the daily life of military brats and the impact their parents' careers have on them.… (more)