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A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

This novel is so cute! It captures the voice and dreams of an 11 year old girl perfectly. I love how Zoe grew up a bit and learned to appreciate what she had. The unconditional support she had from her dad and Wheeler was amazing. I also loved the representation of nurodivergents in her dad, because he clearly had autism and/or bad social anxiety. Overall, a very cute, easy read perfect for middle grade readers.

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BarnesBookshelf | 44 other reviews | Jan 22, 2024 |

Road Trip with Max and His Mom by Linda Urban

I really liked this! It's Linda Urban's follow-up to [b:Weekends with Max and His Dad|25897915|Weekends with Max and His Dad|Linda Urban|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456188992s/25897915.jpg|45780842]. This time Max is spending the weekend with his mom so they can go to a family reunion at a Cowboy theme park. This is a short chapter book with lots of confidence-building repetition in the text. A great choice for second and third graders, whether they are affected by divorce or just interested in realistic stories about ordinary kids.… (more)

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LibrarianDest | 1 other review | Jan 3, 2024 |

The Center of Everything by Linda Urban

Wishes, parades, constellations, donuts, and time travel all cross Ruby Pepperdine's mind as she tries to come to grips with the death of her beloved grandma Gigi.

If you're a fan of Rebecca Stead (whose book [b:When You Reach Me|5310515|When You Reach Me|Rebecca Stead|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320395542s/5310515.jpg|6608018] gets a mention in the story alongside [b:A Wrinkle In Time|18131|A Wrinkle in Time (Time, #1)|Madeleine L'Engle|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329061522s/18131.jpg|948387]), I can pretty much guarantee that this book will touch you. Like Stead's books, it's emotional, intelligent, a little complicated in its plotting (in a way that keeps you turning the pages trying to figure it out), and told efficiently in about 200 pages. I read it in one sitting. Here are some random thoughts before I write a real review:

How can you not love a kid named Nero DeNiro?

The themes of listening and coming together, reminded me of "Only connect!" from one of my favorite novels E.M. Forster's [b:Howard's End|9810105|Howard's End|E.M. Forster|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1291346241s/9810105.jpg|1902726].

All the second-person narration, like, "If you were Ruby...," was very interesting, I thought. I've seen it used before for humorous effect in Lemony Snicket and some other books, but it was used here not for fun or absurdity or breaking the fourth wall, but for connecting (only connect!) the reader more deeply to Ruby and her journey.

Can you win the Newbery if you mention the Newbery in your book? We shall see! I know it's only March, but this book has jumped to #1 in my heart for 2013.… (more)

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LibrarianDest | 17 other reviews | Jan 3, 2024 |