[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Running Press Kids in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
- Jason, The Nobody
- Lilith, The Drama Queen
- Wes, The Flirt
- Ally, The Athlete
- Rex, The Rebel
Five teens spend their last free Saturday before starting high school at the Northbrook Retirement Village. This is their penance. Because of their choices at the end of eighth grade, they have “detention.” This day of service will be their punishment and will hopefully teach them something so that they make better choices in the future.
The kids may have gone to the same middle school, but that doesn’t mean they are friends. Jason rarely strings a whole sentence together, but his sketch book tells a lot of stories. Lilith is hoping to redeem the day by developing character ideas from some of the elderly folks at the Village. Wes turns on the charm and has everyone eating out of his hand. Ally has her father’s words ringing in her ears – complaints that this is a lost day of practice, and admonishments to make up for it wherever she can. Rex is the one they all know. Her anger is legendary around the school.
What will happen when these five students come together for a day of service and senior citizens?
Review
This is The Breakfast Club meets The Golden Girls. And it’s outstanding! I loved everything about this – the characters, the humor and the heart. A slam dunk from start to finish.
The kids take turns telling the story, like a Rob Buyea novel (Saving Mr. Terupt, The Perfect Score, etc.), which is a structure I love in middle grade novels. It allows the reader to be in the head of a variety of characters and personalities. But the students in this weren’t the only great characters. The elderly folks at Northbrook were so fun! Agnes was my absolute favorite, although there were several close seconds. And the dynamic between the facility manager and the kids’ principal was a hoot!
For 80% of the story, the reader is learning the characters, watching them warm up to each other and then push each other away. The reader is putting the various puzzles together. And just when you have a good feel for everyone, the author hits you with the heart. All the build up pays off. I was surrounded by a pile of tissues for the ending. It was perfect. I was sad to see the story come to an end. I would love to spend more time with these characters – both the elderly ones and the teens. There are several nods to The Breakfast Club, but they are subtle and clever and fit right in without being a distraction.
This is my new favorite middle grade for 2018. It’s been a great year for middle grade, and this is a terrific addition to the collection.
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++