(2) 4-6 Bex dreams of becoming a writer, and usually the words flow from her pencil. But not this summer; now she has more erasures than words. Her younger brother, Davey, gives Bex some advice: "Writers must tell the truth thoroughly, constantly, and recklessly. Do that and the words will come." It's advice Bex appears to follow as she describes how she and Davey find a mysterious statue near their home in the North Carolina salt marsh. For years, it had been covered by a river (a body of water Davey will not enter but dubs the River Sticks), but it is now increasingly visible as the water recedes during a serious drought. Bex decides on the perfect summer plan: the two of them will discover the statue's provenance. Their exclusivity makes sense, as Davey appears to be selectively mute around everyone but Bex and she's had a falling-out with her best friend. However, a sudden revelation midway through the novel shatters that presumed truth-telling. McDunn (Honestly Elliott, rev. 3/22) has written a story that the character of Davey would want to read: "This book starts happy, gets sad, and then at the end, it's happy and sad mixed up together. That's what makes it special, that it has both."

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) 4-6 With his ADHD, Elliott feels most at home in the kitchen--the one place where he isn't "­extra-disorganized" and forgetful; the place he feels focused, confident, and decisive. But which kitchen? After his parents' divorce, Elliott and his mother move into "a cozy jumble" of a house with plants everywhere. At his dad and stepmom Kate's house, there are a lot of rules and everything matches. How do you find your true self when your life seems so divided? When super-smart and popular Maribel Martinez agrees to be Elliott's partner for a middle-school group project in Ms. Choi's Advisory period (involving baking gluten-free pies), Elliott knows "this is either the best thing that's ever happened to me or the worst thing that's ever happened to me." But, as it turns out, Maribel is looking for her true self, too, which she has realized is not part of the popular group. They make an odd duo; but through the pie project Elliott comes to realize how lucky he is to have a whole big pie of a community that includes Mom, Dad, Kate, new baby Jonah, Maribel, and other friends, too. This is a slice-of-pie, er, life novel with all the right ingredients for a satisfying read.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) 4-6 Annie Logan feels like an outsider at home and at school, constantly making mistakes and getting in trouble. She blames it on the fact that (according to her mother, who left when Annie was four) she was born under an unlucky star. When Annie has to spend the summer after sixth grade checking in on her elderly neighbor Gloria Crumb, she's forced out of her comfort zone and gains a new perspective. In between visits to Gloria, Annie tries to help her father and older brother design the family hardware store's float for the town festival, but they're not interested in her ideas. Although she sulks and blames her unluckiness once again, Annie also finds herself putting her art skills to work on the festival's other floats, as she gradually learns that her world is bigger than her mother's abandonment and father's dismissiveness. Gloria, stubbornly independent, discovers her own limitations while becoming the mentor Annie was certain she didn't need. McDunn has built a vibrant setting in Oak Branch, North Carolina, a classic rural small town full of dedicated but struggling small businesses run by a tight-knit community of neighbors. (Barbecue restaurateurs JoJo and The Earl are especially delightful.) Annie's self-pity can be wearing, but her emotional growth over the course of the story is ultimately satisfying.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger