Middle grade fiction

Understanding neurodivergence

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Perfect Enough by Meg Eden Kuyatt (Scholastic Press, 352 pages, grades 4-7). In this follow up to Good Different, we meet Seleh as she’s preparing for some big changes in her life. Not only has she recently been diagnosed with autism, but she’s starting a new school in the fall. For the summer, though, she has big plans for her three weeks at Writer’s Camp, including working on her poetry and hanging out with her two new friends Rheya and Brooklyn. Seleh’s mom is nervous about her taking this big step, but Seleh is sure with her new coping mechanisms and tools she’s ready for anything. The first few days are amazing, but before long, Seleh is struggling. Her roommates like to stay up late, and Seleh needs lots of sleep. She takes on two big group projects, even though she doesn’t like working in groups. Some of the counselors don’t understand her need for breaks and using some of her other strategies. By the end of week two, Seleh has completely crashed, and she faces the difficult decision whether to stay and see her commitment through or go home early and take care of herself. Her mom, grandfather, new friends, and a sympathetic counselor help her figure things out and to see that there’s value in trying new things even if they don’t go perfectly. Includes an author’s note and some other resources for readers.

I don’t usually review sequels, but I actually forgot that I had read the first until I was about halfway through this one, and by that point I was too invested to stop! It’s a great look at a girl figuring out how to survive and thrive with her new diagnosis, while developing empathy for her new friends who are dealing with their own issues. I also liked the message at the end of the book (spoiler: Seleh leaves camp early) that it’s okay not to finish things sometimes if it means taking better care of yourself. Note: this is currently at #12 on the Goodreads Newbery 2027 list.

No Brain the Same: Neurodivergent Young Activists Shaping Our Future edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf and Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley, illustrated by Jeanette Bradley (Charlesbridge, 40 pages, grades 2-5). Like their books celebrating kids who are making history and fighting climate change, this collection looks at neurodivergent kids working to make a better world for everyone. Whether it’s Tourette’s, ADHD, autism, Down syndrome, or some other form of neurodivergence, these young people have learned to not only navigate the world, but to thrive in it, creating music, books, videos, and inventions to help others like them. Each spread has an illustration of the subject, a poem, and additional information about the person and their achievements. Includes a glossary, a list of the poetry forms, and additional information about the poets.

This inspiring book serves multiple purposes, introducing both a variety of poetic forms and an inspiring group of young people who have already achieved a lot in their lives despite living with disabilities. This is a great introduction to poetry as well as a good “mirrors and windows” book to learn about neurodivergent kids.

Two series entries to read with Pride

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Sebastian Metzger Solves a Sticky Situation (The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class #11) by Kyle Lukoff (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 128 pages, grades 2-4). Sebastian loves going to the school library with his class, and he’s excited when Mr. Bloom, the librarian, lets him take a new book about octopuses that hasn’t been processed for the library yet. Sebastian promises to be extra careful with it, but when he takes it home, his little sister ends up getting sticky fruit punch all over one of the pages. Sebastian is horrified. He knows his mom can’t afford the $29.95 replacement cost. At first, Sebastian finds ways to avoid going to the library, but the guilt of the situation starts to take over his life. He finally confesses everything, first to Mr. Bloom and then to his mom, and is thrilled and relieved when both adults come up with solutions to help him out, making the library a fun and safe space for Sebastian once again. Includes a preview of the next book in the series.

Although I don’t usually review series books beyond the first one, I was intrigued by this entry by Kyle Lukoff about a transgender boy in Mrs. Z.’s class. For Sebastian, third grade is “the first year that he started as Sebastian and ended as Sebastian, and he was happy that no one seemed to care.” It’s nice to see an elementary trans character handled so matter-of-factly, and Sebastian’s much bigger issue in this book involves the damaged library book. The school librarian is also an excellent role model, as is Sebastian’s single mom, who is clearly working hard and struggling financially but is loving and patient with her kids.

Fruitcake by Rex Ogle, illustrated by Dave Valeza (Graphix, 240 pages, grades 5-8). Rex Ogle continues his graphic novel memoir series with this account of eighth grade. Everyone around him seems to be pairing up, and when he meets the new girl Charlotte, she seems like a good candidate to become Rex’s girlfriend. But Rex can’t ignore his feelings of attraction to his friend Drew, and he starts to wonder if he’s gay. He and Charlotte start dating, but on a camping trip, he and Drew kiss, confirming Rex’s suspicions about his sexuality. Drew can’t admit the truth, saying that he’s straight and just having fun, and Rex gets his heart broken. He starts to notice homophobia in his family and in his grandma’s church, making coming out that much scarier. When he finally gets the courage to tell the truth about himself, he’s happily surprised for the most part. Includes notes from the author and illustrator sharing their own coming out stories.

This funny, honest memoir will ring true for many middle schoolers struggling to figure out who they really are. I love Rex Ogle’s books, and he never shies away from sharing his embarrassing or dark memories of middle school. The content of this book is a bit more mature than the first two books in the series, and I would tend to classify it more for middle school than elementary. It would make a great companion to Ogle’s non-graphic memoir, Free Lunch.

Girls and dogs

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Strays by Gia Gordon (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 272 pages, grades 4-7). When Campbell sees a puppy dumped from a van, she knows only to well what is likely to happen: her dad is the head of animal control and regularly euthanizes pets who have been in the town shelter for too long. Determined to save the pup, Campbell enlists the help of her new best friend Luz. The story of their campaign is woven together with glimpses of each girl’s family life. Campbell’s distant father and missing mother seem to her to be a contrast with Luz’s warm family with two parents and two sisters. But as Campbell spends more time at Luz’s house, she starts to see that things aren’t as perfect as they seem. When the puppy bonds with Campbell enough to follow her home, it triggers a surprising sequence of events that offers hope and healing for both families.

Campbell and Luz both have a lot going on with their families–both of them have dads who are dealing with trauma, Campbell’s from a disastrous house fire and the loss of his wife, and Luz’s from military PTSD. The girls have different coping mechanisms, but each one is resilient in her own way. While their story is kind of a heavy read, the end offers the promise of a better–if not perfect–future. A great choice for fans of Barbara O’Connor’s girl-and-dog stories.

Kestrel Takes Flight by Joy McCullough (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 304 pages, grades 4-7). Kestrel has spent her whole life living with her strict pastor grandfather and her single mother as part of an isolated church community in San Diego. But the summer after fifth grade, her mom suddenly tells Kestrel they’re spending the next few months at the Rocky Mountain Bear Institute in Montana, where her mother has a job working with dogs bred to protect people and bears from each other. Kestrel, who is afraid of dogs and misses her grandfather, is furious at her mom at first and just wants to go home again. But as the days go by, and Kestrel is surrounded by caring people, she starts to questions much of what her grandfather has taught her and how he disciplined her and her mother. When he shows up at the end of the summer, she has to decide whether or not to go back home with him, and much to her surprise, it’s the dogs who help her to make the decision. Includes an author’s note about emotional abuse and what kids can do if they realize they are experiencing it.

This novel in verse allows readers to see Kestrel’s struggles as she slowly moves from anger and despair at being suddenly removed from her home to a realization that life may be better for her without her grandfather. A crisis forces her to get to know the dogs better, and she slowly begins to let go of that fear. This would make a great book for summer reading, as it’s a pretty quick read but does a great job of showing all the changes that can happen in just a few short months.

Fly me to the moon

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Explore the Far Side of the Moon by Jenny Jacoby with consultant Dr. Sheila Kanani, illustrated by Lea Woo (Thames and Hudson, 64 pages, grades 2-6). Readers are invited on a mission to the far side of the moon to explore the area in and around the Shackleton Crater at the lunar South Pole. Each spread covers a different aspect of the mission from Meet Your Crew to Liftoff to Stepping Onto the Moon to The Splashdown. Illustrations include diagrams and pictures that show readers many aspects of space travel that can be highly technical, like a cutaway of the moon lander, or more mundane, like directions for making a beef taco or how to go to the bathroom in space. The last few pages show moon maps and the phases of the moon, and there’s also a glossary and an index.

This is a fun look at many different aspects of space travel, with plenty of information presented in ways to make it easily accessible for elementary kids. It’s perfectly timed to show kids what the real-life NASA Artemis missions are like.

I Built a Rocket Ship by Anna Lazowski, illustrated by Jennica Lounsbury (Kids Can Press, 32 pages, ages 4-8). A grieving child tells her late mother that she’s building a rocket ship. As she creates, she shares some of her memories, like the time they went camping, and her mom showed her the constellations when she was scared of the dark. Dad is quiet when she tells him what she’s doing, but later he takes a lasagna Mom made out of the freezer and promises they’ll use the recipe to make another one together. The two of them paint the spacecraft Mom’s favorite color “so you’ll be sure to see me coming.” The last page shows the purple rocket ship flying through space next to a swan constellation.

This book will break your heart, with memories, and grief woven into the spare text. I loved the rocket as a coping mechanism, following Mom’s advice to build it, filling it with her favorite things, and using it as a springboard for memories. The dad is clearly going through his own grieving process but is there for his daughter throughout.

Life on the Moon by Matthew Swanson, illustrated by Robbi Behr (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 320 pages, grades 3-7). When Leo was given the choice between staying on Earth with his mom and living on the moon with his dad and Dad’s girlfriend, he chose the moon. Which may say something about what his life on Earth has been like recently. But no sooner has he arrived on the moon, than his dad and girlfriend go off on a top-secret mission and disappear. Leo breaks the rules and goes out in a lunar rover to try to find them. Almost immediately, he realizes that two rules he’s been told about moon life–there’s no life on the moon and there are no technical difficulties–are completely untrue. Not only are there life forms, but they are all intricately connected, so that disturbing one will potentially destroy them all. As Leo slowly learns this, he comes to realize that his own life is a web of interconnections, and that he has a purpose that he is only beginning to understand. When catastrophe threatens the lunar colony, it’s up to Leo to come up with an unconventional solution that will give the reader plenty to think about after reading the last page.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of picaresque novels, and the blurb on the cover–“A modern-day Phantom Tollbooth”–was a bit of a red flag, as I don’t particularly care for that book. However, if I’m going to read a book in which the protagonist travels from one adventure to the next meeting all kinds of unusual creatures, each with its own lesson to teach, let it be one by beloved husband-and-wife team Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr. I believe that many readers will fall in love with this book (as the have The Phantom Tollbooth, to be fair). Behr’s illustrations are imaginative and funny, and Swanson’s story is ultimately complex and affecting, raising interesting questions, some of which are nicely articulated in the afterword. This would make a very interesting read-aloud or book club choice that could lead to some good discussions.

Geordie and Rubie

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The Hidden Dominion of Geordie James by Mike Dawson (Union Square Kids, 256 pages, grades 3-7). 12-year-old Geordie is dealing with a lot of anxiety, especially when he has to interact with kids at school. Being assigned a group project to help him pull up his failing science grade is a complete nightmare for him. One of the boys, Samesh, seems like he could be a friend, and he and Geordie gradually start bonding over Dominion, a world-building game Geordie loves to play. When his dad decides Geordie’s getting too much screen time, he pushes Geordie to go outdoors. Geordie eventually discovers a secret hideaway in the woods, a place where he can mysteriously excel at Dominion (he sneaks his tablet out of the house). He eventually shares his secret with Samesh, and the two spend many happy hours in the woods building their worlds together. When people from town decide to turn the woods into a nature preserve, Geordie’s happy world is destroyed. He attempts to go back to his fort one night, but gets caught in a storm, and a series of flashbacks reveals the reason for his anxieties. In the end, his dad realizes both he and Geordie need some professional help, and Geordie realizes that his project group has become a source of support for him as well.

There’s an amazing amount packed into this graphic novel; my summary didn’t even touch on Geordie’s love of animals, the mysterious runaway pig, and the devastating effect Covid had on this family. Readers will relate to many of Geordie’s struggles at school and at home and will root for him as he slowly comes to terms with all that’s going on in his life and learns to reach out to those around him.

Really Rubie by Maddie Frost (Aladdin, 240 pages, grades 3-7). Rubie’s excited for a month at summer camp with her best friend Riley. The two girls have come up with a TUCE (The Ultimate Camp Experience) Truce: a list of classic camp activities, like eating s’mores, making friendship bracelets, and having a first kiss, that they will do together. When Riley breaks her ankle and has to stay home, she makes Rubie promise she won’t do anything on the TUCE list. Rubie’s sure she’s going to have a miserable time, but she’s forced to participate in all things camp, some of which (art) are easy, and others (horseback riding) that force her way out of her comfort zone. As the weeks go by, Rubie finds herself increasingly torn between her loyalty to Riley and her desire to have the full camp experience with her new friend Eliza. No matter what, Rubie puts her own wacky spin on everything she tries, and by the end of the month she’s grown in ways she never expected and has (more or less) learned how to navigate friendships, both new and old.

Fans of Dork Diaries and Terri Libenson’s books will enjoy Rubie’s camp diary, liberally illustrated with her cartoon-style doodles. She definitely has a style all her own, and her blunders with friends and an unexpected crush will resonate with middle grade and middle school readers. Happily, this is billed as book 1, making it a perfect summer read that can segue into sequels in the upcoming school year.

Figuring out middle school

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Friend Group by Lisa Greenwald (HarperCollins, 352 pages, grades 4-8). Sadie and her best friend Olive are nervous about starting middle school, which in their district begins with seventh grade. Olive is shyer and reaches out to Sadie for reassurance that they’ll stay friends, while Sadie is more outgoing and interested in finding a friend group. So when she finds herself accidentally added to the most popular girls’ group chat, she knows she should get off, but she also can’t stop reading this insider’s look at what popularity looks like. She finally reveals to Olive how she’s getting her information but will only let her friend see a few of the texts. As Sadie learns how the group works, she finds herself becoming friends with some of the members, driving even more of a wedge between her and Olive. Adding to the drama is Sadie’s crush on Eli, who just so happens to be the crush of one of the popular girls. Told in chapters that alternate between Sadie’s narration and various texts, the story ends with some loose ends tied up, but also with many of the issues realistically unresolved.

I’m not going to lie, books like this are just pure brain candy for me. Lisa Greenwald does an amazing job of realistically portraying seventh graders, which meant that I didn’t always love Sadie, who could be a bit of a mean girl herself. I kept wanting Olive to stand up for herself or make some new friends, and ultimately, she did a little of both, but she also acted like a shy, uncertain seventh grader right up until the last page. This would be a great choice for reluctant middle school readers, and I’m sure they’ll be looking forward to the sequel which will focus on the boys’ group chat.

Opting Out by Maia Kobabe and Swati “Lucky” Srikumar (Graphix, 256 pages, grades 5-9). As Saachi moves through middle school, she finds herself struggling more and more with puberty and the social changes surrounding her. Getting her period is extremely upsetting, as is her need for a bra, and she hates the way kids start dating, especially when one of them is her best friend. She learns about a cousin who’s come out as transgender, but that label doesn’t feel quite right either. As she explores her identity through conversations with her parents, younger sister, and a new friend, and especially through her writing, she starts to realize that she doesn’t identify with either gender. Reading an interview with a nonbinary author inspires Saachi to write more honestly about both her struggles and her Indian heritage, and the resulting poem ends up getting accepted for publication in a magazine for teen writing, creating an opportunity to fully come out to her family.

This honest and engaging graphic novel is an important contribution to LGBTQ+ literature, but will also be embraced by all sorts of adolescent readers struggling with identity and fitting in. Saachi’s family, especially her dad, are models of accepting and openly communicative parents. The story and the art also pay homage to the family’s Indian heritage and Hindi religion. Maia Kobabe is the author-illustrator of Gender Queer, one of the most banned books in America, so be prepared for some challenges to this one

Surprisingly substantial early chapter books

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The Case of the Pilfered Pearls (The Shrew Detective, book 1) by Margi Preus, illustrated by Junyi Wu (Harry N. Abrams, 128 pages, grades 2-5). Shrew detective Minerva loves her woodland home and can’t understand why any self-respecting animal would live indoors. But when her cousin Tenacity tells her there’s about to be a murder, Minerva feels obligated to follow Tenacity to the house where she lives to investigate. The new owners of the formerly abandoned house are (correctly) certain that their home is overrun with animals and are about to wage an all-out extermination campaign. At the center of the brouhaha is a pilfered pearl necklace. Tenacity is sure if Minerva can recover the necklace, the animals will be saved. Using her considerable detective skills, escaping one close call after another, and fulfilling her lifelong wish to befriend a human, Minerva is able to recover the necklace and, with the help of her new animal friends, surreptitiously return it to the owner in the very nick of time. Includes additional information about pygmy shrews, chipmunks, and flying squirrels.

I often find that mysteries for younger kids have a pretty low-stakes mystery with a less-than-amazing resolution. Not so with this book, which features engaging characters, a life-threatening case to crack in a short amount of time, one narrow squeak after another, and a very cool resolution to the mystery that will have kids going back through the story to find the clues they missed. The cute black-and-white illustrations add to the fun; I particularly liked the one of all the small animals carrying the recovered pearl necklace over their heads.

The Healer and the Phoenix (Legendary Allies, book 1) by Linda Trinh, illustrated by Quynh Anh Nguyen (Annick Press, 172 pages, grades 2-5). Mai is excited on her tenth birthday to be getting an ally animal that will live with her and help her to stay on the path of doing good in the world. When her animal turns out to be the phoenix, she becomes part of the Legendary Allies team that goes on quests all over the land of Van Lang. She’s joined by two other kids and their animals, with the fourth member of the team yet to be chosen. Mai questions whether or not she belongs on the team and wonders if she can fulfill her role as Healer. When a mysterious illness starts spreading in one of the provinces, the team is sent on a quest there, with Mai quickly becoming the key member of the team. As she learns to quiet her mind and trust her team, her phoenix, and herself, she surprises herself by coming up with a healing solution that helps not only those in the province but her own mother who is also suffering from the illness. Includes a preview of book 2, which features Cam and their turtle Emerald.

This short chapter book with lots of illustrations could be a good choice for kids ready to move on from Dragon Masters or some of the other Branches chapter book series. The colorful manga style illustrations, mythological animals, and kids being the heroes of the quests are all elements that are sure to appeal to young readers. I did feel at times like the author was leaning a little too heavily into a message, especially with the illness, which was caused by people forgetting their cultures, but overall, this is a fun and imaginative series starter.

Graphic novels from beloved authors

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

The Brainstormerz: Money Talks by Kwame Alexander and Cassidy Dyce, illustrated by Rashad Doucet (Little, Brown Ink, 248 pages, grades 3-6). Electric (Lex) is excited about his upcoming tenth birthday and his parents’ promise to buy him a phone. Unfortunately, they refuse to buy the expensive model he wants, so he and his two best friends decide to start a business to make up the difference. Dog walking turns out to be a disaster, and a magic show results in a failed Houdini-style stunt that leaves Lex locked in a locker. The kids finally get it right by designing greeting cards using Lex’s love of words and his friend DJ’s artistic talents. But when Lex discovers that his parents are on the verge of losing the bookstore that’s also the family home, Lex decides he’d rather use his money elsewhere. His parents reassure him that they’ve got the situation in hand, and after a happy birthday celebration, the action moves forward a few months when things appear to have been resolved.

This series starter graphic novel is sure to win a lot of fans with a winning team of three friends who each have a very distinct personality and set of talents, but who work together and always have each others’ backs. The story has both humor and heart, as Lex struggles with wanting both a fancy phone and to help his close-knit family.

A Fishboy Named Sashimi by Dan Santat (Roaring Brook Press, 160 pages, grades 2-6). “You know those stories that no one believes? Stories so wild you think they couldn’t be real? Stories that some kid heard from another kid? And THAT kid heard it from their cousin?” This is one of those stories, and that introduction plays over panels showing a small creature emerging from the sea during a thunderstorm and sneaking into a school. By the time the real story begins, this creature has gotten some clothes and is being introduced as Sashimi, the new kid in sixth grade. While others are put off by his sweaty appearance, bulging eyes, and fishy smell, new kid Joey is desperate enough for a friend to give Sashimi a chance. As events unfold, readers learn that Sashimi is fish on the top and human on the bottom (the opposite of the mermaids who raised him), a unique combination that makes him feel alone in the world. He’s heard rumors about the Beast of Barnacle Bay, who may be a relative, but his search for the Beast runs into some snags when he meets Joey’s grandpa, who claims to have once met the Beast and has sworn to hunt him down. Sashimi runs into enough difficulties to consider returning to his watery home, but Joey’s friendship keeps him on track to stick around. Book 2 is advertised at the end.

Who doesn’t enjoy a good fish-out-of water story? Kids will appreciate the humor of Dan Santat’s story and the illustrations about a couple of lovable outcast and will be eagerly awaiting book 2. This would make a good intro to graphic novel chapter books for readers ready to step up a notch from Narwhal and Jelly or Pizza and Taco.

Mysteries

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Where Ella Went by Laurie Morrison (Harry N. Abrams, 304 pages, grades 5-8). The eighth-grade girls’ soccer team is eager to play their biggest rivals and avenge last year’s heartbreaking loss. No one seems more excited than co-captain Ella, so when she doesn’t show up for the game, everyone is mystified. By the next week, it’s clear that Ella has disappeared, and, while teachers assure everyone that she is safe, her teammates Pug and Sadie refuse to leave it at that. Pug is the team’s co-captain, a tenacious but sometimes flighty player who struggles with ADHD and has been unsure of her place on the team. Sadie is the new girl who’s dealing with low self-confidence stemming from her mother’s mysterious disappearance when she was a baby. Through journal entries, texts, and podcast recordings, the two girls and a cast of fascinating supporting characters take on the case of where Ella went and uncover a number of other secrets about themselves and their classmates in the process.

This fun mystery is told through a variety of formats that allows readers to get perspectives from many different characters. Kids will relate to many of the issues the narrators are dealing with, including pressure to perform, family difficulties, and friendship changes. The plots and subplots make it a quick and engrossing read.

Found Sound by Meg Wolitzer and Charlie Panek (Dutton Books for Young Readers, 224 pages, grades 3-6). Felix isn’t super excited about spending another summer in Blissfield, Massachusetts where he and his family vacation each year. His genius younger brother attends a program for gifted students, while Felix usually goes to a regular day camp. When the camp unexpectedly closes, Felix finds himself at loose ends. His unconventional neighbor, Marigold, invites him to hang out, and the two of them unwittingly stumble upon a scavenger hunt based on sound. The mystery of where the hunt leads becomes intertwined with the mystery of what happened to Felix’s estranged older brother Dylan. As Felix and Marigold hunt all over town for clues, learning about sound and sound engineering in the process, they’re unknowingly bringing a reunion with Dylan closer, an event that both solves the mystery and heals the rift in the family.

Written by a mother-son team, who are an author and a sound engineer, this would make a great summer reading book–relatively short, lots of action, a summer setting, and who doesn’t enjoy a good scavenger hunt? Anyone interested in music or sound will enjoy learning a lot. Many of the clues involved problem solving and being at the right place at the right time that seemed a little tough for a pair of fifth graders, but if you can suspend your disbelief, the hunt is lots of fun.

Summer camp: when things go wrong

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Anna-Jane and the Endless Summer by Paige Classey (Random House Books for Young Readers, 400 pages, grades 5-8). Anna-Jane is excited to be returning to summer camp, reuniting with old friends, learning archery and improving her creative writing skills, and maybe even having her first crush. But when the 13-year-old cabin goes into town for a Friday night out, they’re spooked by the lack of people they see. On their way home, they realize their phones aren’t working. Before long, it becomes apparent that there’s a pandemic making both humans and animals ill. Many of the campers get picked up immediately, but some, including Anna-Jane, hear nothing from their parents and are stuck at camp. As the summer goes on, the campers have to increasingly rely on their own wits as they deal with a dwindling food supply, cooler weather, and a counselor who seems on the verge of leading a Lord of the Flies style revolt. The ending brings a glimmer of hope but leaves much still unresolved and uncertain.

This novel in verse pulls the reader in immediately and becomes increasingly hard to put down as the mysterious events unfold. It’s a perfect blend of 13-year-old experiences with friendships and crushes and compelling survival story. The kids really rise to the occasion, especially science fan Morgan, who starts the story as a bit of an outcast and winds up being one of the biggest heroes. This would make a great book club choice for middle school, with plenty to discuss and speculate about after the last page.

Sockflea: A Stuffie in the Wild by Laura Dockrill, illustrated by Eva Byrne (Candlewick, 40 pages, ages 3-7). The young elephant narrator insists that they don’t need to bring a stuffie on a camping trip. When their grown-up reminds the them that they may want a friend at bedtime, they reply, “I’m FIVE!” Off they go, and camping turns out to be awesome! There’s a tent, a fire, hot dogs, and even new friends. But when it gets dark, the little elephant is nervous. “I squeeze my eyes shut to sleep, but…They. Won’t. Stick. The quick-thinking–and no doubt, desperate–grown-up comes up with an idea. Two fuzzy socks tied together become Sockflea, a creature sent by the stuffies at home to keep the young elephant company. A little imagination goes a long way, and not only does Sockflea make bedtime easier, it becomes the hit of the whole camping trip. Back home, Sockflea disappears, adding to the sense that it was all magic…until the little elephant notices the fuzzy socks on their grown-up’s feet.

Thankfully, the issues on this camping trip are a lot easier to deal with than the one above, but nevertheless, there’s some real angst around bedtime and the lack of stuffies. The portrayal of the young elephant is spot-on with the daytime bravado giving way to nighttime jitters, and the grown-up’s solution is brilliant. Kids will both relate to and get a lot of laughs from both the story and illustrations.