Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo

Buddy died, and Beverly buried him, and then she set off toward Lake Clara."

"I'm glad you're here,' said Iola. But I worry about you. You're too young to be away from home - I know you are. Surely someone is looking for you. But you give me comfort, and I can't help it - I'm glad you're here."

Why did I love this book?

The kindness of strangers is a strong theme in this book and in the previous story Louisiana's Way Home. I love the simple acceptance by Iola that Beverly has come to stay, perhaps for a short time, and that for now Beverly needs kindness, friendship, food and a place to stay.

The comfort of food. Beverly does not like tuna but Iola makes her a sandwich "it tasted like fish, but it also tasted good. Iola had toasted the bread and melted cheese on top of the tuna, and the sandwich was warm in Beverly's hands."  I get a great sense of comfort from that word 'warm.'  "There was something about sitting at the tiny table in the tiny kitchen in the tiny trailer and having Iola slide a plate of food in front of her that made Beverly feel like a little kid might feel - happy, taken care of."

The raw emotions.  Beverly desperately misses her dog Buddy, She misses her friends especially Raymie. Beverly takes a photo from the owner of the fish shop, where she is working.
"She took the picture of happy Mr. Denby out of her pocket. 
Happy Mr. Denby and his happy wife and happy kids ... 
Photographs like this were a lie. 
They promised something impossible. 
People were terrible to other people. That was the truth. She wanted Buddy. 
She wished he were sitting next to her..."

The power of words. Someone takes her flip flops when she leaves them on the beach after her first day working in the fish restaurant. I just gasped at the awfulness of this. Beverly has to walk back to the trailer park barefoot. With the word 'fire' Kate DiCamillo tells you just how totally painful this walk is:
"She walked through the sand and up to the hot pavement and down the side of the A1A in her bare feet.  She turned off A1A and walked down the sea-shell drive of the Seahorse Court. Her feet felt like they were on fire."

Meeting new people and making friends. I love the relationships which unfold in this story. Iola reaches out to Beverly.  Iola doesn't ask questions about Beverly's past. She is happy to accept Beverly right here and now! Beverly reaches out to the little girl Vera who wants to ride the mechanical horse outside the store. She befriends Robbie the little boy at the beach and patiently builds sandcastles with him. Beverly is so good at reading people. She knows Elmer is a decent and kind person. She knows Jerome is bad news. She doesn't criticise Frankie even though it is clear her dreams of fame and fortune are probably never going to happen. She even has some understanding of Mr Denby and his deep sadness missing his daughters.

The discovery of things I did not know. Beverly buys wax lips in the store and meets the boy with the unfortunate name of Elmer. I didn't really know what wax lips were but I was able to make a guess

The structure of the story. The words in the phone box about the crooked little house by a crooked little sea are a gently recurring theme and they are so perfect:

In a crooked little house by a crooked little sea.

Beverly shows the graffiti to Elmer. "It was strange, almost painful, to hear someone else say the words. It was as if Elmer were reading something that had been written inside of her, carved into her."

The importance of community.  I loved the scene where Beverly buys $40 worth of raffle tickets so Iola can win the turkey - such kindness but with out schmaltz then of course they have to cook that turkey and invite everyone to share a delicious Christmas meal even though it is the middle of the year and so we return to the comfort of food.

Here are a few more thoughts. I don't know how she does it but when I read a Kate DiCamillo book I really hear the voices of the characters - with an American accent - think about this because I am reading this book here in Australia.

I just re-read the review of Raymie Nightingale by Betsy Bird for the School Library Journal. I have said this before but Betsy is so eloquent. She says everything I think but don't manage to say.

How lucky am I?  My local store Beachside Bookshop very generously gave me an Advanced Reader Copy of Beverly, Right Here the third and final in the series that began with Raymie Nightingale and continued with Louisiana's way Home. Beverly Right here will be available at the end of September.

There will be a three book box set available in December this year just in time for Christmas. If you have a keen reader in your home I highly recommend you add this set to their Christmas stocking. I have added it to my wishlist.

"And I think all three books are about the power of community - the grace of someone opening a door and welcoming you in, and maybe most of all, having the courage to walk through that door once it is open."  Kate DiCamillo (letter to the reader in Beverly, Right Here.)

This is a story about the possibility that life can make you laugh and life can give you friendship. This is a story about tiny bits of trust.  This is a story about a feeling down in your stomach that's a whole lot like the flutter of the wings of a bird that just might begin to stir and maybe even, glory be, rise inside you. A Book and a Hug

You may already be a winner by Ann Dee Ellis

I am really struggling at the moment with suggested ages for many of the Middle Grade books I have been reading. The back cover of this book You may already be a winner suggests ages 10 and up but I feel it would better suit an older audience. Adding to my dilemma Kirkus suggest 8-12. I simply cannot imagine child in Grade 3 or 4 having any understanding or interest in this book. I was pleased to see Lamont books list this as a Secondary school title.

Having said all of that I did enjoy You may already be a winner and in fact I read the whole book in one sitting. Olivia is a day dreamer and her interspersed dreams make this a complex book to read because the lines between reality and her dreaming are often quite blurred. The Breakpoint review said "because of both the form and the content, some middle-schoolers may find it tough going."

In the opening scene Olivia imagines she has sunk to the bottom of the swimming pool, she has died and Troy, the lifeguard, rescues and revives her.  Troy, in her day dream, kisses Olivia. "Though I'd never been kissed, my soft mouth molded to his as he tried to breathe life back into my body."  This sentence alone gives me rise to recommend this book to 11+ along with the fact that Olivia herself is 12 years old.

Olivia lives in a trailer park with her mother and younger sister and a strange assortment of people on the edge. Her father has left the family supposedly to work Bryce Cannon National Park.  One strength in this story comes from the letters Olivia writes to her father pouring out her hopes and daily struggles. There is no money even though her mother is working long hours as a cleaner. They cannot pay day care fees for little sister Berkeley and so both girls are left at home. Olivia knows she is slipping behind with her school work but she tries to set up a daily routine of lessons, art and exercise.

Eventually the school authorities catch up with them. Berkeley cannot go to day care and so Olivia takes her to school and hides her in a supply cupboard. Olivia loves her little sister and she tries to hard to keep everything afloat.

"The bell rang which meant my next class was already starting which meant I wasn't going to get to check on Berkeley which meant she was going to be scared and what if she had to go to the bathroom and I had some crackers in my bag that I'd forgotten to leave with her and what if they'd found her because what if they used that closet even though it looked dusty and smelled like old rags and was clear out of the way but even though that, what if they found her?"

Read this review by Ms Yingling.  Here is a review with more plot details.

I would pair this book with Waiting for Normal - which had a more profound impact on me and Wish upon a Unicorn. You could also look for books by Jacqueline Wilson such as Lily Alone.

Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor

I wonder why I am drawn to books like Waiting for Normal. Addie is living such a dysfunctional life and while there are adults on her side much of what she has to endure is done alone and without support. I remember reading a powerful book about life in mid west America when I was a young teenager called Addie Pray by Joe David Brown (the movie was called Paper Moon) and I think ever since I have enjoyed books in this genre. Addie reminded me of Opal in Because of Winn Dixie, Mibs in Savvy and Anna in Sarah Plain and Tall. What is normal? I guess it is something different for all of us but certainly the life Addie is living is far from normal. Her dad left when she was a baby and Mummers latest relationship has ended in heartbreak. The two small girls (half sisters to Addie) have been left with their father and Addie and Mummers move into a run down trailer right under a railway line with only a gas station/general store for company. Dwight, Addie’s step dad, does try to keep an eye on Addie and he makes regular maintenance payments but he has issues of his own and new relationships to nurture. Addie does have some special strengths. She is a musician and finds solace in her flute, she is careful with money and can cook enough food from cheap ingredients to survive and Addie is a faithful friend. Soula and Elliot who run the gas station become true friends offering a safe haven to Addie when her Mummers once again takes off for days at a time but Soula and Elliot have their own sadness to contend with. This is a book filled with heartache. I think it is true we read to know we are not alone and also we read to understand the lives of others. I absolutely loved Waiting for Normal but I know it is not a book everyone will enjoy. I will recommend this book to sensitive senior Primary girls. The story is incredibly sad and the life Addie is experiencing is harrowing although there is real hope at the end. I totally agree with the School Library Journal reviewer who said this is “a story centered around loss, heartbreak, abandonment, and new beginnings.”