The Middle of Somewhere

Author: J. B. Cheaney

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Publication Year: 2007

Lexile: 1030L (This book is not in the Lexile Book Database. I used the Lexile Analyzer to get this value.)

Most of the readers will be: Late elementary and early middle school girls.

Reader's Advisory: Veronica reminded me of Lucky from The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron, the 2007 Newberry winner.

Summary:
Veronica Sparks's summer begins inauspiciously when her hyperactive brother lets a squirrel into the house and during the ensuing chaos, their mother breaks her knee. When Ronnie's grandfather happens to stop by for a visit in his brand new camper van, her mother suggests he take Ronnie and Gee (the brother) with him for a week as he travels across Kansas wind prospecting. Gee doesn't behave much better on this trip than he did at home. He causes many near disasters before finally stowing away in the trailer owned by his idle, Cannonball Paul. Family, friends, and strangers come together to look for Gee, and Veronica learns about the things in life that are truly important.

My favorite passage:

But Leo was a lot more than his latest special thing. That dog, I realized, was the only living creature on this earth who could take Gee exactly as he was, without getting frustrated or sending him to the principal's office or lecturing him about thinking before acting.
I turned back to Pop. "How about we play cards for the dog?"
That startled him out of his stubborn expression." How's that?"
I took a deep breath, making up the deal as it came to me. "Suppose we play a hand of...five-card draw. No, three hands. Best two out of three. If I win, we keep the dog. If you win, we try to find him a good home with somebody else."
"That's the spirit!" our neighbor exclaimed. "I like it. Whaddaya say, Jack?"
Mrs. Mac spoke almost too soft to hear. "Give it a chance, Jack."
He tightened up his lips, but his eyes shifted to Gee, then back to me. After a few seconds, he untightened enough to say, "Okay."
The audience cheered. Seriously.

What I really think:
I love Ronnie's voice. This is a story that needs to be told in first person, and quite skillfully is. Ronnie's attachment to Kent Clark's Seize the Way is something many middle schoolers could relate to. Young people in this age group are often looking for guidance and rules to follow, and these don't always come from a religion. And like other children her age do, Ronnie struggles with the rules she tries to live by, realizing that they don't always work. She also deals with difficult family relationships. She has a younger brother who is so needy, his needs not only overshadow hers, they also take up most of her time. Her grandfather doesn't help her, but actually creates more work for her. Ronnie fears that if Gee annoys Pop too much he will take them back home prematurely, so she actually tries extra hard to keep Gee under control around him. There are certainly many middle schoolers who have demanding younger siblings and/or parental figures they try overly hard to please. I do think this book will speak to the young people who read it.