Dear Sweet Pea

Starred review from August 5, 2019
Seventh grader Patricia “Sweet Pea” DiMarco contends with her parents’ divorce, shifting friendships, and newfound self-awareness in this praiseworthy middle grade debut from YA author Murphy (Dumplin’). Along with Cheese, her “fifteen-pound orange tabby,” Sweet Pea shuttles between her family’s original house in Valentine, Tex., where her mother still lives, and the nearly identical home two doors down, where her father now resides, unsettled and frustrated by her parents’ split and her dad’s recent coming out. Recruited by her neighbor, eccentric local advice columnist Miss Flora Mae, to manage her mail while she’s out of town, Sweet Pea recognizes the handwriting on one letter and can’t stop herself from opening—and responding to—some of the others, throwing her friendships into disarray as she navigates the line between right and wrong. As with her books for older readers, Murphy creates a richly imagined protagonist who shines in her strength, humor, and self-confidence; Sweet Pea is also plus-size by today’s standards and is accepting and unashamed of her body. With gentle humor, ageless wisdom, and charming, genuine characters who represent a diversity of experiences, Murphy’s novel offers all the emotional highs and lows of pitch-perfect middle grade. Ages 8–12.

August 15, 2019
Near the end of seventh grade, a girl tangles with her family's changing shape, her friendships' changing shapes, and a professional advice column that's left temptingly unguarded. Sweet Pea lives in Valentine, Texas. Her therapist mother and housepainter father are divorcing--so amicably that Dad moves only two houses away, into a house almost identical in both structure and décor. This "twinning-parent-freak-show" is meant to keep Sweet Pea's life stable, but it doesn't. An ex-best-friend reenters Sweet Pea's life; a current best friend feels (justifiably) unappreciated; and Sweet Pea's job facilitating paperwork for a newspaper advice columnist--the peculiar old woman living between Sweet Pea's two "mirror" houses--gives Sweet Pea unfettered access to the incoming letters and the columnist's typewriter. What's a girl to do? Sweet Pea's first-person narration is endearing and funny while her oblivious self-absorption on certain topics lets readers figure out connections first. Murphy's portrayal of a fat protagonist whose body is neither symbolic nor problematic is cheerworthy; a scene about the juniors' section carrying only sizes too small for Sweet Pea is the only one that shows discrimination, and her parents and community support her. Sweet Pea, her parents, and the advice columnist are white (refreshingly, specified rather than assumed); one best friend is Mexican, the other mixed-race (black/white). A few characters are gay. An excellent blend of eccentricity, humor, genuine sweetness, and mild drama. (Fiction. 8-12)

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Starred review from November 1, 2019

Gr 3-7-Thirteen-year-old Patricia, aka "Sweet Pea," is still adjusting to life after her parents' divorce. She doesn't know how to feel about her new normal; her mom and dad are basically pretending nothing has changed, and are living on the same block in almost identical houses. Their shared neighbor is the esoteric Flora Mae, the elderly advice columnist behind "Miss Flora Mae I?" and all-around institution in Valentine, TX. Miss Flora goes out of town and entrusts her young neighbor with sending along her letters. When Sweet Pea finds a letter in familiar handwriting, she is compelled to answer and becomes embroiled in a well-intentioned scheme of moonlighting as Miss Flora whenever inspiration strikes. But some letters hit too close to home for Sweet Pea, leading to advice that's not always based in the sender's best interest. Murphy, (Dumplin', 2015), succeeds yet again at crafting a touching, quotable coming-of-age story, this time exploring divorce, shifting friendships, crushes, queerness, and much more. Sweet Pea is a delightfully astute young teenager; sometimes the novel's charm hits high on the saccharine scale, but the girl's gentle fumbles as she maneuvers big changes at home and school bring the text back down to earth. VERDICT A first purchase for collections seeking warm realistic fiction that centers divorce, friendship, and self-reflection.-Ashleigh Williams, School Library Journal

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2019
Grades 4-8 *Starred Review* Murphy (Dumplin', 2015) creates a wonderfully realistic portrait of tween life in her first middle-grade novel. Sweet Pea has a lot going on as she muddles through seventh grade?first and foremost, her parents' divorce. Though it's as amicable as they come, the divorce has thrown Sweet Pea for a loop, especially since her dad has simply moved down the street into a weirdly identical house. Luckily, she still has her best friend, Oscar, and cat, Cheese, to help her stay grounded. In an unlikely but immensely enjoyable twist, Sweet Pea begins ghostwriting responses for her neighbor's popular advice column, Miss Flora, Mae I?, while housesitting for her. She's delighted when her writing appears in the local paper, but her clandestine hobby has complicated ramifications. It comes between her and Oscar, yet it also allows her to repair another friendship and work through her feelings about the divorce. Sweet Pea is a treasure of a protagonist. She's fat without it being a cause for shame (though it comes with realistic challenges, like shopping in the junior's section), and she's not shy, popular, or an outcast: she's gloriously normal. Her burgeoning crush, embarrassment over period supplies, and utter mortification from barfing at a trampoline party will draw smiles and sympathy from readers, but Sweet Pea's flaws and personal revelations are what make her unforgettable.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A massive promotional campaign is being deployed for this book, and Murphy's younger Dumplin' fans will already be lining up for it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)