The Battle of Junk Mountain

March 1, 2018

Gr 4-6-Twelve-year-old Shayne has just arrived on the Maine coast to spend a month with her grandmother, who everyone calls Bea. Shayne is excited to be back in Maine to catch up with her "summer sister" Poppy. She's also there to help Bea clean out her house. Complicating things is the fact that her grandmother is an avid collector. She loves yard sales and has piles and piles of stuff she has amassed over the years. In the background, though, hovers her grief over the loss of her husband, Shayne's grandfather, who died in a boating accident. When Shayne helps Bea organize her things and bring them to the flea market, Bea refuses to sell anything. Meanwhile, Poppy is busy working at her dad's store and Shayne is left feeling out of sorts and lonely. Into this mix comes Cranky, also known as Mr. Holbrook, and his grandson Linc, a devoted Civil War reenactor. They become friends and Shayne starts working on Cranky's lobster boat. The Maine setting comes through clearly with rich descriptions and details. VERDICT Themes on intergenerational relationships, grief, and evolving friendships elevate this above the standard summer vacation story. A solid purchase, especially where realistic coming-of-age middle grade is needed.-Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York City

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2018
This summer is not at all what 12-year-old Shayne had hoped for.Shayne loves summering with her loving grandparents in their quaint lobstering town in Maine. She relaxes with them and swims with her friend Poppy. This year is different. After Grandpa's earlier death in a boating accident, her grandmother Bea needs Shayne's help preparing cascading piles of accumulated stuff to sell at the flea market. It quickly becomes evident that Bea is extremely reluctant to part with even the smallest, most tattered items, each of which to her embodies a story. With dismay and frustration, Shayne begins to realize that Bea's pack-rat tendencies have grown to hoarder proportions. Then their already-stressed relationship crumbles when Shayne, behind Bea's back, comes up with a plan to clear away the junk. Shayne also feels she's lost her main ally, as Poppy has become increasingly interested in boys. Each chapter is headed with a cheerful, folksy adage such as, "Saltwater Cures All Wounds," and the seemingly all-white town is populated with kind, eccentric residents, including Shayne's newest friend, who is a costumed Civil War enthusiast. The challenges, however, presented with candor and naivete in Shayne's voice, are real and troubling. This intelligent exploration of the grandparent-grandchild relationship recognizes that within every person reside contradictions.This absorbing middle-grade read gently but unflinchingly considers the common ground of growing up and growing old. (Fiction. 9-13)

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February 15, 2018
Grades 4-7 Shayne's ready to spend the summer with her best friend Poppy, but things are different the moment she arrives at her grandmother Bea's house. Not only has Bea gone back to work as a waitress, but whenever Poppy's not too busy to spend time with Shayne, she only wants to talk about boys. Shayne works on tidying up Bea's house and getting her many, many trinkets ready to sell at the flea market, but just when things are looking up, Bea becomes unwilling to let go of her treasures, and brings more into a house already packed full. As Shayne's beloved summer routine unravels around her, she begins to realize that, much like Bea, she just has to let some things go. Told in the voice of a spunky, hopeful 12-year-old, this story explores not only the importance of family but the reality that some people grow apart. Realistic descriptions detail what it's like to live with a hoarder and the reluctance to let go of sentimental treasures. This beautiful story reminds readers that there's much more to life than material objects.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)