See You on a Starry Night

May 7, 2018
A looming divorce’s strain on a family forms the dramatic tension in this realistic and ultimately hopeful tale of a girl finding the courage to embrace unexpected change. Following her parents’ separation, 11-year-old Juliet is out of sorts when she has to move to a beach cottage with her mother and sister, leaving behind her father, her best friend, her favorite school librarian, and a big bedroom. In just a week, she’ll be the new girl in a school where the other kids might not understand her penchant for making lists or her passion for messy art projects and the work of Vincent van Gogh. Luckily, Juliet’s anxious ruminations are interrupted by perky, welcoming Emma, a new neighbor who invites Juliet to join her in writing messages in a bottle and tossing them out to sea. When Juliet gets a reply to her note, she and Emma become absorbed in a kindness-inspired challenge proposed by the mystery responder. Though the story has a too-tidy ending, Schroeder (Keys to the City) offers solid character portraits and a reassuring tone that draws readers into Juliet’s journey as she navigates her jumbled feelings, gains self-confidence and friends, and opens up to her evolving family dynamic. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties.

May 1, 2018

Gr 3-6-After her parents' recent divorce, 11-year-old Juliet; her older sister, Miranda; and their mom move from Bakersfield to Mission Beach in California. Juliet is unhappy with all the changes in her life and now, to top it off, she has to start at a new school after spring break. Escaping from her new home and heading down to the beach, Juliet meets Emma, who instantly draws Juliet into her latest adventure: writing messages to put into a bottle and toss into the ocean. Juliet thinks the idea is a bit wacky but she immediately likes Emma and won't turn away a potential friend. Juliet is shocked to discover an email from "Some Kid" later in the week claiming to have discovered her message in a bottle. Some Kid invites Juliet to be part of the Starry Beach Club if she can help make someone's wish come true. Juliet has her work cut out for her. Schroeder nicely balances the emotions Juliet is tackling as she dwells on her parents' divorce, starts a new friendship, and becomes part of the Mission Beach community. Juliet's love of lists, her passion for art and Vincent van Gogh, and her jealousy at observing Emma's "perfect" family are highly relatable. VERDICT Collections in need of stories about making new friends and the emotional aftermath of divorce in white middle class families should consider this title.-Sarah Wethern, Douglas County Library, Alexandria, MN

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2018
Juliet loves glitter, painting, cookie-dough ice cream, Van Gogh's The Starry Night, and writing lists. She doesn't love that she and her older sister, Miranda, have had to move away from Bakersfield to a beachfront San Diego cottage because her parents are divorcing.The 11-year-old is immediately befriended by same-aged Emma, whose family lives near the beach and runs an ice cream shop. Together, the girls cast bottles with messages into the sea. Someone--using the signature "Some Kid at the Beach"--responds to Juliet's message, challenging Juliet to try to make a wish come true for someone, both setting up a minor mystery and leading to a small, touching subplot. Advice for children experiencing a divorce comes thick and steady, making this a useful purchase for that group, if they are willing to overlook the rather slight storyline. Juliet is a likable-enough character, and her narrative voice mostly rings true as she alternately rages against her new situation and competently navigates it, assisted a great deal by extremely nice Emma and her remarkably pleasant family (whose mostly smooth road contrasts poignantly with Juliet's new bumpy one) and by her older sister's kind and calming advice. Nearly all the characters appear to be the white default.A useful, even soothing choice for children undergoing a common transition. (Fiction. 9-12)

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