Scan barcode
bickie's review
2.0
Structured as a summer journal to be turned in to the main character's new 7th grade English teacher, this book touches on many issues which will be familiar to tween girls. Twelve-year-old Sarah (re-styling herself as "Rae" for middle school) takes a last-minute month-long train trip across the country with her two moms, two sisters, sister's boyfriend (they are 20 and in college), and 6-year-old sister's action-figure best friend Bruce the Centurion. Sarah's journal seems authentic (mostly) for a girl of privilege thinking about who she is, who she wants to be, and how to make a difference in the world; she also had refreshingly honest reactions to various events (relief that the ambulance was not for her sister, crushing embarrassment about a blue ear and fried hair). I found the wackiness and social justice/environmental statements somewhat heavy handed (even though I agreed with most or all of them). I'm looking forward to hearing what the students say about this one. Best for ages 10-12 (identity exploration, balancing activism with living in the world, disagreements with parents, an old person's death).
maureen_fox's review
4.0
The narrator is fanTAStic! What a fabulous middle grade book. It would make a great read aloud!
danicamidlil's review
3.0
I was a little disappointed with how preachy the environmental arguments got. I absolutely loved the author's other two books, which touched on social issues, but this one seemed to squat right down and wallow.
mommamel11's review
3.0
The premise of this book is good-cross country train trip, with stops along the way. Interesting tidbits about places along the way. The narrator, Sara, age 12, was engaging. What I didn’t like was the laundry list of political correctness: gay parents-check, adopted child from another country-check, sibling involved in social causes-check. All the social causes: BLM, environment, -check. Cool senior citizens-check. I felt hit over the head by it all.
It turns out I’ve read another book by the author that I don’t remember.
It turns out I’ve read another book by the author that I don’t remember.
thebookishlibrarian's review
Sara Johnston-Fischer’s summer plans are cancelled when she finds out that she is going on a cross country train trip with her two sisters, one of their boyfriends and her two moms. It’s not what she had in mind, but it could be fun, right? Read This Would Make a Good Story Someday to find out what Sara’s summer has in store!
snazel's review
5.0
Dana Alison Levy is so good at this. What a gentle, family-full (including both the good stuff and the stress) road trip. She's a genius.
yapha's review
4.0
All of Sara's summer plans are ruined when one of her moms wins a cross-country train trip for the entire family. Now, instead of reinventing herself with her two best friends before the start of middle school, she is stuck on a train with her younger sister Ladybug (Frog's friend from The Family Fletcher), her older sister Laurel and Laurel's boyfriend Tree, and her moms. Plus, she is supposed to be friendly with the other winning family which includes a boy her age. Not to mention that her mom wants to know her inner feelings about everything for the book she is writing. Sara finds it all unbearable, and keeps to herself, writing in her journal which becomes this book. Of course, as the journey goes on, Sara starts to learn more about herself and the people around her as well as the country she is traveling through. Because Laurel and Tree are staunch social activists (attending Berkeley, of course) there is a lot of commentary about both social and environmental issues. It may come off as didactic to adults, but it is well integrated for the intended audience. This is a really fun summer adventure book. Recommended for grades 4 & up.
just_hebah's review
4.0
Laugh-out-loud middle grade novel about trying to reinvent yourself while avoiding death by mortification by your noisy and slightly embarrassing family. The 12-year-old mortification and disdain is an authentic voice, and yet there's still plenty of heart and love in this story.
alinaborger's review
As always, Levy gives a ensemble you cannot help but love (see exception below).
The convention of a train trip was also quite original in these days of nearly instant travel--and all the more fun as a result.
*The exception to the lovable ensemble was Miranda (stepmom), whose annoying self-important voice was both accurate and damning of the mommy-blog community; it made me cringe at first and then laugh.
The convention of a train trip was also quite original in these days of nearly instant travel--and all the more fun as a result.
*The exception to the lovable ensemble was Miranda (stepmom), whose annoying self-important voice was both accurate and damning of the mommy-blog community; it made me cringe at first and then laugh.