Reviews

Just Like That by Gary D. Schmidt

bibliobrandie's review

4.0

I love books set in Maine, especially books set in Maine in the 1960s (Brunswick, Bath, and Harpswell are prominently featured). This book is told from two perspectives. Meryl Lee has just suffered a tragedy so her parents send her to a girls boarding school in Maine to have a fresh start. Thirteen year old Matt mysteriously appears in the same town and you learn about his life and the traumas he has suffered through flashbacks. Because it’s set in the 60s you get some introduction to the Vietnam War, though mean Mrs. Connolly does not think it a suitable topic for conversation, especially for girls. This book has a great cast of characters (though very little diversity, as is the way in Maine) and for me, boarding schools are a fascinating setting. There is a teacher who made my blood boil, as she was supposed to do, and I found myself imagining her as the Wicked Witch of the West. I really loved how Schmidt revisited other characters from his other books in this one.
This is just a great read with great characters in a great setting!

roseleaf24's review

5.0

It was so good to pick up a book I couldn't put down. My last few reads have not been like that. This was beautiful and funny and suspenseful. As usual, Schmidt does not shy away from the brutal parts of life, but wraps them in Hope.

tracepowers's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

librariansrule's review

5.0

Too much times passes between Schmidt novels, so I try to read them slowly so as to make them last longer.
It never works.
I love his respect for people. For kids and their feelings, for adults and their perspectives.

meggratopp's review

5.0

I so enjoyed this book! The differing perspectives added a really cool dimension to the story, and the main characters were compelling. I love the way the author describes grief as “the blank” and allows the adolescent characters to dive into their own baggage, ask for help, and find solace in their friendship. Highly recommend this one!

avonleagal's review

5.0

this is like my fourth time reading this book and the ending gets me every time.
so many good things in this book. it is, however, a bit unfinished at the end. In a good way. In real life, not everything turns out perfectly in the end. but anyway I love it. and Matt. And Marylee.

lrosenzweig23's review

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

lilly_koonce's review

5.0

4.5

gracepickering's review

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

jencarp8's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I love Gary Schmidt and I use all three of his Wednesday Wars “series” in my classroom. They are huge hits with the students too. When I first read this book a couple years ago, I cried two pages in and many more times throughout. When my students read the book this year, they cried. Few authors can connect you so deeply to fictional characters that you are moved to tears when tragedy strikes. Schmidt is not afraid to cover the tough topics in a way that is humorous and beautiful. This is a book that will stick with me and my students.