Summary
Mia and her family are moving back to Vermont after two years in Boston. Two years Mia would love to forget. But now they’ll be close to her grandmother again and get to do all the things she remembers from when she was younger.
Mia’s parents are requiring her to choose two summer activities to keep her busy. They are quick to point out the gymnastics spot near her grandmother’s cricket farm. But Mia wants nothing to do with gymnastics these days. But she does sign up for a Warrior Camp nearby as well as a Launch Camp for Young Entrepreneurs. Mia thinks Launch Camp might help her come up with ideas to help the cricket farm.
Because the farm is in trouble. Gram is convinced someone is sabotaging her business – letting seagulls in, turning of the breakers to the freezers, etc. Mia’s parents think it’s more a run of bad luck – and a sign Gram should get out of the business. But Mia’s noticing weird things at the farm, too. And she’s determined to do whatever she can to help her grandmother.
Review
This was so good! There’s a TON of great stuff going on in this story. The cricket farm and the pieces on insects as a protein source for humans is fascinating (and creepy, in my opinion). Then there are the two camps Mia attends, the friends she makes there, and the things she learns at both. It’s obvious something happened at Mia’s gym back in Boston, and it feels bigger than just her broken arm. But it takes awhile for Mia to get to a place where she’s ready to address it, even in her own mind, much less tell an adult about it. And finally there’s the sabotage mystery. All of those pieces are woven together beautifully and seamlessly. Everything fits like an intricate jigsaw puzzle.
There are so many ways I could see teachers (and homeschooling parents) use this book in the classroom. It would be a great read-aloud and would also work for book clubs and reading groups. Kids could learn more about insects as food or about real cricket farms. They could learn about maker spaces or visit some. Students could learn about Warrior camps or business plans or a whole host of things that come up in the course of the novel.
In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with a novel by Kate Messner. I believe she does a masterful job of addressing serious and important topics (in this case harassment and boundary issues) in age-appropriate ways. Her books give kids an opening to talk about real life issues and give them language for difficult topics. Be sure to check this one out – for older middle grade readers (10+).