(2) 4-6 At school Marty keeps a low profile to conceal the difficulties of his home life: a single mother who hoards and who lives with agoraphobia. Gracie comes from the prosperous side of the tracks but has challenges of her own: a busy, neglectful single dad and hearing loss. On the plus side, Marty has a warm, eccentric grandfather who gardens and encourages Marty's dream to one day visit the Eiffel Tower, and Gracie has a full complement of confidence. They also, increasingly in this story of a growing friendship, have each other. Just when readers think they know what familiar middle-grade-fictional territory they are in, Welsh writer Lewis throws a curveball toward magical realism and tall tale. The seed that kindly Grandad gave Marty for his birthday grows into a gigantic pumpkin, and Grandad decides to turn it into a boat and sail with Marty and Gracie to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower. The narrative tension switches from that of unreliable parents and school bullies to ­pumpkin-craft-threatening waves in the English Channel. With lots of help from a supportive community, the three succeed in their odyssey and the theme of following your dream (no matter how loopy) is made concrete. The two modes of storytelling don't entirely mesh, but the total effect is immensely likable.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) YA Ever since Collin's mother died in a car accident, he has worked hard on instructions for what to do in a variety of disastrous situations. His orange notebook is filled with tips, such as these for surviving being buried in an avalanche: "Note where gravity carries your saliva. Dig in the opposite direction." He misses his mother's "morning smooch attacks" as well as the way she kept his brilliant mathematician father's hoarding tendencies under control: "Without someone to keep / Dad's collections in check, / layers accumulate / like...sedimentary rock formations." As the condition of the house deteriorates, it becomes harder for Collin to keep himself clean and to find food. Fortunately, he has two close friends in Liam and Georgia, who don't know about his father's mental illness but are unfailingly supportive and help him feel normal. The verse novel pinpoints Collin's grief over his mother's death, his resulting anxiety, and how he copes with a father he loves but cannot rely on, using short, authentic phrases that home in on his feelings: "I can't decide / if I should laugh / or barf." The inclusion of several concrete poems adds impact, one of the most impressive being a poem in the shape of a house crammed to the brim with words. It's a touching and believable story of getting through to the other side of a terrible time, with Collin's practical survival advice sprinkled throughout.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) 4-6 Ten-year-old Annie Bianchi, the youngest in a large Catholic family in 1980s Massachusetts, is upfront about her siblings' bullying but makes excuses for her mostly absentee parents. Angelini cleverly hides the hoarding and physical abuse by Mom in plain sight, yet it still feels unexpected once revealed. Annie's loyal nature, naiveté, and struggle with dyslexia are sympathetically portrayed in this painfully vivid portrait of a dysfunctional family.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(3) 4-6 This year, twelve-year-old Shayne's annual idyllic Maine vacation devolves into disaster: she realizes that her grandmother's quirky "collecting" may have become hoarding; her summer-BFF Poppy is spending all her time working and otherwise preoccupied with boys; and Linc, the new neighbor, is oddly obsessed with the Civil War. Told with sensitivity and insight, this summertime coming-of-age story touches on loss and true friendship.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) YA Fifteen-year-old Josie and her classmate Tasha both keep their home lives secret: no one knows that Josie's mom is a hoarder or that Tasha feels unsafe around her mother's boyfriend. Then these secrets become unsustainable. Told in alternating narratives, certain turning points in the plot come too abruptly. Still, it's a nuanced portrayal of both girls' dueling desires to escape and rebuild their lives.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(2) 4-6 Annabelle's mother is a hoarder. When an enormous pile of old newspapers comes crashing down on her sister, the repercussions force Annabelle to confront the ways in which her family is psychologically "broken." This accessible novel taps into common themes (uncertain friendships, impatience with parents and younger sister), but it most particularly explores the psychology of hoarding and its toll on a family.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017