Bobbie Pyron

The summer before fifth grade, 10-year-old Pearl starts worrying about all the things that could go wrong now that she and her friends aren't in the same classes, she has to remember a locker combination, and so on. She ends up getting so anxious about the "what-ifs" that she sinks into a deep depression as the school year starts. Eventually her family notices and Pearl starts therapy, but will she ever feel happy and like herself again?

This is a book that tackles a heavy topic, and the show more author's note makes clear that this comes from an "own voices" place of knowing. I really appreciate that aspect and I think the book does a very good job at portraying many aspects of anxiety and depression, including how mental illnesses are just like physical illnesses, how they can affect anyone no matter how "perfect" their life might look to outsiders, that depression and the like can run in families, and the benefits of therapy for providing tools to help move through depression.

On the flip side, I feel like the beginning to middle part of the book spent a little too long describing Pearl feeling sad and anxious, lacking motivation, and losing interest in her previous hobbies. I know it was setting the stage and showing the symptoms to young readers who might need a little more description, but it felt like it went on just a tad too long before Pearl started getting help. In this section of the book, it failed to stand out among other books that I've read on the same subject. I found myself losing some interest in the story during these parts, but then getting re-engaged when Pearl started going to therapy and learning coping skills.

The family and community depicted created a lovely tapestry for the story, and this was one of the most compelling and stand-out parts of the book. I felt like the characters were all rounded out pretty well by the end, and there was a nice array of people who ranged from seeing Pearl's struggles to those who couldn't quite understand depression to those that flat-out refused to believe a child could struggle with mental illness. As hard as the latter in particular could be to read about, this reflects reality and I appreciate books that can be optimistic without sugarcoating everything before wrapping it up in a neat bow.

While this is technically a novel in verse, it felt more like prose on the whole than lyrical poetry. Given the serious nature of the content of this book, leaning into more accessible text instead of flowery language was perhaps a good choice. show less

On the outside, Pearl’s life seems perfect, so why is she feeling so down?

Ten-year-old Pearl lives in Crescent Beach, Florida, where she spends her summers skateboarding, running, and dreaming of becoming a marine biologist. But with fifth grade just around the corner, Pearl finds herself worrying more than usual. After school starts, her teachers share their concerns about her declining academic performance, “sad” essays, and forgetfulness, leading her parents to bring her to Jill show more Axline, a therapist who diagnoses Pearl with depression. Over time, Pearl becomes an advocate for destigmatizing depression, and she encourages others to seek the help they need. When she finds out that a grant to rehabilitate injured sea turtles at the aquarium is in jeopardy, Pearl needs her new tools from therapy to overcome the darkness of her depression. Pyron artfully presents Pearl’s navigation of her new diagnosis in relation to her family and friends. The descriptions of symptoms, including physical exhaustion, provide a window into her experiences. Although many of the cast members are minimally described in the spare verse, which is divided into brief chapters, Pearl’s relationships to the secondary characters are rich and evocative. The author’s concluding personal note includes useful information for those who are suffering from depression themselves or supporting someone with mental illness. Main characters present white.

A full-bodied and authentic exploration of living with depression. (Verse fiction. 8-12)

-Kirkus Review show less

Ask anybody in Paradise Beach who is the unluckiest of them all, they’d unanimously offer the name, Nathaniel Harlow.

Nate is so unlucky when he tries to toast some bread, it doesn’t come out burnt, the toaster shorts out instead. Every box of cracker jacks is consumed with no prize in the bottom.

So who would be the unlucky person to get struck by lightning on his eleventh birthday but Nate. Yep. while playing goofy golf, a bolt came down and blew him clear out of his favorite red show more sneakers.

Now that’s not the way it was supposed to work. For the first time ever, when Nate made a fervent wish and blew the candles out on his birthday cake, they all went out. Not one flame stayed lit. Shouldn’t that mean his wish had come true? His luck had changed? I wouldn’t call lightning zapping him lucky.

Perhaps his luck did change though. He did survive to see more birthdays. And then more lucky things began to happen to Nate and soon he was the most popular person in Paradise Beach.

But is he truly lucky? His best friend, Genesis Beam, doesn’t think so. She’s been friends with Nate for a long time and being a science geek, she doesn’t believe in luck. She just tells him the odds are in his favor for good things to happen. We shall see.

Nate is a delightful boy. He remained positive even though he was unlucky. He never gave up hoping for better. And his friend Genesis. She’s such a cute thing. Both are the outsiders. The ones the others bully and make fun of.

I was worried about their friendship when Nate became popular. I didn’t want him to lose such a loyal friend or abandon their plight to save the sea turtles. Childhood friends are precious and can last a lifetime.

Lucky Strike is a gem. Friendships are tested and new ones are forged. It’s a story of learning to see what’s in front of you and hold tight to it. Sometimes wanting something more shows you’ve had it all along.

My son read this after I did. He’s a bit older than the recommended reading age for this story but he loved it too. We talked about luck and friends, family and how things change over time. Our reminiscing was another gem I discovered from sharing this book with him and we both feel “Lucky” to have read it. show less

OK, so it’s a bit soapy, but A Dog’s Way Home by Bobbie Pyron made me mist at the ending. You’d have to be a totally unfeeling person not to mist up after reading about a dog traveling 300+ miles, through rain, sleet, and snow, battling humans, coyotes, and starvation to get back to his 12 year old owner, Abby. And that’s what Tam does.

In chapters alternating between Abby’s unwavering belief that Tam is alive and Tam’s unwavering love of his owner, A Dog’s Way Home is show more heartwarming. It’s the movie Homeward Bound without the humorous interplay of Sally Field and Michael J. Fox.

Tam is show quality Sheltie. On the way home to Harmony Gap, NC from a show 300+ miles north near Roanoke, VA, Tam’s in a crate in the back of a truck driven by Abby’s mother. She swerves off the road to avoid a deer and dog and crate go flying off the truck and down a major hill, landing in a rapidly flowing creek. Lucky to escape, Tam begins his long trek home.

Abby and her mother are injured and taken to the local hospital. They can’t go back to the scene of the accident. Abby’s father, Ian, a musician, is on the road a lot. To make matters worse, some months later, the family must move to Nashville to further Ian’s career. Now, how will Tam ever find Abby?

I must admit I wasn’t expecting much after reading the first chapter, but boy this book grows on you. Yes, you know the ending, but traveling Tam’s road to get there was as stressful for me as it appears to be for him. This is a great book for middle school age dog lovers. It captures the awkwardness of those teenage years. It captures the reciprocal love of a girl and her dog and it’ll capture your heart. show less