Tricia Springstubb

Mo Wren has lived on Fox Street all of her life. In Mo's opinion, Fox Street has almost everything you could want . . . except for other girls, and foxes. Mo's best friend Mercedes lives on Fox Street only in the summer, when she visits her grandmother. And despite Mo's careful observation of the wildlife in the ravine at the end of the street, she's never seen a fox there. She hasn't given up hope, though. Mo can't imagine living anywhere other than Fox Street. Then, one summer, everything show more changes. Mercedes, courtesy of a despised new stepfather's money, starts dressing stylishly and talking about how her grandmother should move somewhere closer to the rest of her family. Mo's little sister Dottie is growing up, and getting wilder every day. One of the dreaded Baggot boys starts seeming oddly appealing to Mo -- well, that change may not be so bad, really. The worst change, though, is that Mo's father, despairing over his miserable job with the city utilities department and still mourning the loss of Mo's mother, gets an offer from a lawyer who wants to purchase the little house on Fox street. Then, Mo finds a tiny bit of fur snagged on a bramble in the ravine -- reddish orange fur, just the color of a fox's coat. How can Mo even think of leaving Fox street, just when she's finally found the sign she's been looking for? Can she talk her father into keeping the house? Even if she stays, will things stay the same, or is change inevitable?

This lovely little book is about dealing with change. It also touches on responsibility, friendship, and the ties that hold a family together. Mo is delightful, and all of the characters are beautifully realized, with all of their flaws, quirks, and moments of grace and humor. Highly recommended. show less

This middle grade story about a teen girl losing everything but her family in a house fire is heartbreaking and full of hope. Amber Price is used to having to worry about studying for math or if the cute boy in her class has noticed her, but when a fire upends her life she hardly knows what to think. Her older brother Gage rushed into the house to save her from the attic and suffered sever burns. Everyone is calling him a hero and wants to help their family. But some things can't be helped. show more Their dad's stress about the insurance, their parent's deteriorating relationship, the lack of cute clothes to wear. This contemporary novel will make teens think twice about what kindness and the truth mean. show less

Usually, I really don't care for these slice-of-life type of books and rarely buy them since the kids don't check them out often. But this one really grabbed me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Cody is excited about the start of a wonderful summer. She's going to enjoy it with reading, watching ants, and hanging out with her family. But it's a little bumpier than expected with her teen brother Wyatt struggling at his science camp and in love and a maybe new friend named Spencer who has a lost show more cat. Not to mention her mom's new job that isn't going as well as she'd hoped. Fortunately, after some tears and struggles, all ends well.

I loved the depiction of a warm and loving family going through everyday problems. The characters are realistic and have fights and arguments, especially when Cody's ideas don't turn out as well as she'd hoped, but underneath they're basically kind and trying to do the right thing. Nobody dies, gets divorced, has life-threatening illnesses, etc. It's just a simple story of a happy summer with ups and downs.

Verdict: I really loved this - the writing was lovely, the characters realistic and people I'd want to meet, and whole story was just very happy. I liked that the main characters were diverse without it being the point of the story and that Springstubb didn't fall into the "diverse best friend" trap. On the other hand, I'm not sure how many kids would actually check this out. It's a little long for a beginning chapter book, but not quite long enough for the middle grade kids that will read this type of slice-of-life story. It would make a nice read-aloud for younger kids though. I'll have to think about it some more.

ISBN: 9780763658571; Published 2015 by Candlewick; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

I read this one a couple times when I was 10 and I really liked it. The story was cute, and the characters relationships were enjoyable. The light and gentle "terrifying" adventures they had taking care of a bunch of animals were really great. A great short read for kids! Highly recommended.