Starred review from April 24, 2023
In the early 2010s, 11-year-old Ginny, an aspiring geoscientist, works to cope with a summer of change in her frequently moving Army family. She anticipates that their next move, from North Carolina to Maryland, will be difficult, but she’s gutted when her ER doctor father—“the one person who really, truly gets me”—is immediately deployed to Afghanistan. Things get even worse when her much-anticipated geography camp is canceled and she’s enrolled in a disastrous jewelry course instead; meanwhile, an already contentious relationship with her athletic 12-year-old sister Allie turns venomous as Allie seems to make friends with ease. Constantly taking in geography facts, doodling maps, and adulating oceanographic cartographer Marie Tharp, Ginny nevertheless grows more miserable, worrying about her father and fearing she’ll never understand his parting advice that she follow her “true north.” Through Ginny’s experiences, Hickey (Heroes and Horses) portrays the full emotional cycle of deployment with accuracy and compassion. Immersive first-person chapters, which each open with a geography fact, accurately convey the comfort and the isolation that can accompany an intense special interest alongside Ginny’s broadening recognition of the needs of the people around her. Occasional fine-lined b&w illustrations by Murphy depict pivotal scenes. Protagonists cue as white; the secondary cast is racially diverse. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Alex Glass, Glass Literary Management.
May 1, 2023
Grades 4-7 Geography-loving Ginny has moved to a new town--again--and she's facing a lonely summer. Her medic dad has been unexpectedly deployed to Afghanistan, her older sister has already made other friends, and her mom is busy with a demanding work project. When her one bright spot, a geography-themed camp, gets canceled at the last minute, Ginny is desperate to avoid a jewelry-focused alternative. A brilliant idea strikes: she'll create her own geography camp, round up the neighborhood kids as the unsuspecting campers, and bombard them with her favorite facts. But things don't go as planned, and her family struggles with her father's absence. How can Ginny hold everything, including herself, together? This entertaining, earnest story is a terrific observation of family dynamics (particularly clashing siblings) and the complexity of life as a child with a parent in the military. Ginny is an inspiring protagonist, gradually opening herself up to other people's perspectives and interests without compromising her own unique personality and passions. An engaging and empathetic examination of an array of human relationships--including the one we have with ourselves.
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Starred review from April 15, 2023
A geography-obsessed girl faces a summer of near-impossible change. Eleven-year-old Ginny and her 12-year-old sister, Allie, already know they're moving from North Carolina to Maryland the week after school lets out. Their dad is an Army doctor, and he's transferred regularly. But Dad learns he's instead being deployed to Afghanistan right away, just as they are about to move. Then, the geography camp Ginny was counting on gets canceled, and she's wait-listed for the STEM magnet school. While her outgoing, athletic sister enjoys getting to know the kids in their new neighborhood, Ginny recites geography facts; reads about Marie Tharp, her favorite geographer; obsesses about her father, who isn't responding to her messages; and makes a disastrous attempt at running her own geography camp. When her father finally calls, her emotions are overwhelming, and Ginny blows up--and then, gradually, realistically, and sympathetically, begins to understand other people's points of view, try activities outside her comfort zone, and make friends without sacrificing or disguising her true self. It's all very believable and very well done, from the wide range of fully developed characters to the realistic challenges of being a military family. Ginny's quirky and engaging voice pushes this story to a lovely conclusion. Main characters read White; some of Ginny's new neighborhood friends are Black and Indian American. Chapters open with interesting geography facts, and delightful spot art throughout enhances the text. It's hard to write with such simple authenticity: The world needs more stories like this. (Fiction. 8-12)
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