One Old, One New: The Middle Grades Edition

One Old, One New features two books - one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today, I am sharing two books about grief and loss. Both of these are middle grades, where families are trying to heal after the death of their mother. 

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie
Erin Soderberg Downing
Series: The Great Peach Experiment, #1
Age/Genre: Middle Grades, Contemporary
Publisher: Pixel+Ink
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Mix together a used food truck, a road trip that doesn’t exactly go as planned, and a lot of pie, and you have the recipe for this sweet middle grade series starter brimming with humor, heart, and a family you’ll fall in love with. Perfect for readers who gobbled down The Penderwicks and The Vanderbeeks of 141st Street.

Sweet summer has taken a rotten turn…

After a tough year, Lucy, Freddy, and Herb Peach are ready for vacation. Lucy wants to read all of the books on the summer reading list. Freddy wants to work on his art projects (when he isn’t stuck in summer school). Herb wants to swim every day.

Then their dad makes a big announcement: one of the inventions their mom came up with before she passed away has sold, and now they’re millionaires!

But Dad has bigger plans than blowing the cash on fun stuff or investing it. He’s bought a used food truck. The Peaches are going to spend the summer traveling the country selling pies. It will be the Great Peach Experiment—a summer of bonding while living out one of Mom’s dreams. Summer plans, sunk. And there’s one more issue Dad’s neglected: none of them knows how to bake….

A perfect blend of humor, heart, and family antics, When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie is a delectable treat to be gobbled down or savored slowly. (Slice of pie on the side, optional, but highly recommended.)

The Peach Family had been trying to adjust to life without their mother for the past two years, and it had not been easy without her. After the sale of one of their mother's inventions resulted in a windfall, the Peaches set out to fulfill one of her lifelong dreams - to run a food truck. Armed with a plan and an amazing pie recipe, the family was determined to enter and win the Food Truck Festival.

You know who loves a road trip? This girl! I had a wonderful time touring the midwest with this quirky family. I know everyone will easily love the Peach children. With their father mostly absent, they had formed a rather tight unit, and I could feel the sibling love between them. It was very sweet the way they encouraged and supported each other, but I will admit that I was most proud of how much each child grew over the summer. The youngest Peach was finally allowed to contribute in a meaningful way, while the middle Peach found his niche in a family of geniuses. They were growing into their own, while trying to mend their hearts and their family. 

I have to admit, I wasn't always the biggest fan of dad. I gave him an inch, because he was grieving too, but he really wasn't in a position to lose all sight of his parental responsibilities. He left Lucy, the eldest Peach, to care for the home and her younger brothers, and well, it just wasn't fair. Don't worry, dad grows a bit on this road trip too as the family learns to work together, communicate better, and try to figure their new family dynamic. 

This was a really sweet and touching story of a family trying to determine how to move forward after a great loss. This fun and zany road trip was punctuated with some beautiful moments which warmed my heart, and by the end, I was excited for what came next for this family. 

It's the End of the World as I Know It
Matthew Landis
Age/Genre: Middle Grades, Contemporary
Publisher: Dial Books
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Derrick is sure that doomsday is coming, and he's prepping to survive--whether his friends believe him or not--in this middle grade novel for readers of Gary Schmidt, Gordon Korman, and Jack Gantos

Ever since his mother was killed in the line of duty in Iraq, Derrick has been absolutely certain that the apocalypse is coming. And he's prepared: he's got plenty of canned goods, he's fully outfitted with HAZMAT suits, and he's building himself a sturdy fallout shelter. When his neighbor Misty insists on helping with the shelter, Derrick doesn't think it's such a good idea. Misty's just had a kidney transplant, and her reaction to her brush with death is the opposite of Derrick's: where Derrick wants to hide, Misty wants to see and do everything. But as confident as Misty is, Derrick's doomsday fears just keep getting worse. And Derrick's promised apocalypse day begins with a very strange disaster, Derrick and Misty have to figure out a way to survive--especially when the end of the world as they know it looks nothing like they expected.

Derrick has been consumed with preparing for Doomsday since his mother's death. He has been stockpiling supplies and carefully following all notices on the blog, Apocalypse Soon!, while counting day. But as that fated date drew near, Derrick discovered that thing weren't going according to plan. 

You know I love nothing more than a good grief book, and this one was top notch. It was sweet, funny, painful, and touching. Everyone grieves in their own way, and Derrick was dealing with the loss of his mother by trying to exert as much control as he could over a suspected apocalyptic event. His friends and family, in a show of supported, humored him and allowed him to continue his prep, however, he needed help well before this point. 

Though entertaining Derrick's ideas about the apocalypse may not have been the best, his friends and family meant well. There was no point in this book where I doubted he was surrounded by love. I adored Derrick's two best guy friends. They shared a wonderful friendship, which had deep roots. I loved how they talked and encouraged each other and called upon each other for support.

Misty was another wonderful part of this story. She had been very ill and had a life-saving transplant. She was now determined to experience as many things as possible and live her best life. It was quite a contrast to Derrick preparing for "the end", and I loved their friendship and the way she shook up his world. 

It may not have been the end of the world for everyone, but when his mother died, Derrick's world was shattered. My heart went out to him as he grappled with his anxiety, grief, and all the changes that accompanied the loss of his parent. He was fortunate enough to have a lot of support, especially from his friends, who stood by him the entire time, and I was left with lots of hope for Derrick, his friends, and his family. 

**ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

  

Favorite kind of pie?
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