  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 02/01/2018 Gr 5–8—The day before 13-year-old drummer Melly heads to Camp Rockaway, her parents drop a bombshell: They're getting divorced. Suddenly, the next two weeks become about more than just hanging out with her best friend Olivia, swimming in the lake, and playing the drums. In this sweet and sincere summer story, Melly confronts a whirlwind of feelings as she observes Olivia's newfound intense interest in boys, learns to play in a band with strangers, and develops her first crush on a girl: her bandmate, Adeline. Camp Rockaway, with its endless music-related puns and earnest belief in music's transformative power, provides the perfect setting for Melly to navigate these major life events. Bigelow captures the emotional intensity of camp, where each day stretches long, and relationships can come together and fall apart in seconds. It is Melly's first-person narration that truly drives the story, always honest and self-reflective, even as she makes mistakes and struggles to understand and express her own feelings. Both fun and substantial, readable and empowering, this novel is a master class in balancing real issues with a light-hearted tone. Bigelow's compassionate take on the classic middle school topics of family, friendship, and first romance hits all the right notes. VERDICT Highly recommended; a perfect summer read for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jennifer Holm.—Molly Saunders, Homewood Public Library, AL - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 03/01/2018 Melly is super-duper shy and introverted, but a trip to camp during a difficult summer helps her find her stride. Melly’s summer begins with her parents informing her they are getting a divorce, just before sending her off with her drumsticks to a musical camp in the middle of the woods. To top it off, when she gets there, she’s split up from her best friend, and she’s somewhat alarmed to realize that she’s . . . actually OK. Bigelow captures that distinctive middle-grade experience of feeling like changes at home or in friendship are earth-shattering, and the music focus—particularly Melly’s rock-star aspirations—are especially endearing. Melly is a memorable, relatable character, and Bigelow tells her funny, heartfelt story with a lively blend of emotional moments and more musical puns than you can shake a (drum)stick at. Readers looking for an entertaining camp story, as well as fans of Victoria Jamieson’s Roller Girl (2015) or the long-running Lumberjanes series, will get a kick out of this empowering book. - Copyright 2018 Booklist. Loading...
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