  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 07/01/2017 Gr 3–6—In her debut middle grade novel, Newman writes a homage to E.L. Konigsburg's iconic From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Walter and Frankie scheme to spend the night alone in an IKEA store. They have been friends their whole lives, and their families are close, and both kids are obsessed with the IKEA catalogue. In the chaos of loading the purchases into separate cars after a joint trip to IKEA for Walter's birthday, Walter and Frankie pull off a scheme to evade their parents. Frankie says at the beginning of the book, "People think that dorky geeks who read all the time are the kinds of kids who don't get into trouble." The two prove that statement wrong as they elude their parents and IKEA staff to spend most of a night in the furniture store inventing elaborate games and accidentally damaging property, until they are caught by a compassionate security guard. Frankie explains that her purpose in staying overnight in the store is to help Walter deal with his grief over his father's recent death. The book is well paced, with just enough high jinks and suspense to counterweight the sorrow. VERDICT A recommended purchase for medium-size and large collections. This would be a good classroom read-aloud title with talking points about loss and the consequences of one's actions.—Sarah Wilsman, Bainbridge Library, Chagrin Falls, OH - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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