by Kate Messner (Author)
"[A] deftly layered mystery about family, friendship, and the struggle to speak up." - Laurie Halse Anderson, bestselling author of Speak and Shout.
From acclaimed author Kate Messner comes the powerful story of a young girl with the courage to make her voice heard, set against the backdrop of a summertime mystery.
When Mia moves to Vermont the summer after seventh grade, she's recovering from the broken arm she got falling off a balance beam. And packed away in the moving boxes under her clothes and gymnastics trophies is a secret she'd rather forget.
Mia's change in scenery brings day camp, new friends, and time with her beloved grandmother. But Gram is convinced someone is trying to destroy her cricket farm. Is it sabotage or is Gram's thinking impaired from the stroke she suffered months ago? Mia and her friends set out to investigate, but can they uncover the truth in time to save Gram's farm? And will that discovery empower Mia to confront the secret she's been hiding--and find the courage she never knew she had?
In a compelling story rich with friendship, science, and summer fun, a girl finds her voice while navigating the joys and challenges of growing up.
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When Mia's grandma has a mild stroke, the middle schooler's family moves from Boston to Burlington, Vt., to help her grandmother sell her cricket farm. As a former entomology professor and entomophagist, however, Gram is determined to get more people eating protein-rich crickets and expand the farm--if she can first figure out who is sabotaging it. With the help of two friends she meets at Launch Camp for Young Entrepreneurs, Mia--a fearless gymnast until an injury and a painful secret leaves her uncertain and cautious--creates a business plan for Gram's cricket farm and starts sleuthing for Gram's saboteur. But doing so means that Mia must find both her courage and her voice. Messner addresses #MeToo themes authentically and with care as her story moves toward empowerment: Mia displays fear and confusion alongside a hope to reclaim the strength she once felt as a gymnast. Layering mystery elements, strong and myriad female characters, and a poignant analogy involving chirp-less female crickets, Messner gently guides Mia on a journey of resilience that both comforts and inspires. Ages 10-14. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (Feb.)
Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Gr 4-6--Messner crafts a timely "#MeToo" novel wrapped in intriguing parallel mysteries. What turned talented gymnast Mia away from the sport she loved after a fall and surgery? There's a story she hasn't told anyone. And who is sabotaging her Gram's fledgeling cricket farm? In the summer after seventh grade, Mia finds the courage--and voice--to confront both. Helping Mia reclaim her strength are the skills she develops while attending two summer camps and a number of memorable female supporting characters. New friend Clover's innate bravery and self-confidence help Mia remember she is strong, too. Gram almost steals the spotlight as the novel's most inspiring character through her rich backstory and, like Mia, is determined to recover from a physical setback. Most male figures--both human and insect--are depicted as characters who are less mature and sensitive than their female counterparts. A male camper eventually apologizes to Mia's friend Anna for making her feel uncomfortable with his advances. At Mia's request, her mother tells her father about Mia's past abuse to spare the teen re-telling her painful story to him; "Dad wasn't great about talking about things like that." The novel's important themes successfully inspire and empower its audience. Mia's shyness, aversion to gymnastics, and discomfort with unfamiliar boys and men clearly establishes the thematic subtext of the novel for young readers, even when the action is focused on the sabotage afoot. VERDICT A novel that succeeds most as a carefully plotted, engaging mystery and middle grade-appropriate introduction to a serious and pervasive issue.--Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY
Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Kate Messner strikes the perfect balance of joy, pain, and strength in this deftly layered mystery about family, friendship, and the struggle to speak up. —Laurie Halse Anderson, bestselling author of SPEAK and SHOUT
Chirp is so many things: a mystery, a family story, and a story of the power of friendship. It's about learning to speak out when it seems the whole world would rather you shut up. Sure to be passed from kid to kid to kid. —Laura Ruby, National Book Award Finalist and author of the York Trilogy
Once again, Kate Messner has written a book that will be a dear and important friend to her readers. A loving and compelling ode to the joy of friendship, the many kinds of strength, and the everyday bravery of girls. —Anne Ursu, author of THE LOST GIRL
Messner honors middle graders by exploring important, relevant issues at their level of understanding. This book will prompt discussions of gender inequality, consent, and sexual abuse. A must purchase. —Starred Review, School Library Connection
Chockfull of strong female role models, Chirp is a riveting middle grade novel of empowerment that deftly tackles a delicate, imperative subject. —BookPage, starred review
A deliciously layered concoction of mystery, friend bonding and girl power. . . . Messner gracefully spins multiple threads into one beautiful, empowering novel that is likely to satisfy warriors and quietly courageous readers alike. - Shelf Awareness, starred review
Impactful. . . . A message many young people can benefit from hearing. —BCCB
Resonant, necessary. . . . At its heart, Chirp is a female-powered story about courage. - The New York Times Book Review
An effective, authentically wrought look at how fear and ignorance can lead people to treat those of different races or from different places with suspicion. Messner shines a light on the ways that people are blind to their own privilege while quick to judge others. —Publishers Weekly, starred review, on BREAKOUT
An accessible format and a unique focus on contemporary issues of criminal justice and racial bias make this an essential purchase. —School Library Journal, starred review, on BREAKOUT
A sensitive coming-of-age tale about waking up to injustice and where that knowledge can lead. —Kirkus Reviews on BREAKOUT
Authentic . . . . Middle school worries and social issues skillfully woven into a moving, hopeful, STEM-related tale. —Starred review, Kirkus Reviews on THE EXACT LOCATION OF HOME
Vivid characters and situations, along with clear, simple writing and plotting, make this an accessible and enlightening read. A gentle but truthful look at poverty and homelessness. —School Library Journal, starred review, on THE EXACT LOCATION OF HOME
An empathetic, beautiful, magical, fiercely necessary book that stares unflinchingly at the very real challenges contemporary kids face and gently assures them they are not alone. Kate Messner gives her readers a story to cherish. —Anne Ursu, author of BREADCRUMBS and THE REAL BOY on THE SEVENTH WISH
Hopeful, empathetic, and unusually enlightening. —Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on THE SEVENTH WISH