Chirp

by Kate Messner (Author)

Chirp
Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

"[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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$8.99

Kirkus Reviews

Starred Review
Messner deftly weaves together myriad complex plot threads to form a captivating whole. . . . Rich, timely, and beautifully written.

Booklist

Amid common themes of friendship and overcoming fears, Messner folds in strong messaging about sexual harassment. . . . This book directly addresses a relevant topic rarely discussed with middleschoolers. 

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

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.

School Library Journal

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.

Review quotes

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

Kate Messner
Kate Messner is passionately curious and writes books for kids who wonder, too. A former teacher, Kate Messner has written numerous picture books, chapter books, and novels for young readers. She lives on Lake Champlain with her family.

Heather Ross is an illustrator and fabric designer. She lives in New York City and the Catskill Mountains with her husband, daughter, and dog.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781547605705
Lexile Measure
830
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publication date
March 20, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV025000 - Juvenile Fiction | Lifestyles | Farm Life & Ranch Life
JUV002140 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Insects, Spiders, etc.
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
JUV039210 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Sexual Abuse
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Detective and mystery fiction
Secrecy
Secrets
Bildungsromans
Farms
Vermont
Crickets
Sexual abuse
Women gymnasts
Entomophagy

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