Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Book Review - Dear Sweet Pea

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖
by Julie Murphy
Thirteen-year-old Patricia, aka "Sweet Pea" has her life turned upside down when her parents suddenly announce they are getting divorced. Now her father's living two doors down in a house almost identical to the one they once shared as a family with Sweet Pea splitting time between them. In the middle of them is the home of the local advice columnist Miss. Flora Mae, who entrusts Sweet Pea with taking care of her house and ensuring the mail for the advice column, gets from her house to her sister's where she is temporarily staying. During her first check-in, Sweet Pea finds herself reading some of the letters, then answering one which she includes in Miss. Flora Mae's stack. Now Sweet Pea finds herself answering a letter per column, and her secret doesn't help the drama going on with her family and her best friend.

Fun and entertaining, readers will be turning the page to find out what happens with Sweet Pea. While her name (though it's a nickname everybody calls her) may come across as odd, the character is wonderfully realistic. Sweet Pea is overweight, but Murphy terrifically makes that a noted but minor point of the story. Those who have divorced parents are likely to empathize with Sweet Pea and may find some similar feelings shared.

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