Elspeth Lorraine

There is such a plethora of good middle grade books being published right now, it can be hard to choose which to review! Luckily I heard Michael speak at a writer’s conference and was blown away by his charm and talent. I knew I needed to read his latest book and I got an advance copy ASAP. You can Preorder it before it’s release on May 21. (Quick reminder. Preorders are SUPER important to authors and can make a big difference!) 

This book is chock full of family and friend drama which is normal for middle grade… but honestly… It just made me glad I was grown. Luca is a sweet Italian kid trying to balance his family’s failing pizza restaurant, his new crush at school, his best friend maybe having a crush on his crush, the tension between him and his best friend over this crush situation, a school dance, his parent’s separation and raising his siblings (shout out to parentification!). Also he’s gay which is important to his identity but luckily not a plot point (shout out to gay characters being gay and it not being the plot!). All of this and now his favorite reality show chooses the restaurant for an episode on Luca and his pizza making skills! I don’t want to ruin the ending but I will say, Michael handles Luca’s story with grace. It was a great read and I enjoyed it.

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Bits and Pieces: Luca’s parents were like… insanely immature and selfish. It was believable (shout out to lived experience!) (shout out to why am I doing so many shout outs?) but I was ready to give them a real talking to. Michael is SO good at writing about all the feelings of a crush. It made me remember all my crushes at that age and the big feelings and confusion. 

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Not Sure About: Woohoo were these kids mature! Their heart to heart talks seemed a little past what most 12 year olds are capable of. 

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Favorite Part: The pizza. I can only assume Michael is a pizza fan. This book made me so hungry!