"I guess some friends are just glitter, and some friends are glue." -Delsie

This is a story about growing up, knowing who to trust, the importance of sharing emotions, and friendship. This is the story of a girl named Delsie and one summer on Cape Cod.

I didn't enjoy it as much as I did [b:Fish in a Tree|22402972|Fish in a Tree|Lynda Mullaly Hunt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403181554l/22402972._SY75_.jpg|41828131], but it was still good. ( )

Representation: N/A?
Trigger warnings: Disappearance of a mother, death of a father, bullying, physical injury, blood depiction
Score: Seven points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

Oh dear, Goodreads didn't save my review when I finished writing it. I'll rewrite it when I have time.
I wanted to read this book for a while and then not long after I finally picked this up from one of the two libraries I go to, and this won a Western Australian Young Readers Book Award two years ago and honestly? This deserves it, it was well executed but unfortunately as far as I know this is the only book they have from this author so I don't know whether her other books will be good or not. They might be. They might not. It starts with the main character Delsie McHill or Delsie for short and she after losing her parents and her friend abandoning her (for reasons I'll get to later) she moves to Cape Cod to live with her grandmother for most of the story. She soon starts a new relationship with another major character called Ronan (who has issues of his own) and here's the thing: some aspects of this book like fishing, moving and grief felt so familiar to me, it's like the author borrowed them from other books like Ebb and Flow by Heather Smith, Swim That Rock by John Rocco and Jay Primiano and even The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin and The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga. I felt major déjà vu from that. Now that I said that there's nothing much to say other than Delsie's father died, her mother left but at least the ending was a high note. ( )

Love the theme of family. You don’t get to pick your family, but you do learn to love them.

Another realistic fiction book that deals with the concept of change. Kids will learn that everyone goes through changes in their life, some tougher than others.

The theme of weathering the storm is perfect for this book since it involves dealing with a tricky tough time hence the name storm

Deals with the theme of mixed emotions and many situations going on at once

Best for being on a list of books that help children deals with emotions and changes

Not a bad book at all -- excellent grandmother, very eccentric and delightful chosen family of neighbors. Wild, barefoot Delsie is starting to want to know more about her absent mother (left because she couldn't fight her alcoholism). Best friend outgrows her and hooks up with a mean girl, so there's some pretty intense bullying that Delsie handles fairly well. New friend, Ronan, has his own abandonment issues, having been sent to live with his father, who he doesn't really know. It's a solid read, and a good coming of age, but doesn't feel like it's offering much new to the genre. ( )

I loved this book. It's so gooooooood. :)

It made me want to be Delsie or be Delsie's friend and go on adventures all around Cape Cod. As always, Lynda Mullaly Hunt delivers the goods when it comes to friendships. The challenge of losing a friend was so well done and the slow joy of discovering a new friend was so true and satisfying. I loved Granny, the family next door, and the neighbor with the heart of gold. The adults in this book aren't perfect. That's part of what makes them inspiring role models and encouraging mentors. And excellent friends.

What I liked most about this book? The challenges and joys are exactly the right size for 9 to 12 year olds.

Highly recommended! ( )