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Summary
Summary
Schneider Family Book Award: Best Middle Grade Honor Book!
Highly-acclaimed author of Caterpillar Summer , Gillian McDunn explores boyhood in a funny, big-hearted story about a kid trying to find the best way to be his best self.
Elliott isn't sure where he fits in. Ever since his best friend moved away and his dad and stepmom announced the arrival of their new baby, he's been feeling invisible. Plus his dad just doesn't seem to understand what having ADHD really feels like, or why cooking is the one activity where Elliott's mind clicks into place.
When he's paired with the super smart and popular Maribel for a school project, Elliott worries she'll be just another person who underestimates him. But Maribel is also looking for a new way to show others her true self and this project could be the chance they've both been waiting for. Sometimes the least likely friends help you see a new side to things . . . and sometimes you have to make a few mistakes before you figure out what's right.
Acclaim for Caterpillar Summer
An Indies Introduce Pick
A Texas Bluebonnet Selection
A Parents Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
An Amazon Best Book of the Year
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--7--A novel full of heart, humor, and honesty. Elliott is your typical kid dealing with his parents' divorce, his best friend moving away, a baby brother being born, not fitting in at his new school, nearly failing sixth grade--and on top of it all, Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder. His passion for cooking drives him to want to do better so he can go to an awesome cooking camp in the summer. When his big school project comes up, he sees it as an opportunity to pay for camp and prove to his dad that cooking is a worthwhile endeavor. But when Elliott's so-called friends refuse to work with him, he ends up making an unexpected ally and convincing her that his cooking skills can get her an A. Elliot is an instantly lovable character, and readers will be hooked from the very first chapter. McDunn provides an honest look into ADHD and normalizes male characters exploring their feelings through therapy, which is a refreshing take on navigating a complicated dad-son relationship. Middle graders will be able to see themselves as Elliot through his various interests and relationships. Those with ADHD may appreciate this reflective text as a glimpse inside the brain of a middle schooler with ADHD. VERDICT This is a must-have for any library servicing middle grade readers; Elliot's struggles are commonplace, and his story is told from a place of warmth and humor, which makes those realities a little less painful and the lessons included easier to digest.--Erin Decker
Publisher's Weekly Review
After being rebuffed by his friends for interrupting and becoming distracted, aspiring chef Elliott, who is white and has ADHD, partners with perfectionistic schoolmate Maribel, cued as Latinx, who has celiac disease, to establish a gluten-free pie business for a final school project. Upping the stakes is Elliott's hope of earning enough money selling pies during the year-end festival to reimburse his father for a window broken during The Incident--something Elliott refuses to discuss even with his therapist--which he'd otherwise have to fund from the savings he's painstakingly set aside to attend summer cooking camp. The sixth graders' initially rocky partnership gives way to camaraderie and trust as they develop their recipe for a delicious, gluten-friendly product that proves their critics wrong. Interjecting footnotes that mimic the way Elliott's brain processes information, McDunn (These Unlucky Stars) offers an affirming and nuanced depiction of empathetic and creative Elliott's experience of ADHD, including the way his executive dysfunction can result in disorganization, impulsivity, resistance to change, and low self-worth. Elliott's relationship with his father, from whom he craves acceptance despite his dad's failure to acknowledge Elliott's specific challenges, is particularly inspiring as the two work toward openness and understanding. Ages 8--11. Agent: Marietta Zacker, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Mar.)
Horn Book Review
With his ADHD, Elliott feels most at home in the kitchen -- the one place where he isn't "extra-disorganized" and forgetful; the place he feels focused, confident, and decisive. But which kitchen? After his parents' divorce, Elliott and his mother move into "a cozy jumble" of a house with plants everywhere. At his dad and stepmom Kate's house, there are a lot of rules and everything matches. How do you find your true self when your life seems so divided? When super-smart and popular Maribel Martinez agrees to be Elliott's partner for a middle-school group project in Ms. Choi's Advisory period (involving baking gluten-free pies), Elliott knows "this is either the best thing that's ever happened to me or the worst thing that's ever happened to me." But, as it turns out, Maribel is looking for her true self, too, which she has realized is not part of the popular group. They make an odd duo; but through the pie project Elliott comes to realize how lucky he is to have a whole big pie of a community that includes Mom, Dad, Kate, new baby Jonah, Maribel, and other friends, too. This is a slice-of-pie, er, life novel with all the right ingredients for a satisfying read. Dean Schneider March/April 2022 p.(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A sixth grader's ADHD exacerbates the loss of his best friend, stress of entering a new school, fear of disappointing his father, and anxiety over a new sibling. "Always-late, homework-forgetting, not-many-friends, extra-disorganized" Elliott lives with his positive, supportive mother in their comfortable, welcoming home but spends weekends with his focused, organized father and stepmother in their perfectly redecorated house. Since the recent departure of his best friend, Elliott's ADHD has caused him to nearly fail the first semester of middle school, overreact to his stepmother's pregnancy, upset his father with "The Incident," and start seeing a therapist. Elliott, however, loves cooking, an activity during which he's focused, confident, decisive, and calm. Rejected by the kids he eats lunch with when it's time to work together on a group project to develop and implement a business plan, Elliott unexpectedly ends up paired with Maribel, the smartest girl in class. When Maribel reveals she has celiac disease and Elliott explains his ADHD, they develop a delicious, gluten-free pie recipe--and their friendship blooms. Over time, Elliott applies his culinary skills, opens up about his fears, bonds with his stepmother, and connects with his father. In a droll, engaging, self-effacing, and disarmingly open voice, Elliott narrates his story, providing realistic, firsthand insights into living with ADHD. Elliott and his family read as White; Maribel is cued as Latinx, and names signal ethnic diversity in the supporting cast. A refreshingly honest exploration of family and friendship. (recipes) (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Elliott, who has ADHD, loves cooking, and he's really good at it. When he's creating special dishes, Elliott has no trouble focusing on the tasks at hand, but when it comes to schoolwork and chores, he's easily distracted. In fact, he nearly failed the first semester of sixth grade. His one good friend left town a year ago. His parents are divorced, and his father has remarried. Now that his stepmother is pregnant, Elliott fears that Dad may be shifting away from him and toward his new family. Paired with smart, popular Maribel for a group project, Elliott befriends her. He's surprised to discover that even she has trouble dealing with a condition (celiac disease) that even her friends don't really try to understand. McDunn has a talent for creating sympathetic characters who don't always communicate well with each other. Noting that his father is "trying to squeeze in all the father-son stuff he can before the new baby comes," Elliott's perceptive first-person narrative is frank up to a point, though for dramatic effect, McDunn holds back one revelation for quite a while. This well-paced, heartfelt chapter book offers a lovable main character, a lively supporting cast, and a satisfying conclusion.