mrskatiefitz's review
4.0
When Mattie Markham and her family move from North Carolina to Pennsylvania to be closer to Mattie's grandmother as she moves into assisted living, Mattie worries that she won't make new friends. She is grateful, therefore, to discover that living next door to her new apartment is a girl her age named Agnes. Agnes, who has an unnamed social disorder accompanied by anxiety, is definitely unusual, but her enthusiasm for life, and her way of making everything feel important and exciting are appealing to Mattie, and the two become close quickly. Unfortunately, though, when school starts up again after Christmas, Mattie discovers that in her new classroom, Agnes is considered the weird kid. Worried about jeopardizing her chances of friendship with her other classmates, Mattie begins to distance herself from Agnes, finding it difficult to reconcile the fun she has with Agnes at home with how strangely she behaves in class.
I chose to read Let's Pretend We Never Met solely based on the author, who is a fellow Vassar graduate and the author of the young adult novel, Unbreak My Heart, which I remembered praising in a review a few years ago. Once I learned what the book was about, there was a part of me that was afraid I'd just walked into a "Very Special Friendship" story a la Stargirl or Wonder, both of which I have found grating. I am so glad to be able to say that this book very clearly is not a message-driven story of the after school special variety, but a much more subtle character-driven novel about the difficulties of navigating fifth grade friendships.
All of the characters, from Mattie and her parents, to Agnes and her mom, to Mattie's new teacher and classmates, are believable despite their relative lack of dysfunction. Though there are problems in the story - Mattie's mom's struggle to find full-time work, Mattie's grandmother's signs of dementia, and Agnes's parents' marital difficulties - they are the problems of ordinary life, and these difficulties inform each other to give a complete portrait of Mattie as a character and her friendship with Agnes. Unlike Wonder, which essentially exploits Auggie's disfigurement to teach us all how to be tolerant and caring, this book simply delivers that message, quietly and without fanfare, in a way that is powerful without being obnoxious. Walker never reveals Agnes's diagnosis and instead defines her by her unique interests, her personality, and her behaviors, both the usual and unusual ones.
I don't keep up with many new middle grade books now that I've mostly stepped out of the library world. Knowing that I'm only going to read a few this year, I'm glad Let's Pretend We Never Met is one that happened to come across my radar. It's a book I would have loved as a kid, and one that I would absolutely feel comfortable having my own girls read in a few years. The writing is good, the characters feel real, the moral is clear but not preachy, and it is enjoyable to read.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
I chose to read Let's Pretend We Never Met solely based on the author, who is a fellow Vassar graduate and the author of the young adult novel, Unbreak My Heart, which I remembered praising in a review a few years ago. Once I learned what the book was about, there was a part of me that was afraid I'd just walked into a "Very Special Friendship" story a la Stargirl or Wonder, both of which I have found grating. I am so glad to be able to say that this book very clearly is not a message-driven story of the after school special variety, but a much more subtle character-driven novel about the difficulties of navigating fifth grade friendships.
All of the characters, from Mattie and her parents, to Agnes and her mom, to Mattie's new teacher and classmates, are believable despite their relative lack of dysfunction. Though there are problems in the story - Mattie's mom's struggle to find full-time work, Mattie's grandmother's signs of dementia, and Agnes's parents' marital difficulties - they are the problems of ordinary life, and these difficulties inform each other to give a complete portrait of Mattie as a character and her friendship with Agnes. Unlike Wonder, which essentially exploits Auggie's disfigurement to teach us all how to be tolerant and caring, this book simply delivers that message, quietly and without fanfare, in a way that is powerful without being obnoxious. Walker never reveals Agnes's diagnosis and instead defines her by her unique interests, her personality, and her behaviors, both the usual and unusual ones.
I don't keep up with many new middle grade books now that I've mostly stepped out of the library world. Knowing that I'm only going to read a few this year, I'm glad Let's Pretend We Never Met is one that happened to come across my radar. It's a book I would have loved as a kid, and one that I would absolutely feel comfortable having my own girls read in a few years. The writing is good, the characters feel real, the moral is clear but not preachy, and it is enjoyable to read.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
emandm2222's review
4.0
*actual rating is 3.5 stars*
Sometimes moving is hard...
Mattie's family decides to move from North Carolina to Philadelphia to be closer to her paternal grandmother, for reasons unknown to Mattie. Not only does she have to leave her old school and friends behind, she also has to do it in the middle of the school year.
Sometimes friendship is difficult...
Mattie's two friends from North Carolina slowly become closer to each other and do not find the need to contact Mattie as often and Mattie would like them to. Luckily, Mattie has a neighbor her age in her new apartment building. However, her new neighbor, Agnes, is a little less than normal. Despite this, Agnes and Mattie quickly become friends over the course of winter break.
Sometimes you are in the wrong...
When it comes time to go back to school, Agnes says home, so Mattie has a chance to start making new friends at school without the influence of Agnes. But, Mattie learns that Agnes quirkiness is seen as weird at school. Upon Agnes's return to school Mattie ignores her on campus, but hangs out with her after school in their apartment building. This split between home and school creates difficulties in Mattie's view of Agnes and she starts to resent her friendship with someone who is not see as "normal."
Sometimes letting go is not easy...
At the same time, Mattie's grandmother is packing up the valuables at her home. Mattie's dad spends an ample amount of time helping his mother with the packing and helping her to not confuse Mattie with her cousin, Elodie.
Sometimes change is good...
In the end, Mattie learns several great lessons. She discovers what true friendship is and what it takes to be a good friend. She accepts her grandmother's condition and choices for how to live out her life. She observes what an equal partnership marriage looks like in her parents, and the give and take that comes with it. She learns that people grow up at their own paces and need room to grow by themselves. And, most importantly, Mattie learns to respect the personalities of others and how to best support those she loves.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and appreciated all of the adorable moments in it. Mattie is in sixth grade, which is a difficult year in school even if you were not pulled out of school in the middle of the year. But, she takes it in stride and lives a wonderful rest of the year with her parents, new friends, and a budding puppy love. This book is relevant in context with the openness of mental disabilities and with popular culture with YouTube, cell phones, books, and movies (I especially loved the mention of the How to Train Your Dragon movies, which are some of my favorite films). It is a good opportunity to have children experience several difficult topics in a light, but still serious, way.
Let's Pretend We Never Met will definitely be in my wheelhouse of go-to books to recommend for upper elementary and middle school children in the future.
I was given an ARC of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.
Sometimes moving is hard...
Mattie's family decides to move from North Carolina to Philadelphia to be closer to her paternal grandmother, for reasons unknown to Mattie. Not only does she have to leave her old school and friends behind, she also has to do it in the middle of the school year.
Sometimes friendship is difficult...
Mattie's two friends from North Carolina slowly become closer to each other and do not find the need to contact Mattie as often and Mattie would like them to. Luckily, Mattie has a neighbor her age in her new apartment building. However, her new neighbor, Agnes, is a little less than normal. Despite this, Agnes and Mattie quickly become friends over the course of winter break.
Sometimes you are in the wrong...
When it comes time to go back to school, Agnes says home, so Mattie has a chance to start making new friends at school without the influence of Agnes. But, Mattie learns that Agnes quirkiness is seen as weird at school. Upon Agnes's return to school Mattie ignores her on campus, but hangs out with her after school in their apartment building. This split between home and school creates difficulties in Mattie's view of Agnes and she starts to resent her friendship with someone who is not see as "normal."
Sometimes letting go is not easy...
At the same time, Mattie's grandmother is packing up the valuables at her home. Mattie's dad spends an ample amount of time helping his mother with the packing and helping her to not confuse Mattie with her cousin, Elodie.
Sometimes change is good...
In the end, Mattie learns several great lessons. She discovers what true friendship is and what it takes to be a good friend. She accepts her grandmother's condition and choices for how to live out her life. She observes what an equal partnership marriage looks like in her parents, and the give and take that comes with it. She learns that people grow up at their own paces and need room to grow by themselves. And, most importantly, Mattie learns to respect the personalities of others and how to best support those she loves.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and appreciated all of the adorable moments in it. Mattie is in sixth grade, which is a difficult year in school even if you were not pulled out of school in the middle of the year. But, she takes it in stride and lives a wonderful rest of the year with her parents, new friends, and a budding puppy love. This book is relevant in context with the openness of mental disabilities and with popular culture with YouTube, cell phones, books, and movies (I especially loved the mention of the How to Train Your Dragon movies, which are some of my favorite films). It is a good opportunity to have children experience several difficult topics in a light, but still serious, way.
Let's Pretend We Never Met will definitely be in my wheelhouse of go-to books to recommend for upper elementary and middle school children in the future.
I was given an ARC of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.
ejderwood's review
4.0
This was a very sweet book. On the surface a very similar book to most school stories, but the fact that one of the characters is on the spectrum adds a hint of depth to an otherwise fairly run of the mill story about fitting in at a new school.
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