By Erin Entrada Kelly
4RBooks: 3/6, grades 6-8
Amazon rating: 4.5/5, grades 3-7
Good Reads: 4.15/5
Common Sense Media: 4/5, ages 9+
319 pages
Synopsis:
Fawn Creek is a small town. Hardly anyone ever leaves, and rarely does anyone new come to live. The 13 kids in seventh grade have been in the same class and school their entire lives. Until Renni moves to Saintlodge and Orchid comes to Fawn Creek.
Orchid is a mystery. It’s hard to imagine someone moving to Fawn Creek (nicknamed Yawn Creek by the kids for its boring ways), especially someone whose been to Paris, New York, and Thailand. Orchid doesn’t share much about her life now, just her past. The students are alternately skeptical and curious about this new student, with some jealousy thrown in the mix.
As students start to accept her and become friends with her, others plot against her. Eventually there is a show down between the students against Orchid, and those that rally behind her; other misfits, and surprising allies.
Parental Guidance: medium-high
Many examples of bullying.
Lehigh is called Slowly because he’s not as bright as other students.
Greyson’s brother bruises him and calls him names.
Renni is the classic “mean girl” who bosses others around, calls them
names, and belittles them.
Orchid is threatened with having her hair cut off.
The kids from Saintlodge look down on the Fawn Creek kids.
Though it is never stated, the insinuation is that Greyson is gay (doesn’t like
the “guy things” that his brother and dad do, looks up to Kate Middleton, is
interested in fashion, is called a girl by others).
Twice it’s inferred that another character calls Greyson an inappropriate
slur.
There is a fight at the end in defense of Orchid. One student is punched,
another has dirt thrown in her face.
One character accuses Orchid of having a junkie prostitute mother in
prison.
The parents are quick to condemn the Fawn Creek students after the
altercation in Saintlodge without giving them much of a chance to defend
their actions.
Recommendation:
I gave this book my “meh” rating because while there are some positive things to say, I found it a very slow and tedious read. It took me 10 days to finish because I could only read a chapter or two at a time before losing interest. Most of the characters are one-dimensional caricatures of small-town middle school children. The plot is thin, and the book is more dialogue driven than action.
There are some positive moments toward the end: the students rally behind Orchid against the mean girl, Greyson and his dad come to the beginning of an understanding, Janie realizes during the altercation and after that she was on the wrong side and regrets her decisions.
I don’t think there is a large audience of students for this book. I would only recommend it for middle school. Read with an adult, it could lead to positive discussions about bullying, acceptance, and tolerance and the ability to accept who you are and be comfortable in your own skin.
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