Stick With Me

This is a wonderful second offering from Jen Blecher, after her impressive debut: Out of Place. (Check it out, if you haven’t!) This book features relatable characters and realistic dialogue. It tackles difficult subjects in an original manner and is a must-read for any child who ever has felt on the outside looking in

Jen Blechers done it againwritten a lovely middle grade novel thats both minutely observed and wonderfully encompassing in terms of its larger themes.
Izzy is a talented artist suffering growing pains within her social group and enduring the stiletto-sharp pierce of exclusion as her so-called friends reject her. At the same time, her parents are going through a financial crisis and will need to rent out their home to make ends meet, while the family moves into their garage apartment. This move will separate Izzy from where she makes her art. Wren is an ambitious ice skating star whose adorable little sister, Hannah, has profound health issues that will require the family to spend a few weeks near the hospital where she receives treatment. This move will keep Wren from the rink at a crucial time in her skating season. AirB&B and drama camp bring Wren and Izzy together, when Wrens family rents Izzys house for the duration of Hannas operation and recovery and the girls are thrust into a vacation program at Izzys school. Both Wren and Izzy are out of sorts and lonely, but they find in each other both fun and comfort, and a friendship that celebrates who they are instead of who their peers think they should be. With a well-paced plot, a very satisfying ending, and relatable themes and issues (bullying, financial difficulties, friends who are different, the quasi-professionalizing of kids sports), STICK WITH ME delivers both comfort and entertainment. A cozy winter read for middle graders.

What a beautifully written gem of a book. Blecher is a fantastic writer and does such a good job of depicting the sensitive, complicated terrain of shifting friendships in middle school. The portrayal of the bullying tactics of the popular girls was so realistic and pitch perfect I found myself cringing in empathy with their targets Izzy and Wren, especially Izzybut the ending was quietly triumphant, and I loved seeing a plausible way to deal with these conflicts so deftly rendered on the page. I wish this book had been around when I was 10-12 years old. I would have felt such kinship with Izzy and her longing to belong while also figuring out her own interests and sense of self. A great read.

I enjoy books with dual narrators so I appreciated getting to hear this story from both Izzy and Wren’s point of view. Blecher does a wonderful job describing the ever changing landscape of friendships in a middle school. It can be a difficult time and your friends can change often so I looked the honest look at the impact that has on kids.

Thank you to Net Galley and Greenwillow Books for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Highly recommend this beautifully written and compassionate story about an unlikely middle grade friendship. Izzy and Wren are super-relatable, and the young readers in your life are going to love their alternating chapters. 5 stars!

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