I'm of two minds about this one. On the one hand I like the perspective. We have Gwen whose mother is disabled. She's essentially raised herself and her sister. THey're functionally orphans in spite of having parent.s It's a voice that doesn't get enough a platform, the second hand effects of being a caregiver. But I didn't care much for many of the plot elements. I found large portions of it implausible, especially the closing chapters.

Wow, this might be my favorite book of the summer! I loved every character in this book. Guinevere and Bitty are so special. They love each other with a power not seen in most books. The friendships, they encounter when they move to Iowa will change them forever.

This book has many levels. First, Guinevere must deal with her mom's brain injury and This is not easy. Next, the book has many mysteries that Guinevere must try to solve. She will not be happy until they are solved.

You will love this story. I could not put it down once I started reading. Go pick it up now and get started reading.

A lovely, heartbreaking story of family and friendship. I loved the characters, especially Gwyn (although she feels older than 10 to me). There are a lot of layers to this - the family pieces around Gwyn's mother's brain injury, the pieces of the past with Gwyn's parents and their old friends, and the current mystery of the missing neighbor. I enjoyed the family pieces the most and felt the "mystery" to be the weakest of the story lines. But it all comes together very well. Be sure to have your tissues handy for this one!

This is a very small town story with some good messages about friendships, family and making assumptions.

The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair was a decent read, perfect for middle grade audiences. The novel centers on the St. Clair sisters, Gwyn & Bitty, though Gwyn takes much more of a spotlight.

The girls have moved from NYC to their parents' small hometown in the hopes that a familiar setting will be catalyst in their mother's recovery from a traumatic brain injury. While in their new home, the girls make fast friends with a pair of quirky boys despite their very intimidating, and possibly homicidal, mother/guardian.

The girls are caught up in a whirlwind of mystery when someone in the community disappears, and the quartet starts to launch their own investigation. In the meantime, Gwyn and Bitty are still dealing with losing their mother (even though she's still alive).

The novel's pacing was a bit slow for me; I don't crave a lot of fast-paced action, but some scenes just felt like they didn't need to be there. The characters are likable, even Gaysie, who the girls can't decide whether they love or fear her. Gwyn is intelligent, fierce, and protective. She stands up for the people around her, and stands up for her ideas. She's a girl who's had to grow up too fast, to be too much of a mother to her younger sister. Micah is unusual, a boy who wears sparkly shoelaces, a boy that a small town isn't quite prepared to understand, and Jimmy is the "cool kid" with a home-life that's actually driven him out of his home.

Bitty really gets the short end of the stick because I feel like she didn't have much of her own personality. She was there as a supporting character, but she didn't really get much of her own voice. That being said, I don't think most middle grade readers would be bothered by that because it's the characters around their own age that get the spotlight.

Although the kids are investigating this murder, a lot of the novel is also about internal conflicts and has the potential for some rich discussion about Gwyn's relationship with her mother, the power of guilt, what binds together different groups of people, what's "normal"?

Overall, I wasn't transfixed, but I wouldn't turn my students away if they wanted to give it a try.

This was a sad story with very lovable and intriguing characters. Overall, it is a good read for young chapter book readers but the plot is on the more complex side.

E ARC provided by Edleweiss Plus



Gwyn and her sister Bitty move to Iowa so that their father Jed can set up a dental practice and their mother can live in a residential facility. After an episode when Gwyn was four, their mother has no memory past the age of 13. The girls' father thinks that being back home in Crow will help Vienna regain some of her memory. There are many people left in town who remember the parents, including Gaysie, a quirky and outspoken neighbor who scares Gwyn quite a bit. In getting to know her new neighborhood, Gwyn finds out a lot about her parents' youth, especially about a sledding accident that they were in with Gaysie that may have contributed to both Vienna and Gaysie's mental challenges. Gwyn is not convinced that her mother will improve, but settles into life in a small town, and is able to enjoy her summer, playing outside and taking piano lessons from the same neighbor who taught her mother. When Gaysie's friend, Wilbur, goes missing, Gwyn and her new friends try to figure out what happened to him, and find a lot more information about Vienna's past as well.

Strengths: The concept of returning to a parent's hometown and getting to know people who knew the parent is an intriguing one. Gwyn and Bitty are a fun sister group, despite their age difference, and I liked the ensemble casts of both young people and adults. The mystery is okay, and the depiction of Vienna and her memory loss is heartbreaking but also somewhat hopeful.
Weaknesses: There was a lot going on in this book. The mystery of Wilbur, along with the mother's challenges, made this a long and rather slow moving book. Also, having spent a lot of time in Iowa, this felt more like it was set in a Southern town.
What I really think: Will probably pass on purchase. The combination of mystery, summer vacation, and family problems reminded me a bit of St. Antoine's Three Bird Summer and Hilmo's Skies Like These. I like both books, but they don't circulate well.

With a name as unforgettable as Guinevere you have to have an unforgettable personality to go with and Makechnie created such with her outspoken protagonist Guinevere St. Clair.

Gwyn is the perfect trifecta: witty, smart, and curious. When she finds herself stuck in farm country, away from the busy city she grew up in, there's no telling where her investigative nature will take her or what lengths she will go through to uncover the truth.

The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair had me sobbing then cheering at my kitchen table last night as I sped through this truly outstanding novel for middle grade readers. It’s been awhile since I read a set of characters as memorable and engaging as Gwyn, Bitty, Jimmy, and Micah, with Gwyn shaking out as the mastermind and leader despite her flaws. Part Opal Buloni, part Harriet the Spy...Gwyn grabs hold of you and never lets go. She’s by turns sassy, infuriating, sad, and loving, all the while nursing this unimaginable pain in knowing that her mother no longer knows who she is. The story moves along at a good pace, with lots of action, humor, and pathos well spaced throughout. I really thought the ending was going to rival Shiloh for heartbreak. I predict Newbery consideration for this one. Highly recommended.