Beverly, Right Here
By: Kate Dicamillo
Candlewick Press
Candlewick
Children's Fiction
256 pages
Publish Date September 24, 2019
#Beverly Right Here #Net Galley
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This was a fun and quick read. I gave this book 4 stars. It isn't one of her best stories but still enjoyable.
This is the third book in this trilogy about three girls who have some problems with their families.
Beverly rans away from home after she buries her dog Buddy under the orange trees. She gets herself a job bussing table in a small town café. She befriends an older lonely woman and stays with her for the summer. It tells about her adventures and how she feels and the people who come into her life during the summer. I haven't read the first book in the series but did read the second about Louisiana (in fact I have a review up for this book). It is a cute story and one you should read if you have read the other books in this series. I will be reading the first book now that I have read these two so I can have the full picture of these three friends.

Readers first met the Three Rancheros in in 1975 through 10 year old Raymie Nightingale. In 1977 Louisiana Elephante was the 12 year old main character, and now it is 1979, and the story centers on 14 year old Beverly Tapinski. After Raymie helps Beverly bury her dog, Buddy, Beverly decides it is time to run away from her alcoholic mother, which she does. She hitches a ride with a cousin whom she is not particularly fond, and winds up in Tamaray Beach, Florida. At this point, Di Camillo begins to soar with the cast of characters The plot revolves around the restaurant and staff where Beverly finds a job cleaning tables, a trailer park where a cheery woman takes her in and shares tuna melts, and the local convenience store with coin operated horse that goes nowhere, and clerk who becomes a real friend. This is supposed to be the end of the trilogy, but there seem to be some loose threads, so maybe we will get an invitation to catch up with the stories of the Three Rancheros i a couple of years. Great for character development and for themes of what is a family and what is a friend.

Kate DiCamillo brings her talent again, (as if we were worried, we weren’t), with Beverly, Right Here. We get to see her a little more grown up after the previous two books. And boy does she break your heart. I really appreciate how Kate DiCamillo tackles some harder and heavier topics for kids. She doesn’t talk to them like they’re stupid, or approach subjects when they’re not ready, but had this gift to take them through the hard situation at their level.

I had never read Kate DiCamillo until a year and a half ago when several of my students had to read Because of Winn-Dixie for their third-grade class. I have been hooked since.

I’m a huge fan of coming of age literature. DiCamillo does an outstanding job in showing us how sometimes we have to choose our family whether that includes a favorite pet or an elderly woman who is fighting to live on her own. It is ok for family to be those friends you pick up on the way during your life’s journey. Love comes in many different forms and sometimes when we least expect it.

Beverly, Right Here is another perfect read-aloud book to promote discussion with the middle-graders in your life. I enjoy how DiCamillo left the story open-ended as we have the hope to visit the Three Rancheros again.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Candlewick Press, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Have things ever been so bad that you felt the need to run away? Beverly was done living with a mother that didn't even care if she was around. She had to bury her beloved dog, Buddy. Louisiana had moved to Georgia. There was nothing to keep her at home so when she saw her cousin visiting from Tamaray, a town near the ocean, she jumped in the car with him and left. She didn't' tell her mother, she didn't tell Raymie, she just left. In Tamaray she got a job bussing tables at Mr. C's fish restaurant and found a place to stay. Iola was standing outside her trailer at the Seahorse Court when Beverly walked by. Beverly promised to drive Iola to bingo (even though she was fourteen and not supposed to be driving) in exchange for a place to stay. Beverly is just going through the motions of life with no happiness at all, that is until she walks into Zoom City and meets Elmer. As the people in this seaside town start to get into Beverly's heart, she actually learns what it is like to be happy. But will this happiness last? What will happen in Iola's son finds out that his mother has a stranger living with her? What will happen at work when the waitress, Freddie, and her horribly mean boyfriend bust into the restaurant and threaten the employees and steal money from Mr. C? Will Beverly and her new friends survive? And what will happen between Beverly and Elmer when he goes off to college? Read the third installment in the Three Rancheros series by best-selling author, Kate DiCamillo!!

Beverly, Right Here is probably my favorite of all three of the Three Rancheros books. Raymie and Louisiana have a special place in my heart but I think Beverly just took center stage! This book is so sad and I just want to wrap my arms around Beverly. Also, Elmer is probably one of my favorite characters. He has endured a lot in school yet he loves art, poetry, and has not let a bully dampen his spirits. Friendship is the main theme in this book, and age does not matter! This is a must read for 2019!!!!!!

I am more convinced than ever that Kate DiCamillo is magic. I have read every single one of her books, fallen in love with countless characters at this point, and continue to be in awe of her ability to craft worlds that are equal parts gloriously heart-warming and achingly gut-wrenching.

BEVERLY, RIGHT HERE is Kate DiCamillo's latest middle grade novel, and completes the THREE RANCHEROS trilogy that includes National Book Award finalist RAYMIE NIGHTINGALE (2016) and LOUSIANA'S WAY HOME (2018).

In this third novel, we get to hear Beverly Tapinski's story in her own words. Beverly's mother is a neglectful alcoholic, and she hasn't seen or heard from her father since he walked out years ago. Her dog, Buddy, has just died and she and Raymie have buried him beneath the orange trees in Beverly's backyard. There doesn't seem to be anything left for her here, and so Beverly makes the decision to leave. Not just run away - which she's done before - but actually walk away and not look back. She finds herself in the town of Tamaray Beach, not that far from her hometown, but far enough to seem a world away.

At fourteen, Beverly is used to the constant disappointment other people bring and is determined to make it on her own. She has no intention of forming any ties, but the people she encounters have other ideas. There's Iola Jenkins, the elderly woman who lives in a pink trailer with a cat named Nod. Iola insists Beverly stay with her and feeds her tuna melt sandwiches every day, and Nod takes an instant liking to her despite Beverly's insistence that she hates cats.

Then there's the staff at Mr. C's, the fish fry restaurant down by the beach where she's landed herself a job. And there's Elmer, who works at Zoom City and hands out dimes to little kids so they can ride the metal pony that sits outside the store, perpetually moving but going nowhere. As with all of DiCamillo's books, the cast of characters in BEVERLY, RIGHT HERE is richly realized, fully human in their flaws and their strengths.

At its heart, this is a story not just about a girl searching for and finding herself, but about the power of community and the need for belonging. This is one of those books that's worth returning to again and again, because each new reading will reveal more truths, both simple and profound. It's a layered, nuanced look at grief and disappointment, hope and healing. It's about the small acts of kindness that occur every day in a world that can be so cruel. And it's about discovering where you belong and finding the people who will stand by your side while you figure it out.

I read the ‘Three Ranchero’ series out of order. ‘Louisiana’s Way Home’ was my first Kate DiCamillo read (ever) and it remains my favourite of the series. I absolutely adored Louisiana and every Burke Allen competed to become my favourite character.

When I read Raymie’s story I was introduced to this wonderful spitfire of a young girl called Beverly. I suspected at the time that Beverly would wind up being my favourite character of the series and couldn’t wait to read more about her. A little over three months ago I read her story and was shocked to discover that it was my least favourite book of the series at the time. I didn’t want to accept that so I decided a reread was in order. I’m so glad I tried again because I absolutely fell in love with Beverly’s story this time!

Before I go any further I want to share with you what is quite possibly my favourite passage of the entire series. It’s an excerpt of the author’s letter to the reader at the beginning of this book. It’s so beautiful that I keep rereading it. It makes me want to be a better person every time I see it.

“Raymie Nightingale is about the saving grace of friendship. Louisiana’s Way Home is about deciding who you are. And Beverly, Right Here is about acting on that knowledge of who you are. They are all stories of becoming, I think. And all three of these books are about the power of community - the grace of someone opening a door and welcoming you in, and maybe most of all, having the courage to walk through that door once it’s open.”

I get a little misty eyed even thinking about it. Anyway, without further ado …

It’s August 1979 and Beverly Tapinski is now 14 years old. Buddy, the one eyed “Dog of Our Hearts”, has died and Beverly has decided to leave home.

“She had run away from home plenty of times, but that was when she was just a kid.
It wasn’t running away this time, she figured. It was leaving.
She had left.”

Grieving the loss of her dog but determined not to cry, Beverly winds up at Seahorse Court. There she meets Iola Jenkins, an elderly lady who lives in a pink trailer with His Majesty, King Nod, an overweight grey cat.

“In a crooked little house by a crooked little sea.”

Pretty soon Beverly, who doesn’t like fish, is working in a seafood restaurant and eating tuna melts regularly. This child who believes she belongs to no one becomes important to some new friends and despite her best efforts not to let anyone into her heart, they find a way.

With a horse that takes you on a ride to nowhere, a determined and hopeful seagull and Christmas in July in August, this story cracked my heart wide open during my reread. I wanted to adopt both rough around the edges Beverly and quirky but loveable Iola, but my favourite character was Elmer. He’s polite, smart, sensitive and willing to step outside of his comfort zone, and he’s the type of friend that you know will be there for you no matter what. I adore him and would love to read about what happens to him in the years after this book finishes. Or he can just be my friend. Whatever comes first.

While I feel more satisfied after my reread and aren’t as desperate in my search for a nonexistent epilogue, I would love to one day learn that a fourth Rancheros book is being published, one that takes place 20 or 30 years later. It would be wonderful to catch up with this trio once they’re all grown up to find out what’s become of their lives and their friendship.

I’ve already read two of the Ranchero books twice and I loved both more the second time. I get the feeling that no matter how many times I return to them in the future I’m going to enjoy them more with every reread.

Content warnings include mention of the death of a beloved pet, inappropriate touching, bullying, abandonment and neglect by parents.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Original Review 15 June 2019 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just finished reading and I have no idea what to write in my review so I’m going to ponder for a while. Oh, and while I’m at it, I’m going to frantically search for an epilogue because I don’t want to accept that the end is truly the end. I have too many question marks about everything that’s unresolved. I need closure!

I wanted to love this book more than I actually did. Perhaps not reading Raymie Nightingale first is the problem because I adore Kate DiCamillo and she has never left me wanting before. However, as much as I was rooting for Beverly and Iola and Elmer, there just wasn't enough of a story there. I felt it ended too soon. Is Tommy going to take away Iola's freedom by taking away her car? What happens when Raymie gets to Iola's house to get Beverly? Will Beverly go back to live with her mother? If she does that, what happens to the budding relationship with Elmer? Does Mr. Denby get his act together so the strike at Mr. C's is ended? What happened to Freddie after Jerome was arrested - was she also arrested as an accomplice? I wanted more - much more - to feel that this story had come to a place of good closure.

Revisiting one of the characters from Raymie Nightingale, Beverly's story as she meets new people and makes new friends.

Beverly, Right Here wraps up the stories of the three girls we met in Raymie Nightingale. Beverly has left home because she is feeling lost and alone. As she wanders, she encounters quirky characters who help her find herself again. Again, we realize that we don't know what is going on in the private lives of others even when it all seems better than our situation. I loved the relationships that develop even though Beverly is trying to keep her distance. Raymie makes a small cameo appearance via phone call. You don't have to have read the other two books to understand this one, but the experience will be richer if you have. I enjoyed this book, but it didn't feel like an ending as much as a continuing journey. I did feel hopeful for Beverly at the end.

DiCamillo engages readers of all ages with a crossover story about finding family. The story’s theme is sealed with the Christmas in July celebration in August. The story is full of good, loving characters who come together by chance.

I've been waiting for this one and was so excited to snag an ARC from Net Galley. Kate is a master storyteller and I especially love the Three Rancheros story. There is so much depth to this series. I hope there is a fourth book where they all come together again. You won't be able to put this one down.

Kate DiCamillo writes very dynamic characters in her middle grades novels, and Beverly, Right Here, is no exception. She writes characters that are mature beyond their time, and these characters are really needed in today's world. Beverly decides to leave when she cannot cope with the loss of a pet, so headstrong, she sets off to make sense of the world. Kids will enjoy the hilarious scenarios that Beverly gets herself in.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

It's 1979 and it's been four years since Raymie Nightingale, Louisiana Elefante, and Beverly Tapinski found each other and became the Three Rancheros, promising to rescue each other whenever they are needed. In 1975, it had been necessary rescue 10-year-old Raymie (Raymie Nightingale) in order for her to find to true home. And, in 1977, it was 12-year-old Louisiana's turn (Louisiana's Way Home) who needed to rely on her friends to find her true home. Now, it's 14-year-old, Beverly who needs rescuing.

Beverly has always been known for running away from home, and being returned to a alcoholic mother who just wasn't very interested in her. Now, she's done with running away, and after burying her beloved dog Buddy, Beverly figures there's nothing to keep her at home anymore and so she decides to simply leave. Hitching a ride with Joe Travis, a cousin she doesn't much care for (and the feeling is mutual), Beverly makes it as far as Tamaray Beach, Florida.

Walking down the A1A, she comes upon Mr. C's fish restaurant. There, she meets Freddie, the waitress with big, big unrealistic dreams, and owner Mr. Denby, disorganized and depressed now that his wife and three daughters have left him. Open only for lunch, Beverly gets an under-the-table job the busing tables.

Beverly also finds a place to stay with lonely widow Iola Jenkins, who gives her a place to sleep and a flowered nightgown, feeds her a steady diet of tuna melts, and in return Beverly drives Iola's Pontiac to the VFW so she can play bingo.

Beverly also meets cook Doris and dishwasher Charles at work, and Elmer, a bullied, sensitive Dartmouth-bound teen who loves art and is working in the local convenience store for the summer. As Beverly gets to know each of these people, as she begins to be a part of their lives, and they hers, she starts to realize some things about herself as well. They are an eccentric cast of characters as only Kate DiCamillo can put together, but the focus is always on Beverly. Raymie and Louisiana are present throughout the book, mostly in Beverly's thoughts, although only Raymie makes the briefest of appearances at the end of the book. Their presence. however, proves how strong their bond of friendship is and how important they are to Beverly. In fact, friendship is one of the dominant themes, along with loss, trust, hope, home and how we define it, and the importance of just being there for people who rely on Beverly and on whom Beverly rely.

Beverly, Right Here unfolds as languidly as a hot summer day, as Beverly searches and finds her emotional truth. DiCamillo's sentences are simple enough, yet so powerful and there's not a single gratuitous word in any of them. Beverly's story is a wonderful coming of age tale, and like life, it doesn't come to a neat conclusion, but leaves lots of questions about Beverly's future.

It does make me sad to think that this is probably the last time we will hear about the Three Rancheros, yet I know that one day, I will revisit each their narratives and I suspect it will yield a greater truth then do their individual stories.

You can download a useful Discussion Guide for Beverly, Right Here courtesy of the publisher, Candlewick Press.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley

I’ve not read the first two stories in this series, but have been a fan of the Kate DiCamilla’s middle grades literature for years. Now that I’ve read Beverly, Right Here, I am placing the previous two books at the top of my to-be-read pile. This was a lovely tale of a young girl struggling to accept life’s events. Striking out on her own by running away from a parent who seems to little care for her daughter’s emotional needs, Beverly finds that there are people who care and that family is sometimes those we choose to care about and those who choose to care about us. Not too heavy to turn away middle grade readers. I will recommend this to my fourth grade students. Thank you to Candlewick Press and netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute little children’s novel that left me smiling at the end. I’ve read two other books by DiCamillo, The Tale of Desperaux and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Both super cute books.

Beverly Right Here is about a 14-year-old girl who leaves home. Her beloved dog just died, and her mother wants no part in her daughter’s life. From the brief scene she’s in, I can understand why Beverly would want to get away. So, alone, without her best fur friend, she stops in a little town by the sea. She seems unwilling at first to let people help her or be her friend, but she eventually finds herself warming up to them. In the end, through interacting with the people by the crooked little sea, she finds her place and herself.

This is a very quick read, so if you’re in the mood for a sweet children’s story to fill a couple hours, then let Beverly into your heart ❤️

Thank you to Netgalley and Candlewick Press for an e-arc to review.

BEVERLY, RIGHT HERE is a quiet, but heartbreakingly raw coming-of-age story that features loss and the healing power of found family.

After the loss of her dog Buddy, Beverly runs away from home. There isn’t much thought involved, just the desperate need to get away and leave the loss behind her. But fate is kind to this lost soul when she stumbles upon a job, a home, and a sorely needed family.

I remember when I first saw the cover of this book and sat stunned at seeing my name on the cover. There aren’t a lot of Beverlys in the world, but to see the name paired with a young face, it struck a chord with me.

“Beverly could think of all kinds of reasons not to trust. People leave — that was one of the reasons. People pretended to care, but they don’t, really —that was another one. Dogs die, and your friends help you to put them in the ground. That was a big one, right there.”

In a weird way, it was like looking at a portrait of my younger self. A quietly suffering girl, keeping silent if only to keep herself together. She’s rough around the edges, but the sight of an elderly woman in need, or a small child cracks those carefully built walls. Small acts of rebellions, fixations on small, hopeful things, and the struggle to try to heal when you’re without everything you’ve ever known.

I hope this book reaches those other lost souls and brings them as much comfort as it did for me.

5 out of 5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an electronic ARC from Candlewick Press through NetGalley.
The third book with Raymie and Louisiana's stories. The story begins just after Beverly has buried her dog. She's battling grief and a sense of not belonging so she catches a ride with her cousin and heads for another town to escape. Readers see her rise to challenges - a job, a place to stay, etc. Most of all, we see Beverly slowly learning to trust in herself and other people.
DiCamillo works her magic and brings out this young woman who has raised herself and taken care of her alcoholic mother. She subtly reveals the scars Beverly bears until she's able to express her sources of pain and anger going back to her dad leaving when she was so young.
In this new town, Tamaray, she finds a job at a restaurant, meets an older woman who takes her in (Iola), finds a boy friend (Elmer), and stands up for what's right and fair.
The ending shows a young girl who has figured out who she is, who she can trust, and where she wants to go in life.
Read this in one sitting.

A fitting end to the Three Rancheros trilogy in "a crooked little house by a crooked little sea." Beverly Tapinski leaves the grave of her beloved dog Buddy and hitches a ride to Tamaray. Once she gets there she starts walking and experiencing what is right there. Beverly is a resilient young lady who is wise beyond her years. As she makes her way through town, she makes a difference in the lives of everyone she meets. Of course, even though Beverly's dear dog has died there are new animals to liven up her stay in Tamaray in a persistent seagull and a cat named Nod. (Beverly does not like cats, but Nod falls in love with her.) DiCamillo has given us yet another classic story to cherish and I can envision it being picked up as a read aloud in classes all over the country.

Thank you to Candlewick and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beverly, Right Here is the follow-up story about Beverly Tapinski, a main character in Kate DiCamillo's previous novel, Raymie Nightingale. I read this novel not realizing it was a sequel and that ended up being just fine - this novel stands alone very well. In this story, Beverly, devastated by her dog's death, runs away from home, landing in a little ocean side community where she finds a job busing tables and encounters an old lady, Iola, who will take her in in exchange for driving Iola around town.

I found Beverly a pretty captivating character... very steady and mature. I never worried about this 14 year old girl being away from home. Beverly starts out a bit lost, as if she's looking for something but she's not sure what, but as the story progresses we see Beverly process her personal traumas and begin to understand herself and what she wants in life. Soon Beverly begins to understand that her found family is the most important thing, and that other people can be relied upon to provide the love and support her real family has not.

Beverly, Right Here is a great character study and an interesting throw back to different times when it would have been possible for a 14 year old girl to hitch a ride to wherever, find a job, and stay with a complete stranger without the authorities being called even once. The story is entertaining and the messaging is lovely for a this age group; I definitely recommend for middle grade readers.