I tend to enjoy road trip books, so I was looking forward to reading this one. I liked the characters in the story. It was fun to get to know each of them throughout the events of the story. However, I wish there was more...road trip, I guess, in the story. It kept feeling like the same things were happening over and over to stall them. After a while it became difficult to suspend disbelief and it took me out of the story. Although I absolutely would love to see more adventures starring these characters! Readers that enjoy funny family/friendship stories will likely enjoy this book.

First I absolutely love the cover for this book! I am a huge cover buyer and this cover grabbed me immediately! The story within was also fun.

There are few things that make a summer middle grade read and cancelled summer plans and road trips are definitely on that list. Samantha isn't looking forward to spending the summer in Florida with her Gram but it turns out adventure is in store for her when they embark on a road trip for Gram and her friend, Mimi, to compete in a karaoke competition. And Mimi's cute grandson is coming too. Sigh. Young, summer love. Cavanaugh is a natural at writing middle grade and this story is equal amounts of fun and growing into the person you are and learning how you fit in the world. All the places this crew sees and the people they meet really round out the story. And the fact that it's told in "Dear Future Me" entries written by Samantha make it even more fun. A great middle grade read.

I loved this book. Elderly grandmothers in Florida hanging with their reluctant grandaughters? If course I'm in! I think I actually met some of the people in this adorable book. Actually, I'm kinda afraid in another few years I'm gonna be this grandmother. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad! She's kinda awesome!

Samantha's mom has never accepted the fact that her mother, Sam's Gramma, has moved from Illinois to Florida and is living life to the fullest in a retirement community. Under the guise of a work related trip, she intends to visit Gramma, and find evidence that her mother is incapable of living alone. She is also bringing Samantha, her youngest daughter, and she insists she journal in her company's product, Dear Future Me notebook. Gramma is busy fulfilling her Widow Bucket List, which includes competing in the Senior s Got Talent Karaoke Contest. Of course, to qualify for the contest, Gram needs to compete in karaoke contests across Florida. So the road trip begins with Gram at the wheel of her spiffy convertible, her friend Mimi as copilot, and Mimi's grandson Brandy, and Sam. In the back seat. There is one mishap after another, but it is one fulfilled road trip. Definitely recommend.

I enjoy when Nancy Cavanaugh writes in different formats - it appeals to readers who might need something different than chapters. This particular one is written in a diary format, the main character writes letters to her future self that details what is happening on her crazy road trip. Readers will get hooked into reading when they see the words "I can't believe this happened" - you just have to find out more!

What a sweet and fun middle grade read!! I'll be recommending this to many customers once we reopen, it's a fast read and very believable. I also adore the writing style, I'm always here for novels written in journal format.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Young Readers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. It was refreshing to find such a humorous book. This title will definitely appeal to reluctant readers. It is written from the protagonist's (Sam's, a girl) point of view through a journal. It is unique because the journal is written to her future self. This is just one of many avenues for humor to be woven into the story line. While there is a bit of seriousness- her grandmother dealing with the loss of her husband and searching for a new way of life on her own- it does not weigh down the hilariousness of the story. The backbone of the book centers on a family that is quite close, but does not always communicate well. The Sam's well-intentioned mother, wants what is best for her mother in this new phase of her life. Her mother wants her independence and does not want to be told what to do. Our protagonist is caught in the middle- instructed to watch out for her grandmother on a road trip that her mother can no longer attend. At the last minute, Sam discovers that her grandmother's friend's grandchild that is going with them is a boy and not a girl- a very cute- cool boy. This adds to all her anxiety and the road trip that ensues if fraught with one hilarious disaster after another. Sam has been a top vocabulary student during the past year so with unique word choices, a mountain of creative figurative language, and quirky rising action- this will be a favorite book title this coming year. The author is a former teacher and library media specialist, so I appreciate all the use of unique vocabulary words and figurative language. Students will have many opportunities to apply the reading concepts they are learning to this zany tale. I highly recommend for younger middle schoolers and upper elementary students. Teachers looking for models of figurative language and vocabulary building within an authentic reading text will be delighted. Having a light humored story line while at the same time modeling many of the literary techniques we teach our required curriculum, lands this book in a much needed place for school teachers and students. A bonus-highly appealing story for a wide range of readers. Many thanks to the author for a job well done!

The problem with journal novels is the narration can be overly dramatic. THe focus is on fitting in and being special. Lots of references to people and things being weird. It's fine, entertaining enough. Just very standard.

Such a cute middle grade fiction novel of a girl figuring out who she is! Samantha feels like a character my 7th graders can definitely relate to - more in tune with what she thinks she is "not" rather that what (and who) she actually IS. While on the karaoke road trip most kids would think is horrible, Samantha begins to discover just how good she is at solving problems, helping out those around her, and standing up for the people she loves. The language is presented in a way that is relatable, but will also challenge my students without their knowing it - subtle shifts in how the language is used, and "bigger" words than they use everyday make this novel all the better to add to my shelves!

Samantha goes on the trip of a lifetime. Little did she know that this trip that she actually did NOT want to go on, would be one she would never forget because of her adventures and the fact that she is writing everything in her Dear Me Journal her mom gave her. This is one of her mom's projects she's been working on for her job. As the story is told through letters in this journal, the adventure only begins.

Sam's mother is absolutely frustrated that her mother (Sam's Gram) has moved to Florida to a senior living center. The plan is for Sam's mom to get her Grandmother to come back to Illinois, but a lot of road bumps happen. As Sam and her mother get acquainted with Gram's new "home" in Florida, they soon realize that it's not what they caked it up to be. Gram has more than good ole pickle ball planned for Sam and her mom. They are going on a road trip so Gram can audition for the Seniors Have Got Talent Karaoke Contest!

Welp, this road trip turns out to be a lot weirder than Sam expected. It was supposed to be her, Gram, Mimi (Gram's bestie), and her mom, but her mom got a last minute business call. Instead of mom coming, Mimi invited Brandy. Sam cannot believe how uncomfortable this trip is going to be, but now it got 100x worse. Brandy is a boy, a real cute boy. His real name is Brandon.

Along the way to the auditions the indescribable happens to this crew more than a handful of times. Thankfully Sam realizes that this journal is the best thing she's got to keep her sane.

What was so different about this book is that it was told solely through letters. Letters that were written by Sam and were directed to Sam's future self. I loved the humor embedded throughout the whole story. Gram and Mimi's personality was too funny; I couldn't control myself a few times. This story is all about treasuring those memories we so often forget. Students will love this crazy road trip!

This was such a fun read. It's written in a journal format by Sam written to her future self. Two senior women, two teenagers, a Mustang, and an adventure down the back roads in Florida? Surely everything won't go as planned. There are so many twists and turns throughout their crazy summer road trip that it is just so humorous and emotional all at the same time.

This book is wonderful realistic fiction for middle grade readers. I can see this being a favorite summer read for several of my fourth graders. I adored this book!

Summary: Samantha is not excited to be starting her summer taking a road trip with her grandmother, Gram’s friend Mimi, and Mimi’s grandson Brandon. Coming off of a tough sixth grade year, Sam is intimidated by Brandon’s coolness and certain that he finds her a complete dork. Sam’s high-powered mother is concerned about the newly-widowed Gram, but when they visit her in Florida, they discover she’s trying all kinds of new things, including competing in a karaoke contest. Mom gets called home for business, leaving Sam to watch over Gram and keep a record of the trip in her new journal. The four have a series of mishaps, including getting stuck in a ditch on a remote back road, being forced to sleep in a leaky cabin in a rainstorm, and trips to both urgent care and the emergency room. But when the trip ends, Sam has made some interesting discoveries about herself that may help her in seventh grade and decides she wouldn’t have traded the trip for anything. 304 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros: This will definitely get on my “recommendations for summer reading” list. Why not? It takes place over summer vacation, it’s about a road trip, it’s written in a fun-to-read journal format, and it has a hint of romance with nothing objectionable for readers as young as 8 or 9.

Cons: Gram and Mimi checked all the boxes for stereotypical Florida Golden Girl retirees.

A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Young Readers for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of “When I Hit the Road” for my review.

What do you do when you get stuck in a crazy road trip with your karaoke loving grandma, her religious friend and a cute boy? I simple adored this book and thought it was the perfect light-hearted, humorous, middle grade novel. It is funny, crazy, emotional, and completely wacky. You have no idea where the story is heading and what is going to happen. I knew this book was going to be a wild ride as soon as the Grandmother mentioned ‘Widow’s Bucket List’.

The main character narrates the story through journal entries that Sam writes to her future self. Although telling stories through journal entries is not a new concept, I liked how her audience is her future self. The story has a lot of twists and turns that come out of no-where. It also has a few quirky, cute illustrations that complement the story along the way.

Sam is great as the main character. She is funny, awkward and so entertaining. The author wrote the supporting characters very nicely as well. I especially loved Mimi and thought she was adorable and hilarious. Initially Brandon felt clichéd, but I started to like him as well. I liked his friendship with Sam and how they had their ups and downs. I also loved the Grandmother’s carefree attitude and living life to the fullest. She was funny and inspiring in the story.

After reading this book, I want to definitely check out the author’s previous novels. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a breezy, feel good, light-hearted, summer read.

Doesn't a road trip sound like fun? You would think so, but Samantha is not looking forward to it. Samantha is always trying to impress her parents and sisters, all whom seem to excel at everything they do. Samantha tries one thing after another - tennis, dance, volleyball, cheerleading, soccer, acting, track, softball, and even art - Sam stunk at everything she tried. So since Sam had no plans for the summer she was roped into going with her mother to sunny Florida to her grandmother retirement home condominium. She is far from excited to visit a grandmother that she barely knows, much less spend time with her overbearing, workaholic mom. To make things even worse, her mom is forcing her to keep a diary, the Dear Me Journal, that her mom is promoting for her memory-making company, Make It Take It. Sam's summer vacation is going downhill fast! Things go from bad to worse when Sam's mother is called back to work for an emergency project and Sam is left with a grandmother she hardly knows, her Bible-loving friend, Mimi, and her grandson, Brandon (who by the way is gorgeously cool baseball superstar). Sam doesn't believe that things can go from worse to holy-cow-this-is-a-disaster but boy is she in for the surprise of her life! As Sam, Gram, Mimi, and Brandon set out on the adventure of a lifetime nothing seems to go right. As they take off on the backroad, swampy roads of Florida they encounter turtles that cause a wreck, alligators and swamp mud, breaking into a church, sleeping at an abandoned camp in a monsoon, and having to use the Restroom of Horror at the Friendly Fill-Up gas station. When things really get bad, Sam's Gram is rushed to the emergency room, not once but twice. Will Sam's Gram get to compete in the Seniors Got Talent Karaoke contest that is on her bucket list? Will anything go right on this trip? Will Sam be able to keep all of what is happening from her mom? And what will Sam do when she gets a phone call that something bad has happened at home? Will the diary that she is having to keep be a burden or be the one constant in her life? Read this incredibly funny book to find out the answers.

I just loved everything about this book! I had so much empathy for Sam because when I was growing up I never felt like I could find my talent either. She doesn't feel cool and she sure feels uncomfortable around super-cute boys (me again!). Nancy Cavanaugh has written an outstanding book about getting to know your family, finding unexpected friends, and exploring who you actually are what your true talents are. Do not miss this amazing book!!

This book was the road trip of a lifetime! It is a great summer read for any middle schooler. Sam has all the faults and wisdom of a seventh grader.

This is a fun road trip story... two senior citizen women traveling with teens in a Mustang on the back roads of Florida leaves a lot of opportunity for humor which this story delivers. I liked the southern back woods setting and the characters were strong. I didn’t love the “Dear Me” journal structure... it just doesn’t make sense that a kid in the middle of this adventure would spend the whole time writing was is happening. But, this is still a fun read that I will put into kids' hands and hope it inspires their own form of journal writing.

What a wonderful middle grade book from Nancy J. Cavanaugh. What happens when our main character Samantha is forced to go on a summer vacation road trip to see her grandmother? What about when that trip to see your grandmother just becomes with your grandmother? A perfect book for heading into summer, will make you remember those multi-generation memories perhaps from your own summers.

This book is wonderful realistic fiction for middle grade readers. The themes of family and growing into your own throughout this book. The journal entries are also great examples for students of how to write and document your life in situations that don’t always make sense at first.

The publisher Sourcebooks Young Readers generously provided me with a copy of the book upon request on NetGalley. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

This is a light and happy story told in letters by 12 year old Samantha. She and her mother go to Florida to check on her recently widowed Grandma who moved away to Florida. When Grandma picks them up from the airport in her new convertible Mustang, it is clear that Grandma is enjoying her new life. Samantha's mom, a type-A, control freak, wants to make Grandma move 8.5 minutes away from them in an Illinois condo. Grandma has friends and a senior citizen bucket list which includes a road trip to enter karaoke competitions. Sam's mom has to go home for a work crisis and leaves Sam behind to go on the road trip and keep an eye on Grandma.

The road trip includes Grandma's friend, Mimi, and her handsome, cool grandson. The road trip does NOT go smoothly, but the trials and tribulations bring them all closer and memories to last a lifetime. If you are looking for a delightful, uplifting read this is a great one!

Despite the fact the main character, Samantha or Sam, deals with a lot of failures, she doesn’t give up but has learnt to overcome her disappointments, plus Sam continues try to find something that she is good at in order to achieve a goal she had set for herself.
This book is humorous but also has some serious life issues. When I Hit the Road might even pull your heartstrings.
I strongly recommend this book as it’s sure to take you on an Florida adventure you’ll enjoy.