This plot is fairly simple but enjoyable. It follows a logical arc. A kid who already has difficulty making friends confronted with a brand new group of kids. Add in a mystery element and there's plenty to keep the book moving. And it lays out the steps of investigation and the importance of truth and accuracy in journalism. Well worth the read.

This was an endearing story that left a warm feeling in my heart.

I really liked how the personality of Nellie, the main character, comes through straight up from the first pages. It's how much she's trying to fit the idea of a journalist that she's got in her mind, based on what she learned growing up with journalist parents, coupled with her strictly A-type overachiever personality. It is a delight to read.

Nellie's personal hero is Nellie Bly, the journalist she's been named after, and she's trying to live up to the name. At the moment, she's struggling with it and especially needs Nellie's legacy to hold her up, as her life has been turned somewhat upside down - their family's moved to a tiny town, her dad's working abroad in Asia and changing in ways Nellie didn't expect, her mom's holed up in the attic writing, and Nellie's got a tail - a neighbor kid whom she doesn't like, trying to hang out with her because their moms want them to be friends. Amidst all this, Nellie decides to take matters into her own hands and form a Newspaper Club - she will bring back her old way of life in the only way she knows how.

Pretty soon into the book, we understand that Nellie may not be the most reliable narrator. She's clearly not saying something about her dad, about her family - something that most people around her know or have figured out. But since Nellie is trying to lie to her own self about how things really are, so we don't really know the truth either. As the story progresses, we start to get an inkling about why Nellie has been uprooted from her old life.

In the end, this book is as much about coping with change as being lonely and different, unable to easily make friends. It's a very well written story, and it's heart-warming and quirky. I really enjoyed it! It has some serious themes that are very well expressed, but I won't share any more for fear of spoilers. Definitely worth it to read it and find out for yourself!

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

The Newspaper Club is a terrific tribute to journalism and newspapers, and a fun new series for young readers - and writers! After Nellie, the daughter of journalists, moves to the tiny town of Bear Creek, the local newspaper shuts down, taking no interest in the mysterious happenings at the local park. Nellie is personally invested in the park reopening, and with the help of new friends, starts a newspaper herself. I loved the newspaper vocabulary (and glossary) included, and the ways that each of Nellie's new friends brings their own unique gifts to the news staff. I'm glad this is a series, as I want to know more about these characters. Vrabel hints at much more beneath the surface of these kids, so I am hopeful that they will get closer treatment in future books. This was Nellie's story. Narrated in first person, we get hints along the way that our narrator may not be 100% reliable. When Nellie is finally ready to be honest with herself (and the reader) it is a quietly emotional moment - and while this is an important plot point, Vrabel does not overdramatize it or make it the climax of the story. I was happy that Nellie got to be a hero, because despite her unhappiness, I liked her and could see a good heart underneath her gruffness.
I teach 3rd graders, so I love finding books that are accessible in length, while still delivering an engaging plot, emotional connections, and excellent examples of friendship, persistence, creativity, and community. This is one of those books, and I look forward to sharing this series with my students.

The main six characters are a true delight! Each of them is an integral part of the story with a story of their own. The story explores making friends, especially as it relates to a group of kids. It also explores grief in a tasteful and appropriate manner. The exploration of journalism is well done and accurate. This book reminds me of a series that my son read as a kid. This would make a great read-aloud or book club choice. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book which was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this opportunity.

This is a cute story about kids who are wanting to get into the news business. Kids will like the illustrations and news clips that are dispersed throughout the story.

*ARC was provided by Perseus Books, Running Press through NetGalley.

This was a super cute middle grade read, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the sequel. Like Cub (another 2020 MG book about journalism), this was surprisingly accurate in terms of how the industry works. It's definitely for younger readers, but the terms and concepts are easy to understand/not watered down.

I really like how this tackled grief, and the mystery reminded me a lot of what I would read when I was younger. The characters were so cute and I can't wait to see what crime they take on next.

Right in time for Spring Break and kids needing a good read, The Newspaper Club gives us the story of Nellie Murrow (hat tip to Edward R. Murrow), an eleven-year-old girl who has recently moved from NYC with her mother to tiny Bear Creek, Maine. Nellie's family were newspaper people. Her father was news director for a city newspaper (every real city should have at least two newspapers!) and her mother was a crime scene investigative reporter. Nellie, being raised around the news, is determined to be a reporter or maybe even the publisher of a newspaper. She's always looking for stories and when things seem to be going wrong in the only place in Bear Creek she enjoys, the park, she's determined to find out what's going on. Unfortunately, that means she's likely going to need the help of her nemesis, Min Kim-Franklin, daughter of her mother's best friend. Mrs. Kim-Franklin is a bit too overprotective of Min and Nellie (did I mention she was named after the amazing Nellie Bly?) is pretty sure Min is only her friend because she's been told to be. Nellie, who misses her father a lot (more on that later), has trouble making friends. Her dad has given her a lot of good advice about it though, and in no time, thanks to forming a local newspaper when the one run by grownups is going out of business, Nellie has a bunch of colleagues and friends. There's Thom, the boy that lives across the street, Gloria, the daughter of the local diner owner, shy Charlotte who actually knows the difference between the Chicago and MLA style guides, and Gordon, who is a burgeoning professional photographer at only twelve. Oh, and then there's Min, who is the layout person extraordinaire, and who gives their paper its name, The Cub Report. Together they are going to solve the mystery of what's going on in their park, publish a newspaper, and help Nellie deal with some of her recent life changes.

The Newspaper Club introduces children to important journalistic processes and terminology in an era in which the news, whether in print, social media, or on the radio, or TV, is being called into question. While we might guess what's going on in some of The Cub Report's stories about the park or Miss Julia, Nellie Murrow teaches children about fact-checking and getting those five questions answered- who, what, where, when, and why. And meanwhile, as the reader grows closer to Nellie's true story - Vrabel kind of buries the lede there... - we begin to see that Mrs. Kim-Franklin was so right about Bear Creek being the right place for Nellie and her mom.

A sweet middle-grade novel that is highly instructive, too.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an absolute delight! I want more of these kids, more of these stories! I loved the six main characters. Each one brings different skills, experiences and qualities to the team. And each of the kids seems to have a backstory begging to be told. And I am here for every story! The mystery here is age appropriate (vandalism/pranks), and the story also explores grief from the perspective of a couple characters. I can see this one inspiring kids to start their own newspapers! This would be a great read-aloud or book group choice.

Moving to a uneventful small town can be hard, especially when your best friend has already been picked for you. Nellie misses the big city but more importantly the hub-bub of her parent's newsroom. Nellie dreams of being a reporter when she grows up but for now editor-in-chief of an independent paper run by kids will do. She is surrounded by some pretty cool characters like the boy across the street who daydreams on the barn roof. Unfortunately, we never get to learn more about these characters. Her mother even remains a mystery. I hope this book can help create a new group of journalists by exposing them to this story. Whether you believe journalism is dying or not we still have to get the next generation intrigued if we want it to thrive. The glossary at the back of the book will help readers learn all the terms of the newsroom. This cute story will leave readers on the hunt for their local scoop.

This was a fantastic middle-grade read. I'm a sucker for anything to do with newspapers or journalism, and this book totally delivered. There is journalism jargon scattered and defined throughout. Vrabel even included a glossary at the end! The Newspaper Club is heart-felt, smart, and funny. It's a tale of friendship, flexible thinking, and grief. I highly recommend it to educators with students who struggle to make friends or have a growth mindset in social situations.

I really liked the narrative style, and when I saw a new book by the author, I had to pick it up. It was a great decision as I immediately realised. It was a rapid read, I read it in one sitting thins morning between breakfast and lunch. Considering it is a book aimed at pre-teens, I should not really pat myself on the back too hard about being so quick.

Despite its size, it packs a punch. It has all the ingredients that make for a great read, great characters, a unique storyline, lots of feelings and a smooth but entertaining narrative voice. Nellie is a cub reporter, she has never seen herself as anything else since both her parents were reporters and talked to her as (almost) one adult to another. She is resenting her move to the middle of nowhere - Bear Creek and a sudden shift in lifestyle. Nellie did not have many close friends previously and is a chronic overthinker whose parents have helped streamline the thinking, but it is still there. She has her own hurts to bear but is starting to learn that others may have many layers as well. She finds a case to investigate, a role to play in setting up a newspaper and making friends along the way. There are parts of the story that adults may find obvious but is hidden well enough to surprise younger audiences, or at least I feel that would be the case. Nellie is such a flawed protagonist, intelligent but not all-knowing as she learns slowly but surely, an example that can help children see beyond themselves without sounding even the tiniest bit preachy. I do not want to describe her gang of friends because I think it is a crucial part of the story itself.

It is a very concise plot, and I was overjoyed (to say the least) when I saw that there is a sequel in the works in the series. I would highly recommend it to anyone of any age to read. I felt refreshed after I set it down and that in itself is a rarity. 

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience of this and one of the author's previous work.

This was very wholesome! It was honestly a breath of fresh air after the darker turn my reading has taken lately and I loved how this dealt with grief in a way that both kids and adults can relate to or understand. I'm excited to see what else this author comes up with in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley, Perseus Books and Running Press for providing me with a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion. I really enjoyed this book. Our narrator is 11-year old Nellie, who recently moved with her mom to Bear Creek, Maine. Nellie's parents had both worked on a big city newspaper and Nellie wants to recapture the fascination and love she had of the paper here in this small community. One day the community is shaken by vandalism at the community park and the entire park is shut down until the crime is solved. Nellie and a group of friends start their own paper to try and solve the vandalism as well as reporting on other stories from Bear Creek. The book is designed for middle school readers and does a superb job of teaching the basics of news reporting, the different positions on a newspaper, as well as preaching the Who? What? When? Why? and How? questions reporters should ask, but which in our current society are sadly lacking. By starting the paper, making friends, finding and reporting on the culprit of the vandalism, the book teaches us great lessons about the newspaper profession as well as helping Nellie come face to face with the truth as to why she and her mother moved to Bear Creek. The negative has to do with Nellie's rather over-aggressive attitude and her lecturing of her new found friends. But it certainly was a major deterrent to the overall enjoyment of this book.

Wow! What a fun read!
Nice multicultural cast featuring a budding journalist who decides she has to solve random cases that have prevented her from going to the local park.

Beth Vrabel’s realistic fiction is true to the lives of my middle grade students and those a bit older. From her a Pack of Dorks series with its group of interesting yet unpopular students just trying to find their place to “Reckless Club” and its far different cast of kids making a difference in themselves and the residents of a local nursing home, she has her finger on what young people everywhere are thinking, feeling, and living. “The Newspaper Club” has city grown Nellie relocating to ultra small town Bear Creek where she tries to take her absent father’s advice on both friend-making and newspaper-writing. The ensemble that develops is diverse in personality yet believably comes together to produce the first issue of a monthly newspaper while solving a park mystery and learning some life long truths about friend-making and secret-sharing. Highly recommended for grades 5 and up with no reservations unless your reader(s) might be bothered by one character’s reference to his two moms. Thanks for the dARC, NetGalley; “The Newspaper Club” will be added to my libraries’ collections as soon as it is released.

Nellie Murrow has moved from the big city to a small town since her mother was downsized from her newspaper job and her father is working in Asia. Her mother's best friend, Ms. Kim-Franklin, lives there, and Nellie is supposed to be friends with her daughter, Min, who is a year younger, given to wearing a lot of ruffles, and rather annoying. She meets another new neighbor, Thom, who lives nearby with his mothers, and soon decides that she needs to start a newspaper club? Why? She has ink in her blood, due to her parents' connections, and after a visit to the local newsroom on a day where they are laying off a lot of staff, she feels that someone needs to investigate the attacks happening at a local park. She and her friends are the only ones available. Nellie gets to know her friends and her new town in the process, and slowly comes to terms with why she and her mother have really moved to Bear Creek.

Strengths: I love Vrabel's writing, and this had a retro feel I loved, because Nellie and her friends are DOING things, and not just playing video games all day. Nellie's anxiety about moving to a new place was not crippling, and she even managed to make peace with Min. The Paula Franco illustrations are a nice touch. I also appreciated championing the importance of local news reporting; I grew up with the Youngstown Vindicator, and also spent time in Detroit (home of the News and Free Press), so know how very important newspapers are. I not only subscribe to the Columbus Dispatch, but gave my daughter a subscription as well. I read the paper every day, so Vrabel's note at the back about being a reporter was very interesting.
Weaknesses: This fell more on the elementary side of Vrabel's writing for me, with Pack of Dorks, instead of on the older side, with The Humiliations of Pipi McGee, Caleb and Kit, a Blind Guide to Normal, and Bringing Me Back.
What I really think: I'm debating. My students have no interest in the newspaper (I've tried, believe me!), and this was on the younger side. I would definitely buy this for an elementary library and will look forward to the other books in the series.

I thought this was a really cute and fun Middle Grade mystery read that had a diverse cast of characters. It was on the shorter side but I still felt like there was some natural character growth and progression in the story. Definitely recommend for younger readers!

3.5 stars

Beth Vrabel is one of my all time favorite contemporary authors. Having read and enjoyed all of her books, it’s hard not to consider her a favorite. And she delivers every single time.

While THE NEWSPAPER CLUB may not have been as good as BRINGING ME BACK and CALEB AND KIT, it was still a great start to what seems to be a promising series.

Another thing Beth Vrabel always delivers on is the diversity in her books. Every single one of her books feature some kind of diversity and I think it’s something that should be recognized more often.

Will I be purchasing this in March? Possibly.

Nellie and her mom have just moved to a small town in Maine called Bear Creek. Moving is not the only change in Nellie's life - her mom has stopped being a newspaper reporter and is now writing a novel at home, and her father is in Asia, at least according to Nellie. Nellie is supposed to be instant BFFs with the daughter of her mom's college friend, but instead she decides to follow in her reporter parents' footsteps, and starts a newspaper club.

By recruiting other kids for the club and solving a town mystery that has eluded even the police, Nellie is able to come terms with the realities of her new life. This book deals with grief and loss, as well as a thought-provoking discussion about news and the future of newspapers everywhere.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

4,5 Stars

WOWOWOWOWOWOW

This installment by Beth Vrabel sure delivered, and the ending really set up the next one in the series!

One thing I really loved and couldn’t ignore was the representation. It was rumored that Nellie was autistic, which is great! Also, I love it how Beth Vrabel incorporated Asian representation with Min. I also loved the LGBTQ+ rep with Thom’s moms. That’s very rare in especially middle grade books, and the fact that Beth Vrabel utilized that is literally amazing.

I really can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next, and I can’t wait to read her previous installments.

Do I recommend this? Yes.