This is a character-driven historical fiction story told from two points of view. The action and suspense build slowly, but the pay off is worth it. All of the characters, even the supporting ones who don't show up often, are fleshed out, and the author's descriptions of Maine throughout the year are so detailed that the state feels like a character unto itself. A beautiful story that will appeal to adults, but may not entice many middle school readers.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the e-ARC of this novel.

Set in the 1960’s, Meryl Lee is dropped off at St. Elene’s for girls and could not be less happy about it. Having recently suffered a traumatic loss, she is overwhelmed by her own life and by the newness of her new situation. The opening speech, however, is one that gives her pause and causes her to wonder what her Accomplishments will be during her time at the school.

Meryl Lee’s journey is bumpy at best but as she is influenced by those she meets, she influences them in ways no one expected. This was a great read.

“We’ll always remember him. But you are here. You are. And now it’s time to live your own life, because you must.”

Gary D. Schmidt, the best-selling author of many books for young readers, is back with a new novel that won’t leave its readers indifferent. Just Like That is a new middle-grade story set in the same world as one of his previous novels, The Wednesday Wars (winner of a Newbery Honor award).

The book starts off with the main character, Meryl Lee, being sent off to a boarding school for girls on the coast of Maine in the late 1960s. She’s shattered by the accidental death of her best friend and is consumed by grief, and this new setting could be a fresh start for her. However, she can’t seem to get past the “Blank” she feels whenever she remembers her friend. On top of that, fitting in with her peers isn’t easy for her, the rest of the students have known each other for years and they seem to only care about their wealth and class, whereas she seems to have more progressive values that clash with both the students and the teachers. At the same time, the headmistress at the school has taken in an orphan boy, Matt Coffin, who’s running away from his past, harbouring a big secret, and also looking for a new start. Meryl’s and Matt’s stories intertwine eventually and they both seem to be a very positive influence on each other.

Topics of grief, loss, friendship, social issues, and self-discovery and growth are the main thematic elements in the book. The author explores all of these elements in a beautiful way. One of the strongest points in the book is the emotional growth the characters experience, especially Meryl and Matt. They’re both very lonely characters in the beginning but through getting past obstacles and finding new motivations and things to fight for, each of them is able to trust in people and find some peace. At the boarding school, they are encouraged to become their best selves and to become accomplished. Meryl spends a lot of time focusing on this and it’s marvellous to see her progress. Matt also goes through his own process and, although at times heartbreaking, it is also quite uplifting. It’s also wonderful to see how a book (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) that Meryl focuses one of her projects in provides sort of a framework for this growth that the characters experience. Because it’s not just them two, the rest also change a lot which is very interesting to see. The characters all feel very real due to their own particular struggles and characteristics; their personalities really shine through.

Loss and grief are another big theme in the book. And whilst it’s something usually hard to talk about, in Just Like That it is done very nicely and in a way that young readers will be able to understand and connect with. In a year that’s been full of losses and heartbreaking moments for many people, this could be a comforting read for some. It could help them see that they can be happy again and that they will get past their struggles as time goes by. Gary D. Schmidt’s writing is very honest and appealing. On the other hand, the pace of the book is quite slow throughout the first half of the book. Maybe due to the constant flashbacks when Matt’s story is told which could make it hard to focus on the main plot sometimes. But once you reach a certain point in the story, it will be hard to take your eyes off the book.

All in all, Just Like That will be an entertaining and comforting read not just for young readers but for adults too, since the book is quite profound. This is a story about what it’s like to find your place, to find yourself again, after a big loss. A story that encourages both its characters and the readers to become their best selves.

Meryl Lee is dealing with the loss of her best friend and her parents decide to send her to a boarding school. She struggles to make friends but eventually finds her way through her own courage and convictions. Matt is also struggling to find his own way and the two eventually find each other and face some very serious obstacles. It's a great story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. This book opens with a crushing blow, and gently heals the reader as the story progresses. After a devastating loss, Meryl Lee Kowalski’s parents enroll her in a boarding school. She feels utterly lost among the St. Elene’s returning students. Matt Coffin, a boy on the run from a dangerous past, also ends up in the St. Elene’s world. As their paths cross, Meryl Lee and Matt both find healing and camaraderie. This is set in the world of the Wednesday Wars, and is not to be missed. It is out 1.5.21 - preorder it now!

Gary Schmidt is one of my favorite current authors, and Just Like That is just as wonderful as previous books. Meryl Lee, the main character, experiences a deep loss, the accidental death of her best friend, at the beginning of the book. Through her 8th grade year at a new school, a preparatory boarding school for girls, she finds her heart that she thought she at lost. The book takes place during the Vietnam War, as does some other books by Schmidt, and feelings about war, change, class, death come out in his book. I highly recommend this book.

E ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I couldn’t put this book down. Gary Schmidt tells a story of grief, friendship, emotional growth, and becoming the person you want to be through the stories of Meryl Lee Kowalski and Matt Coffin.

Meryl Lee is sent off to boarding school after the accidental death of her best friend. His death leaves her feeling a Blank that she can’t get past. She struggles to fit in at the school where the girls have known each other for years and where there is an expectation of wealth and class differences. Meryl Lee feels a kinship with two girls employed by the school, which certain faculty immediately look down on.

At the same time, you have the story of Matt Coffin. He is an orphan who got involved with a gang of thieves who put forth an every man for themself attitude, as long as their first loyalty is to the boss man. An incident has Matt escape the gang and the city, but the gang won’t let him go that easily.

This is another winner from Schmidt. The only negative was that these characters were supposed to be in 8th grade but they felt more like 11th. Will still resonate with 7th - 10th grades.

As a daughter of a Vietnam helicopter pilot, I was immediately drawn into this book. There were some parts of this book that I loved! There were other parts that I did not like so much. SPOILERS BELOW.
What I loved:
• The way grief was dealt with. Grief is so hard to explain to middle school students. It is nebulous and difficult. This book didn’t over explain or put a lot of “clinical” terms on grief. It let grief roll over and through all the characters very organically. It allowed different types of grief to connect and separate characters. It would not be a stretch to call grief a character in this book.
• The setting is so beautifully explained. You could see and feel every scene, building, and storm.
• The character and story line of Matt Coffin was beautiful. I was so drawn to his story line and struggles. He shown in every scene.

What I struggled with:
• The story is set with eighth graders. These children were roughly 12-14 years old. In my opinion, they were placed in a lot of mature relationships with a lot of mature sexual issues. Early on in the story, one girl asks another girl “is it true they wear nothing under their kilts?” There is a lot of kissing between the two main characters, setting them up for a romantic relationship. The book ends with these two children being left alone in a house while the guardians leave on vacation with no supervision. I wish either the characters were in high school or these scenes were taken out.
• Meryl Lee had too many issues to tackle. Any one of them would make for a great story. I wish the author would have focused on Meryl Lee’s ability to bring everyone together. It would have made the story line tighter. But she brings people together, takes on social norms, fights against the Vietnam War, deals with grief, saves Matt, and gets good grades all at the same time. There was too much going on for one eighth grader.
Bottom line, an adult, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to my friends and their high schoolers. As an elementary and middle school librarian, I will not be putting this in my library due to the age inappropriate relationships.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy. The opinions expressed in this review are all mine. #netgalley #justlikethat

Gary D Schmidt's new novel is sure to be a hit. The book has elements of adventure that will appeal to both boys and girls. Mr. Schmidt has the ability to develop lifelike, relatable characters. I particularly enjoyed the fact that adults were also vital in a young adult novel.

I am sure this book will be popular.

Gary D. Schmidt is one of my favorite author's for middle schoolers. His latest book is a great addition to his bookshelf. Well-developed characters, a bit of history, and a quick pace make a great book.

Meryl Lee Kowalski is shattered by the death of Holling Hoodhood, the main character in The Wednesday Wars, in a car accident right before the start of 8th grade. Her parents, concerned for her, decide to send her off to board at St. Elene's Preparatory Academy for Girls. It's a hard transition, because most of the other students are more well-to-do and also have known each other for years. It's a different environment, and it makes dealing with "the Blank", the feeling that descends on her when she is thinking about Holling, both easier and harder. Dr. MacKnockater is the headmistress, who is dealing with a young man, Matt, who has ended up in town, helped out Captain Hurd, and then been found badly injured. Dr. MacKnockater takes him in and acts as his foster mother while trying to get him an education, even enrolling him in her all girls school. Matt has had a life full of trauma, and is on the run from a violent criminal who seems to be able to find him no matter where he goes. He and Meryl Lee take a shine to one another. Meryl doesn't understand the stringent social rules that teacher Mrs. Connolly in particular is insistent on enforcing, and doesn't understand why she can't read John Steinbeck (he's a Communist), talk to the serving girls (they need to know their place), or talk about the Vietnam War (it isn't a suitable topic for conversation). Luckily, Dr. MacKnockater is on Meryl Lee's side, and is able to encourage her. Meryl also finds out that her family situation is changing, and this is another reason she was sent off. She slowlly comes to terms with Holling's death, and the school helps her find new motivations for learning and living. Matt's situation comes to a horrifying head but does get resolved, and Meryl is ready to continue on to high school.
Strengths: I'm always looking for books set in the 1960s, and boarding schools are always a fascinating setting. There are a few good details about daily like during this time period, with discussions about the war and the relatives that people had off fighting. The tension between Meryl's more progressive views and Mrs. Connolly's traditional ones is interesting. Matt's story is thought provoking, and leads to a very suspenseful end of the book.
Weaknesses: Holling's death is the single most abrupt and upsetting one I have ever seen in fiction, although Ambrose's death in the television show Ballykissangel comes close; my daughter still hasn't gotten over that. It's comes as a slap in the face, and rather unprocessed; no wonder Meryl Lee is beside herself. On the one hand, it's very effective writing, but it made me angry for the whole book. Again, effective, but I'm not sure how students will feel about it. Since students rarely look for sequels to books written before they were born, I'm just not sure if this would find many readers in my library. Reading this directly after reading The Wednesday Wars would be excruciating.
What I really think: This is absolutely a well written and interesting book, but I hated the way it made me feel. I almost wish that Matt's story had been told on its own, or that he had been the primary character and Meryl Lee was someone who came into his world.

Chapter 32: The ghoul smiled and turned to look across the commons. “Bingo,” he said.
I said (upon reading that line), “Please, no. Please do not get preposterous in an otherwise distinguished novel.”

I’m in my second, now deeper, read-through of Just Like That and am grappling with the plot point that Leonidas Shug, a.k.a. Mr. Higginson, could simultaneously be the leader of a New York to Maine petty crime ring AND a secret service agent assigned to the Vice President’s detail.

One of the qualities about Gary Schmidt’s writing that have earned him numerous awards is his ability to weave seemingly disparate plot threads and themes into a single beautiful tapestry at the end of his books. Each detail, each reveal, each bit of dialogue is beautifully crafted and carefully placed. That’s why -for me – the Shug/Higginson character is bewildering. Unlike all the other pieces, it doesn’t fit. It’s a distraction. I’d love to ask Mr. Schmidt about his rationale behind this character. Why would a person who has achieved elite success – again, he’s in the secret service with one of the most trusted jobs in the country, protecting the Vice President – risk it all for a years-long pursuit of child? To protect his ruthless image? Regain a pillowcase full of hundred-dollar bills? How would this dual life go unnoticed by the FBI? Even with an explanation of the character’s motives, the reader experiences a full-stop, “what the heck?”, in the narrative. I leave it to the 2022 ALA/ALSC Newbery Committee to decide if this is a flaw.

Now for the wonderful, distinguished qualities of Just Like That. As mentioned previously, Schmidt introduces disparate stories and themes, then takes the reader on a journey which unites them through the experiences of fully realized characters whom readers grow to love by the end of the book. Which is why readers who grew to love Holling in The Wednesday Wars will be shocked to learn of the fate that awaited him just after that novel’s final pages, even if that tragedy allows readers to get to know Meryl Lee in her own story. Just Like That also shares the same coastal Maine setting, characters and themes from Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. Schmidt’s loyal readers will appreciate the commonalities and reveals, deftly placed as always. Schmidt writes for a discerning audience, encouraging (as in many of his books) a love for classic literature from Shakespeare to Robert Louis Stevenson and L. Frank Baum. Upon her arrival at St. Elene’s, the concepts of Resolution, Accomplishment and Obstacles sound lofty and unrelated to the life of an eighth grader, but Meryl Lee – and the reader- grow over the course of the novel to recognize the strengths they have within and why ideals are worth pursuing. In many of his books (Okay for Now, Orbiting Jupiter) Schmidt doesn’t shy away from the horrific experiences many young people face – Matt’s story is harrowing – but it’s always balanced with the reassurance that we go on “because all of us have to” (Meryl Lee to Alethea, Ch. 33). In Just Like That, Schmidt contrasts Shug’s comment to Matt (“You can’t let yourself care…that’s what giving your heart away will do to you every time.” Ch. 36) with Dr. MacKockater’s assessment of Meryl Lee’s Accomplishment: “You are the Tin Woodman, who lost her heart and despite the Obstacles, found it again the only way you can find it: by giving it away.” Schmidt gives his middle grade audience mature advice: “life doesn’t stop even when horrible things happen” (Meryl Lee, Ch. 39) but that “the future is always in motion” (Dr. MacKnockater, Ch. 39). Schmidt succeeds in reassuring readers that although life will always have Obstacles, they can triumph. And he does so artfully, with humor and heart, setting his story on the vividly realized Maine seacoast, through characters readers want to follow from one book to another, all in language that flows as gently, powerfully as the ocean.

I need to start off by saying it was such a power move that Schmidt killed off Holling Hoodhood. But one that was pulled off beautifully--because it made me grieve right alongside Meryl Lee. As usual, Scmidt creates a cast of secondary characters that are unique and flat-out wonderful to spend time with. My favorite was probably Heidi, so here is my formal request to the universe that Heidi someday gets a book of her own to swing her field hockey stick around in.