The characters in this book were really interesting. I loved the many references to literary works throughout. For my Postcard Field Trip curriculum, I loved how much history and place were weaved into the fabric of the story. 

Definitely buying with grant money to include in my school library.

Fans of the Wednesday Wars will remember Meryl Lee.  In Just Like That she is the main character and has just moved to boarding school in Maine.  In this book Meryl Lee is struggling with the loss of a close friend and her parents divorce.  Readers will have their heartbroken, just like Meryl Lee on page one and as they journey through the year the "blank space" will begin to heal.

I loved this book. It was my first by Schidmt and I was blown away by the respect he showed his middle grade/teen readers. This book had depth, heart, and a whole lot of situations to keep the book moving.

The whole time I was reading, I felt transported in a way I haven't since I read The Westing Game or From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. No character was all good, or all bad. Well almost. I fell in love with the headmistress from her first appearance and even Ms. Connely had a few redeeming moments.

Schmidt wrote about grief in such a raw and vulnerable way. He seems to understand adolescent grief in all of its intricacies and simplicities. The setting was magnificent and the time period the story was set in made for a perfect backdrop to Matthew and Meryl Lee's journeys.

If you like reminiscent books set in boarding schools with deep friendships this is the book for you.

Oh, yeah and I think kids will like it as well

Two pages. That's how far I made it into this book before I wanted to cry. Schmidt has this ability to break my heart in the best possible way. This is the third book in a loosely linked trio (absolutely no need to read the other two in order to understand this one). The first, The Wednesday Wars, introduced us to a cast of characters with the central focus on Holling Hoodhood. Okay For Now follows Holling's friend Doug after he moves away. And this volume digs deep into Meryl, Holling's almost girlfriend after her parents send her to boarding school. The inciting incident for Meryl's move happens before the book's opening, "off screen", and finds her overwhelmed with grief, living in a fog. That fog follows her through much of the plot, so the early chapters have a sort of emotional disconnect. As Meryl begins to re-engage with the world, so too do we build more connection with characters and events. We of course meet a variety of new characters, some of whom are lovable and others who are classic school villains: harsh teachers, snobby roommates, that sort of thing. But they don't stay flat villains. Through the course of the novel we see some of the things that influence their behaviors. Meryl sees the complexity in the people around her and begins to see a way forward through her grief. All of this with the tumultuous background of a small conservative village in the 60s, addressing Vietnam and classism in equal measure. The focus of the plot isn't on "fixing" things. Grief and big societal issues are not easily fixed. They simply take steps forward, which has to be enough. This is the most action oriented of Schmidt's plots, with gangsters and literal rooftop fights. This makes it a bit sensational, but not too over the top.

After Meryl Lee’s best friend dies in an accident, she is sent to a private boarding school for a change of scenery. Every girl at St. Elene’s is expected to demonstrate Accomplishment, but Meryl Lee cannot get past The Blank that’s been with her since Hollis’s death.

Matt is a new arrival to town, but he never stays in one place for too long. Once he meets Headmaster Mrs. MacKnockater and  Meryl Lee, though, he might just stick around. 

I loved so many things about this book.

The story takes place over the 1968 -1969 school year, against the backdrop of the Viet Nam War and the election of Richard Nixon, which sets the stage for Meryl Lee’s nascent activism. Despite her grief, Meryl Lee starts to notice injustices closer to home, and begins to find her voice. Although there are teachers at the school who are resistant to change, there is no shortage of allies for Meryl Lee. 

There are lots of literary references. Themes from Meryl Lee’s school assignments on Mary, Queen of Scots and The Wizard of Oz are interwoven throughout the book as Meryl Lee struggles to find her Accomplishment. Teachers and students rotate through the library to read The Grapes of Wrath for “the lewd parts,” which no one can seem to find. A teacher starts a Literary Society that studies the writings of Shakespeare.

Schmidt creates situations that bring unlikely pairs together, and over time, a tight band of friends forms. The girls express their camaraderie with the phrase “sticks up” (inspired by the school field hockey team), which is their shorthand for “man up,” “good luck,” “good job.”

There is usually a despicable character in Schmidt’s books, and Just Like That is no exception. While Meryl Lee is fighting ideas at St. Elene’s, Matt is fighting a battle with his past demons. Even while Matt is settling in, Schmidt never lets the reader forget that trouble is on the way.

Without giving away the ending, this was a humorous, moving, satisfying read. 

Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group, Clarion Books, and Netgalley for an Advanced Readers Arc of this book.

8th grader Mary Lee is sent to boarding school to help her cope with the death of her best friend. She meets Matt, who is also dealing with grief while trying to escape from a gang.  The friendship between the two helps them on the road to healing.

Gary D. Schmidt is always good for an ugly cry, and this book was no exception. 

I think my favorite part of these books, is that reading them as an adult I appreciate the adult characters so much. They're kind, generous, wise, and sometimes a little salty and I want to be those adults for the kids in my life. 

I don't remember being that into kissing as an 8th grader though. 🤣

*recommend that you read The Wednesday Wars first. 

Welp, it's 3 a.m., and here I sit, wiping away tears as I wonder how in the hell I will ever be able to do this review any justice. Probably won't, but I'll try my best. Dissection was a somewhat larger theme of this book, so I'll continue in that same vein and say that Gary D. Schmidt is bloody brilliant at opening up your heart and poking around inside. He's not afraid to expose the sad and scary bits, but he also doesn't hold back on the heartwarming and loving moments. His characters become cherished friends that you care about and cheer for as they navigate loss, friendship, coming of age, and the ever-changing tide of life. The one thing I probably won't forgive, ever, is the abrupt killing of an amazing character. G. Schmidt, you didn't need to break my heart by page 2. I forgive you because you did put it back together by the end, even if the pieces weren't quite the same fit. Schmidt doesn't necessarily revel in the fast-paced drama, so I wouldn't go into this expecting lots of action. BUT, if you are looking for deeply moving character development, that feeling when you first watched Dead Poet's Society or read Anne of Green Gables, this book needs to go to the top of your list. Sticks down, readers. Things can change just like that.

Just Like That by Gary D. Schmidt, 2021
Recommended for grades 6-8; realistic fiction, historical fiction

It’s 1968 and Meryl Lee Kowalski is about to start eighth grade when her best friend Holling Hoodhood dies in a car accident. Meryl Lee is overwhelmed by the Blank, her term for the feeling of emptiness and depression caused by that kind of loss. Meryl Lee knows she can’t go back to Camillo Junior High or any of the familiar places she’s used to going with Holling, so her parents decide to send her to St. Elene’s Preparatory Academy for Girls, a prestigious boarding school in Maine where she can get a “new start” and focus on facing Obstacles and finding Resolution and becoming Accomplished. But it’s a difficult transition. Most of the other girls at St. Elene’s are very rich and have known each other for a long time.

Meanwhile, Matt Coffin has recently arrived in Maine after being on the run for a long time. He has a dark and disturbing past involving homelessness, theft, the violent death of a friend named Georgie, and a large amount of money that he stole from a sinister figure named Leonidas Shug. He has encountered quite a few generous people who have taken him in for a short period of time before he ran away to protect them from the repercussions of his own past. But when he meets Dr. Nora MacKnockater, headmistress of St. Elene’s, and Willis Hurd, captain of the lobster boat Affliction, he gradually decides to stay put for a while. 

The rest of this book is a year-long series of anecdotes, mostly from Meryl Lee’s point of view but with occasional chapters about Matt. Meryl Lee struggles to fit in at her new school but gradually makes friends, even with the girls who were originally her worst enemies. She also befriends a couple members of the kitchen staff, despite the harsh disapproval of certain faculty members, and makes waves with her willingness to voice her opinions, mostly about literature at first. Although she fails to achieve Accomplishment at any of the extracurriculars or hobbies she tries, she does well academically and she earns the esteem of the headmistress. Over time, she finally even starts to recover from the Blank. But she also learns that her parents sent her away for another reason, too. They are splitting up and they didn’t want Meryl Lee to witness the breakup of the family firsthand.

Meanwhile, Meryl Lee and Matt meet at Dr. MacKnockater’s house at Thanksgiving and quickly become friends with more than a hint of romantic interest. Without even knowing Matt’s backstory, Meryl Lee helps him escape from trouble a couple of times and continually gives him the motivation to make a home for himself in one place. The book concludes with a dramatic climax to Matt’s daring escape from his troubled past and a feel-good revelation that Meryl Lee’s Accomplishments lie in forming friendships, overcoming Obstacles, and selflessness. Or, as Dr. MacKnockater tells her, she is the Tin Woodsman from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. She lost her heart but has learned that the way to find it again is to give it away.

This book has a highly stylized writing style characterized by brief scenes and an occasional disregard of correct grammar, as well as a repetitive use of certain words and phrases, often with capitalization for emphasis. Obstacles, Resolution, and Accomplishment are always capitalized with the implication that Meryl Lee thinks that the overly-dignified attitude at St. Elene’s is ridiculous even though she’s in agreement with many of the principles and objectives behind it. There’s also a distinctive, stylized aspect to the point of view. Although it’s third-person and sometimes switches abruptly from the perspective of one character to that of another, it retains the tone of an inner monologue, full of irreverent asides, judgemental remarks about other characters, and allusions to private conversations that happened earlier in the story.

Before I finish this blog post, I feel like it’s worth saying a little bit about the setting. I felt that the backdrop of Maine in the late 60s was thoroughly described and atmospheric, but that what made it particularly interesting was the juxtaposition of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Meryl Lee herself apparently comes from an upper-middle class family, but she’s fairly down-to-Earth and accustomed to dressing casually and using informal language. At St. Elene’s, she finds herself surrounded by people who are much richer and who have connections to brag about and reputations to uphold. Meanwhile, Meryl Lee’s friends amongst the kitchen staff are much more subject to the judgmental opinions of their “superiors” and the financial hardships that would come if they were to lose their jobs. Unlike most of the students, they also have family members and friends who are fighting in Vietnam, which ends up greatly impacting Meryl Lee. Finally, Matt has been used to yet another lifestyle characterized by danger, poverty, and uncertainty. His backstory could just as easily have come from a book set in a much earlier time period. This stark contrast adds dimension and food for thought to the setting.

This book will appeal to a lot of readers for its boarding-school setting as well as its likable protagonist and unique narrative voice. While I personally didn’t think that the plot was particularly distinctive, the numerous memorable characters and the atmospheric setting do a lot to make up for that. I would recommend this book mainly for middle-school-aged readers, which puts it on the line between middle grade and YA.

Imagine someone coming up to you and saying, “Hey, you know that book you love? Someone wrote a sequel! Remember the main character? Yeah, so the story starts with him dead now, and it’s all about how the secondary character is dealing with the resulting grief. It’s amazing. You should read it.”

So… I’ll try not to start my post in quite that upbeat manner. I’m not sure exactly what Gary D. Schmidt was thinking, but… he killed off Holling Hoodhood, friends. If you loved The Wednesday Wars as much as I did, then you may need a moment or two to process this. Grab some chocolate. Shout dramatically about, “Who do authors think they are anyway, playing God like that?!” Slowly sip of cup of tea. I’m sorry. I know Holling may just have been a fictional character, but the grief is real.

Feeling a little better? Okay.

Yeah, so… this book is amazing! You should read it!

Despite being cruel and unusual and making me rethink the power placed in my hands as a writer, Schmidt’s decision to begin Just Like That with the death of a beloved character (technically, he places it slightly in the past as the book begins) achieved the result of pulling you instantly into the emotions of the new main character, Meryl Lee Kowalski. Even if you’ve never read The Wednesday Wars, you’d feel for Meryl Lee. But if you share the tiniest bit of her love for Holling Hoodhood, you’ll cry a little yourself and feel her shock and understand what she means when she speaks of a great, big Blank of grief following her around all the time, threatening to overcome her.

And then, in case you thought Mr. Schmidt had tricked you into feeling such strong emotion based solely upon the fact that you know Holling and Meryl Lee, he introduces another character: Matt Coffin, who stands by the shore of Maine skipping stones and somehow–just like that–ingratiates himself into your affections and you know you will not stop reading his story or Meryl Lee’s either unless absolutely compelled to do so by the events of your real life. And you really hope they don’t compel you too much.

Now let’s see if I can give you a little plot. Meryl Lee, horrified by the prospect of returning to the school which she and Holling attended together, is sent to St. Elene’s, a prestigious all-girls’ boarding school in New England, where she sticks out like a sore country bumpkin thumb in a world of rich, sophisticated students. Matt Coffin, skipper of stones, is running away from something and doesn’t want to talk about it, not even to the kindly old woman who find him on the shore and skips some stones along with him before inviting him to her table, or the curmudgeonly lobster boat captain who takes him on as an apprentice of sorts.

Meryl Lee, perhaps spurred on by the injustice of her friend’s death, spots injustices all around her at St. Elene’s and makes it her mission to right what she can, even as she’s belittled and ridiculed by her classmates and a particularly nasty teacher. Matt, meanwhile, just wants to feel safe–but his past inevitably catches up with him and puts everyone he’s growing to love in danger.

I don’t want to spoil the story with any further plot, although I will say that Just Like That has more easily articulated plot than many a Gary D. Schmidt novel–he’s so wonderfully good at character growth that you’d follow his characters around if they did pretty much nothing. This one, however, is full of mission and danger and conflict, and it is incredibly, don’t-read-it-when-you-need-to-fall-asleep, tense.

But. It’s still the characters that keep you reading. It’s the human nature of it all. It’s the deep-down trust in the goodness of humanity that Schmidt exudes that makes you turn page after page in wonder.

In all fairness, I’ll say that one plot point fell a little short, fitting too handily and leaving me shrugging at such a coincidence. But honestly–I couldn’t care less. That humanity sold me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Soon-to-be 8th grader Meryl Lee Kowalski is devastated by the death of her first love. Her parents send her from her home in New York to coastal Maine where she will attend St. Elene's Preparatory Academy for Girls in order to get a fresh start. However, the other girls at St. Elene's are less than welcoming. At the same time, Matt Coffin is experiencing loss and turmoil of his own. He's on the run from a man who wants him dead. When Meryl Lee and Matt's paths cross, their lives both start looking up. This is a sweet, charming book that reminds readers of how quickly life can change in both bad ways and good - just like that. I am a big fan of The Wednesday Wars by the same author and definitely need to read everything else he has written. His writing style is both humorous and touching. This book was a joy to read.

Gary Scmidt expands the universe of his Wednesday Wars in this new addition, set immediately after the conclusion of his previous work.  After the death of Meryl Lee's close friend, though, she just doesn’t feel connected to her community anymore.  There's just too much “Blank.”  So her parents decide to start her at a new school in Maine, where maybe she can escape the grief that’s been following her since.

Simultaneously, we hear the story of Matt Coffin, an orphan boy who is always on the move.  Full of a suspense that wonderfully complements the quiet intensity of Meryl Lee’s, Matt's story is masterfully interwoven with the school story.  

I couldn't put Just Like That down.  The pacing is spot on, the stories are engaging and distinct, but the whole thing somehow feels extremely cohesive.  And even though I hadn’t read Wednesday Wars, I felt very grounded in the world and story throughout; it worked well as a stand-alone novel.

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.
•
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/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