Urban has found the perfect balance of elements to make this a nearly gentle, sensitive read. With a largely abandoned child character encountering ghosts and living with a grief-stricken relative it could easily become maudlin and over-wrought. Instead we meet a likeable, far from perfect protagonist learning to handle her overwhelming emotions and coming to terms with the ways her father has failed her. Through her encounters with the ghost she learns about the complexities of all people and her lessons in calligraphy and etiquette help her to express herself more clearly. It may not be a thrilling book but it is a thoughtful one and may be good for discussion with young readers.

Our main character is 11-year old California Poppy. California was dumped with one relative and then transferred to another while her dad disappears to (supposedly) Alaska. Great-Aunt Monica - recently widowed - decides to distract California with genealogical research on Eleanor Fontaine - a famous relative who wrote etiquette books. Except there's more to Eleanor's story than anyone knows. California gets a lot of help untangling that mystery from Eleanor's ghost. She forms a special bond with a ghost dog and even manages to find a few human friends! This book has lots of layers including death of a mom, grief, a depressed dad who makes some not so great decision, and body image, to name a few. But there's a lot of heart warming humor, too plus a few lessons in letter writing.

Thank you publisher and author for sharing an ARC with #Collabookation

I loved reading California Poppy's story and getting to know her through her letters. As we learn more about her, we realize that she isn't your typical 11 year old - she can talk to ghosts. This added a really neat dimension to her story. This is fun story to read with lots of plot twists and surprises along the way. This is fun story to read with lots of plot twists and surprises along the way. The ending totally stole my heart. I would definitely recommend for upper middle grade readers!

Beautifully written book! I believe California Poppy May be one of my favorite characters ever. I loved the humor in this and actually want to start it over from the beginning again. I will definitely purchase this for my elementary school library.

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

This was a book I struggled to get into, but ultimately I liked the ending. I liked how her relationship developed with Aunt Monica, and think middle grade readers will find California Poppy a sympathetic character.

Right away you are swept up into California's world. The ghost figures are interesting and believable and help the story move along. I love how Aunt Monica and California begin to live as the ghosts dust out

Sweet California Poppy is dropped off at her Great-Aunt Monica’s house after her dad is going on a salmon fishing trip in Alaska. Aunt Monica is a bit clueless in how to care for California so she has her learn more about her ancestor, Great-Great-Great Aunt Eleanor. California doesn’t just learn about her but she meets her, as a ghost. Along with making friends with Aunt Eleanor, she also makes friends with a pup. She’s finally made friends, but soon she learns the truth about her father. This was a wonderfully written story that I will often think about. I adored California and her ability to see and connect with ghosts. She works through the homesickness of not being with her father, moving from Aunt to Aunt, and the ending...The ending put me to tears.

This story is about Callie (short for California Poppy) who is left with an aunt because her dad is going to Alaska. Except the aunt doesn't want her either, so she's left with a second aunt, who has a broken arm and a broken heart because her husband just died. Luckily, 11 year old Callie there to help, along with two ghosts that only Callie can see. This is fun story to read with lots of plot twists and surprises along the way. I think the upper middle grade kids (middle school) will enjoy this one a lot.

An engaging read! A ghostly author and ghost dog help the main character come to terms with a difficult situation. Humorous, poignant, meaningful.

California Poppy is 11-years-old, but not everyone “sees the 11 in [her].” After an Official Meeting, her dad decides to drop her off with her Aunt Isabelle, who he believes will be better suited to help raise her as she enters her teen years. However, Aunt Isabelle is elbows deep in meat loaf prep and sends her to Aunt Monica who may find California more helpful since breaking her arm and will need help with day-to-day things as well as working on a biography for distant relative Eleanor Fontaine. When at Aunt Monica’s, California meets a host of new friends: some there and some almost-there.
This was a very sweet read about a lonely kid who was having to grow up too quickly while her father dealt with alcohol addiction, the death of his wife, and trying to raise his daughter. Told from California’s perspective, the story includes letters California writes as an additional narrative tool. The only critique I have is wanting to have known more about the Official Meeting (but I’m also nosy). But this was definitely written for middle-grade where larger concepts are explained by the MC. A very sweet, heart-wrenching story with a hopeful ending.

This was a sweet book and I really liked it. California stole my heart. Maybe it's because I have an 11 year old right now, or maybe it's just because California is who she is. She is doing the best she can despite the helpful (and not so helpful) adults in her life. She gets help along the way from an aunt who needed her as much as she was needed, some ghosts who don't know they are ghosts and a new friendship. I think my girls (11 and 13) would like to read this.

Almost There and Almost Not spoke to my heart. The main character is torn between so many areas but begins to build a life and accept herself. The use of the eccentric aunt and the ghosts helped to keep it a little lighthearted but maintain the depth of self-love.

California's life has changed overnight, literally. One moment she is having an "official meeting" at school. The next, her dad is dropping her off at a relative's house she had never met before. Things don't stay set there either. It doesn't take long for her aunt to drop her off at the door at another aunt's house.

California tries to make sense of everything that is going on. She doesn't understand why her dad had to take a job in Alaska, why the first aunt sent her away, or why she seems to be seeing ghosts. Slowly but surely, with the help of her new ghost friends, California slowly finds her footing in a world that she never expected to be in.

Beautiful and sometimes heart breaking book about an 11 year old girl who dropped off at her aunt's house for the summer by her struggling single father. California Poppy, said 11 year old, quickly makes friends with the house's resident ghosts: a small spectral dog and a great-great-great aunt by marriage, Eleanor, whose primary claims to fame are her once popular etiquette books. But Aunt Eleanor's history isn't what it seems and neither is California's. Over the course of the novel the painful realities of both of their childhoods unfold in a touching, sometimes tear-jerking way.

I loved this book about who you are and what are you dealing with. The use of ghosts was really smart and added a new dimension. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is perfect for kids ages 9-12.

If you’re a reader who loves a middle-grade novel with beautifully drawn characters, a perfect mix of heartstring tugs, humor, and hope, “voice” for days, and even a ghost or two, Linda Urban’s latest, ALMOST THERE AND ALMOST NOT is the book for you. Don’t miss this one!

Linda Urban's book, Almost There and Almost Not, tells the story of a girl named California Poppy. California has had to do a lot of growing up in her 11 years. Her mom is dead, and her father drops California off with a relative. That relative brings California to another relative, Great Aunt Monica. She is not quite sure what to do with a child, but it is soon obvious that both of them were destined to be in each other's lives. On her journey, California meets some ghosts and writes notes to others to help process her thoughts. California is an interesting character, and I loved getting to know her through the notes she wrote. I would have liked to see her interact more with her aunt though. There are some family issues that arise that will be important for readers to discuss.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

California has been sent to live with an aunt and with no mom and her dad off to Alaska, she feels lost. As time passes, she encounters a ghost, Eleanor, that only she sees and can talk to.This ghost is someone her aunt is writing a book about. As California realizes Eleanor is reliving her past, she wonders will her dad come back to claim her or will she be left behind. California helps her aunt deal with some family issues,and they become close. Nice ending.

Almost There and Almost Not is full of heart and intrigue. From the very first chapter, the voice and the main character pull you in, begging you to read on and find out what their story is all about. California’s letters are so truthful and endearing throughout the book. The ending is beautiful and hug worthy. .

A wonderful story about eleven year-old, California, who sees ghosts. As we follow her, we learn more through letters. California isn't a regular kid. Besides seeing ghosts, there's another trait that makes her very special. You can't help but love her.

A great classroom read when teaching letter writing skills.