This is one of those books that are so so important. Its so rare to see middle grade story really delve into tougher subjects like the ones discussed in this book and it was refreshing to see it done in such a thoughtful and respectful way. These are the types of things some kids go through and being able to see themselves represented in a book like this can make things seem just a bit easier. This is one of those books that I would love to see in schools and libraries everywhere so kids who need it have access to it. I am definitely going to do my part to recommend this book and make sure it gets into as many hands as possible.

Super sweet sister duo steals the show in this middle-grade book!

The Book:
The feel: face-paced and compelling, realistic fiction, character-driven, amusing, angst-filled, sweet, LGBTQIA diverse, strong females, ya read

CW: alcoholism
This book definitely dealt with some difficult topics, but it was so sweet and the characters and Eli and Anna as well as the supporting cast made this book a “page-turner” (audiobook listener here) from start to finish. While listening, I never felt like even some of the more intense subjects were too much to deal with, and I think even the most sensitive of readers could enjoy this book. Eli and Anna both go through amazing transformations while changing but still staying the same, as we all do. This is definitely one of my favs for the year, and I would definitely read more by this author. If Sarah Moon writes more about Eli and Anna, I will definitely read it.

The Narrator: Clear, wry, youthful
Her voice was a bit to get used to at first, but by the end, I was loving every minute. She did an excellent job making each voice distinct—Eli’s and Anna’s especially! The wry humor definitely shone through with the narrator. I sometimes got a “Big Mouth” feel with the content since it had some amusing humor alongside some more serious topics.

5/5 stars from me!
~ ARC book copy by NetGalley in exchange for fair review~

This was a quick listen - I listened to it in a day which is really uncommon for me. It kept me interested and I wanted to keep listening. It dealt with some really important topics (addiction, sexuality, gender identity). I like when authors can balance heavy topics and still keep things light, but I felt like Moon kept things too light. Throughout the book, everything kept working out a little too well. What should have been really difficult struggles were overcome way too easily. The book was enjoyable but I feel like it lacked depth and barely scratched the surface of some topics that just didn’t feel adequately represented. I liked it, but it had the potential to be more. I’d give it 3.5 stars.

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

When their mother is court ordered to go to rehab after a drunk driving incident, 13-year-old, Eli, and 17-year-old, Anna are forced to pretend that their Aunt Lisa is staying with them so they aren’t separated. Eli is not your typical 13-year-old girl. She dresses more like a boy and is in love with her female best friend. Anna is going through her own things as a 17-year-old who does not know what she wants to do after graduation. The two find themselves in trouble at school, so when a social worker shows up at their house they flee in search of their real Aunt Lisa.

For a middle grade book, Middletown touches on many hard subjects including alcoholism, sexual harassment, gender identification, homosexuality, and parental neglect. I was impressed with how the author, Sarah Moon, handled this subject matter. She did it in a way that was not too in your face and perfect to help middle grade readers get an understanding of subject matter that they do not always get insight on.

I really loved the relationship between Eli and Anna. They acted like normal siblings, but actually relied on each other in a way that made them so much more. With an alcoholic mother, they had to take care of themselves a lot of their time and found ways to get by. I enjoyed when they were on the road to visit Aunt Lisa because it really showed their bond. Aunt Lisa was another great character. I liked how she took the girls in without really knowing them. She also helped them to grow up and figure out what they wanted from their lives.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator, Hope Newhouse, did an excellent job. This was my first book by Sarah Moon, but I am planning to read more of her books.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Middletown is a complex book that deals with a lot of topics, including alcoholism, sexual harassment, sibling relationships, queerness, gender identity, and navigating life with a lot of odds stacked against you. The main character, Eli, is gay, maybe not quite a girl, and in love with her best friend. Her sister, Anna, has had to raise Eli for a lot of her life, as their fathers are absent and their mom is an alcoholic. When their mother gets sent to rehab, the sisters try everything to stay out of foster care, and stay together.

It’s not the main focus of the book, but I thought the romance was really cute, and surprisingly realistic, which I thought was a nice touch. Eli is a really interesting character, with all the melodrama and sass one would expect from a middle school student. Her relationship with Anna, which is one of the main focuses of the book, is incredibly done, and made me quite emotional.

I didn’t love how much of a stereotype Javi is, as the flamboyant gay best friend to the popular girl, and I also thought Anna made a lot of jokes and comments about Eli being gay that were out of place coming from a cishet character, so I didn’t love those aspects of the book. I also didn’t really like how the book deals with the issue of sexual harassment, as it gets kinda brushed aside. Obviously this is a middle grade book and thus won’t go super deep into issues like sexual assault and sexual harassment, but I still think it warranted more attention.

Overall, while I didn’t love the book, I flew through it, it’s interesting, I liked most of the characters, the relationships between Eli and her family members were really well written, and I hope this book can become a favorite of some young readers.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #Middletown
Middletown is a sweet, light, read about a very heavy subject. Sarah Moon took a story about 2 sisters having to find a way to stay together and out of the foster care system, something that easily could've been a very dark, hard to read story, and made it heartfelt and lovely to read. I would let my kids read Middletown (they're 9 and 11).

Eli is 13, androgynous, and in love with her (female) best friend. Anna is 17 and only wants to be a "regular" teenager. When their alcoholic mother is sent to rehab (after her umpteenth arrest for dui) and their biological fathers are MIA, these sisters have to find a way to stay together, no matter what!

I did really enjoy this book but I wish the author had given Eli the coming out she deserved! The end relationship felt very anticlimactic. I also feel like she skirted around Eli being trans but never really gives the reader an answer about that. I get it, Eli is only 13, do maybe she doesn't really know yet, but the way Eli is written seems like that's where Moon was going with it. Overall, a very enjoyable read!!

I loved this so much. I hadn't heard of this author or the book before I saw it on NetGalley, but I was really drawn in by the premise, and I think it was executed so well. It's so rare to find a middle grade book that deals with so many complex topics and doesn't shy away from or sugarcoat them. Sexuality, gender identity, substance abuse, parental neglect, and more. Middle grade readers deal with these very real issues, including some of my own students, and books like this are so necessary for readers to see themselves in them and no they are not alone.