I really like Leila Sales' books and this one is no exception. She has a really lovely middle grade voice and sensibility.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I wanted to like this book more but I just couldn't feel a connection to the characters. I liked the premise.

🖼️ Wow! This middle grade book is very multi-dimensional! There are a lot of things going on in this book and, amazingly, none of it gets bogged down or lost. I’m impressed.

🖼️ This is the story of Vanessa who is experiencing a lot in her life – most not good. Her best friend is ignoring her, her military dad is overseas and unavailable for very long periods of time, and she picks at her skin constantly without even realizing it. At first, the reader feels concern for Vanessa and her situation, but we also get another perspective that indicates Vanessa isn’t always a good friend and some of the stuff that is going on is partly her own fault. It was great to watch Vanessa mature and learn how her own actions impact others.

🖼️ The book focuses a lot on friendship, maturing, handling difficult situations, controlling emotions, empathy, and even a little bit about an anxiety-driven and uncontrollable action of skin-picking.

🖼️ The abandoned museum part of the story was a good backdrop for all the themes presented in the book. The mystery painting part of the story wasn’t as compelling to me as the relationships, though. The mystery felt a little forced, and maybe even a tad unbelievable. I would have preferred the focus to remain on the kids themselves.

🖼️ Overall, I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it.

Thank you @NetGalley and Abrams Kids / Amulet Books for an eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

When an author gets a middle grades character to be as authentic as this novel, we end up with a modern classic. I really loved how relatable Vanessa's grief at losing a friendship was, even for myself as an adult. The layers that make up any relationship are unveiled through a thoughtful lens, as Vanessa curates an exhibit in an abandoned museum to understand why Bailey stopped being her friend. As time goes on, she reconsiders that maybe she herself wasn't the best friend to Bailey. Then she begins to form new friendships and bonds and sees her relationship with Bailey through a new lens. Ultimately Vanessa learns so much about the nature of friendship, the complicated relationships with an absent parent, and the path forward. I loved this book so much and hope to put it in the hands of as many middle grades readers as possible!

Vanessa doesn't know what is worse, losing her best-friend or that her best-friend doesn't care. Yes when she finds an abandoned museum, maybe everything isn't so bad, but just maybe.

This book was interesting read but not interesting enough to recommend it. Vanessa is not likeable and truncated character development didn't help. I understand this is aimed at middle-school aged readers but I don't know how much they would read this.

The Museum of Lost and Found by Leila Sales begins with a lost friendship that drifted away without fanfare and a found abandoned museum that has signs saying POSTED: NO TRESPASSING and DEMOLITION PENDING. Vanessa began to notice that Bailey no longer answered her phone messages right away and even then with only brief responses. Then came the day that Bailey no longer saved her place at their table in the cafeteria. Finding the old museum about the same time gives her an idea of how to preserve the remnants of their friendship with artifacts and memories. If she can do this well, maybe she can get back what she has lost.

Eli adds a museum display with a tribute to his dog Einstein, and eventually her brother Sterling adds his baseball collection. They make a list of rules for the museum with one important rule that it must be kept secret from adults. Adding to the plot of this typical middle-grade story is an unusual piece of art found in the old museum. The painting is of two girls that looked nothing like Vanessa and Bailey, yet seemed to have the same kind of friendship that she has lost.

Vanessa also deals with waiting for the next call from her military dad which may or may not come when she feels like talking and her seemingly unbreakable habit of picking at the skin around her fingernails until they are sore. Eventually, she will find the part she played herself in the collapse of her friendship with Bailey.

The book is a good picture of the angst of middle grade wrapped in a good mystery as the story of the painting is solved.

A moving book about friendship, growth and change. Vanessa needs to explore her past with Bailey to realize that her present and future are going to be just fine plus she makes amazing new friends.

Thank you to ABRAMS Kids and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the ingenuity and creativity Vanessa and her “found” friends developed as they curated their museum. I believe the themes of this book - middle school friendships, military families, the impact of separation and divorce on children - will make so many children feel “seen”.

I really enjoyed the way the story’s ending could leave all of its readers with a bit of inspiration.

I feel Vanessa. We have all lost a friendship and, as a kid, it can be one of the most devastating losses you’ve experienced. Friends are who we choose and who choose us. To be unchosen? Well, it sucks. A lot. Vanessa escapes to her self-made museum and it becomes her world. I love her for her loneliness and her imagination.

Thank you to ABRAMS Kids, Amulet Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Vanessa is learning how to deal with the fact that her BFF seems less interested in being friends with her; around the same time, Vanessa discovers an old abandoned museum. This book surprised me on so many levels; there was so much depth and reality in many of the topics that were presented - complications of life in a military while a parent is deployed, the loss of a friendship, self-reflection with regards to your contributions in friendship, and body-focused repetitive behaviors.

Some suspension of disbelief is necessary with regards to some of the logistics of the museum, but the emotions, perceptions, and problems are presented in such a way that they can be revelatory for adults or children. Also, while there are some very serious situations and dangers present, the author balances them with small moments joy due to personal achievement, self-discovery, and new burgeoning friendship.

The Museum of Lost and Found by Leila Sales is a novel for middle grade children about friendships and how they change. When Vanessa loses her friendship with Bailey, she's understandably upset and seeks understanding on what she did wrong. In the process, Vanessa discovers an abandoned museum and ends up making new friends.

A big thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Museum of Lost and Found by Leila Sales. I was excited to be approved to receive this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Leila Sales does an amazing job of telling a story about friendships and how they can fall apart, especially in the transition between elementary school and middle school. At that age, it can feel like the end of the world, and it can be difficult to figure out what went wrong. The author explores this situation in a gentle way that can encourage children to take the initiative to have a conversation with their former friend and teaching them that they may or may not like the end result. The story goes on to show the reader that it's okay to make new friends and strengthen other old friendships.

The sub-plot deals with having a family member in the military who is deployed and the emotions the family goes through when that member may have died. This is another great teaching moment for children to have empathy for others because you never know what that person may be going through.

Even though I'm not the intended audience for The Museum of Lost and Found, I found myself invested in the storyline. It's relatable to adults because who hasn't had a friendship dissolve before their eyes? I loved the character development of the main character, Vanessa. The other characters weren't quite as developed as Vanessa, but that is okay because the point of the story is to be able to relate to what the main character is going through.

I think this is an important book for children to read as well as their parents so they can have a discussions afterwards. I'd even go as far to say this should be required reading for fourth or fifth graders.

Five out of five stars is what I gave The Museum of Lost and Found by Leila Sales. This heart warming and relatable book is definitely a must read for children between the ages of eight through twelve. Older children and adults would enjoy the story as well.

I really, really likes this book! It had some amazing themes about friendship and mental health that would be very powerful for kids. I am going to add this to my read aloud list next year, especially if I have girls in class who are having friendship issues. I love how the story showed both sides to the issues and how both parties are usually part of the problem, but also can be part of the solution. I can even see doing a museum day after reading the book as a way for kids to express themselves in a new and different way. Thank you for writing this!

So much to love about The Museum of Lost and Found! Love the idea that kids want to curate their own exhibits to share with other kids and to make sense of the things that are important to them. Love the friendships and sibling dynamics! Love the mystery involved in the painting by "Maria" that was left behind. I found myself marking down insightful and interesting passages that would be great to discuss with student book clubs or for read alouds as well. Will add to my library collection!

Oh, were to start with this book. It spoke to me on so many levels. Being military wife who has chosen to stay behind while my husband continues his military career with a little one at home, this book made me both happy and scared. I hope everyday I have made the right choice for my family. Seeing Vanessa and her brother going through all the different emotions dealing with their dad and their living situation makes me both nervous for the future and hopeful. I hope that I create an environment so open that my own child can come to me like Vanessa does with her mom towards the end of the book. I also hope that my husband can be more understanding and open instead of just trying to fix problems. I also hope that my child never feels like they have to show interest in something just to connect with him.
Beyond the military personal connection. This book is beautiful. Such an interesting way to show that there are two sides to ever story. That life and how it plays out will look different to not only those living it, but those who are outside observers. This is just a lovely way to look at the flow of life. Sometimes things seem forever, but for others maybe they are just a stop on the road. Change and moving forward is not always the same for everyone, and that is okay. There is more then one way to deal with change. Also, I love how Vanessa learns that her preconceived ideas of people don’t always play out to reflect who they actually are. I can not express how much I loved this book! There is just so much that readers can take away from it. I truly hope that it touches a kid’s soul enough to help them see life differently.
Thank you so very much to Abrams Kids, Amulet Books, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

While I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids for the opportunity to read this story.

I've read other "museum" books, so I thought I knew what I was getting into, but this one was different. Vanessa finds an abandoned museum and starts using it to showcase her own collection, a collection of the former best-friendship she shared with Bailey. As these things often do, her secret didn't stay secret and her brother and then others found out. The Museum of lost and found is born. That is until the real demolition is scheduled.

The ending of this story was a good one for me. I love how the museum memory lives on in the lives of the children. Neighborhood kids creating their own museum "exhibits" to share with each other. Parts of this book were really emotional and touching for me. Remembering what it was like to be in middle school and the strength of those friendships and all the feelings. The author did an amazing job capturing that.

My review 3.75 stars

A delightful story about lost friendship, identity, and coming together as a group to build something memorable. Beautifully written, with well thought out and realistic characters. I related a lot to Vanessa and her feelings, as she dealt with losing her closest friend, and not understanding why.

Friendship is complicated. So are families. This book deals with both wonderfully. I also liked the idea of the museum. When Vanessa finds this abandoned museum, and then decides to fill it with memories of her friendship with her former best friend, the story really shines. When more join in including a classmate from jewish school and her older brother, it shows just how important the museum is to each of them.

Wonderful story that truly moved me!

Sometimes I read a book as an adult that heals childhood me in some way. This is one of those books. From the title, I thought this book was going to be a magical realism adventure. It wasn't, but the book was still magical in its own way.

Vanessa and Bailey have been friends for years, but for some reason, Bailey hasn't been much of a friend lately. In fact, it seems like Bailey doesn't want anything to do with Vanessa anymore. Vanessa finds an abandoned museum, and it becomes her own project. At first, she just cleans up the debris, but soon she's started adding small exhibits about her friendship with Bailey. Before long, it becomes apparent that she isn't the only one that is visiting the museum, though, and she's not the only person who wants to create their own exhibits.

The Museum of Lost and Found is a realistic portrayal of some of the pain of growing up and shifting friendships. Vanessa learns how to make new friends and connections, recognize her own faults, and consider how someone else's perspective of an event can be completely different than her own. In the book, characters are complicated and evolve in the same ways they do in real life. Vanessa certaintly feels like a preteen going through the changes, drama, hopes, and fears that are typical at this age.

Overall, I loved the experience of reading this book, and I was delighted with the conclusion and how many characters learn to understand other people better and realize that sometimes there isn't a good guy or a bad guy. Sometimes people are just people, and if we can figure out how to connect with them, we'll be able to find out something we thought we lost but was there all along.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy to review.

This book was AMAZING. I love the plot and honestly the story was just so good.I really liked how the story ended, I'd share but that would be a spoiler. and the plot twist was something I definitely did not see coming. One hundred percent would recommend!

Vanessa and Bailey have been best friends since they were little, but lately, Bailey seems detached. Vanessa isn’t really sure why Bailey suddenly doesn’t want to hang out with her. One day, Vanessa is out for a walk and discovers an abandoned museum. She decides to curate an exhibit about her friendship with Bailey. Vanessa learns throughout the book that friendships in life come and go. Sometimes things fall apart, for better things to come together.

Leila Sales writes a story that will resonate with a lot of middle-grade readers, especially those just starting middle school. The theme of friendship was well done. The characters were well-developed. I think readers will very much relate to Vanessa. I highly recommend this book to anyone just starting middle school. I give it 4/5 stars.