We all know how school was. Pre-teen girls will do about anything to be accepted as a part of the "popular girls" (re: Mean Girls, Heathers, etc.). Melanie Adler seems to be one of those basic girls. But as the plot grows, Melanie's character also grows and changes when she meets a new girl name Dorit. Dorit truly understands what it means to have a parent with PTSD. Truly, Dorit is the only person that likes Melanie for who she is, in her heart. But, when the Shimmers (the popular girl group) begin to see something "special" in Melanie, she finds herself forced to choose between true friendship, and the glow of popularity. Layered in the history of the 70's and Nixon's presidency, kids will find THINGS THAT SHIMMER packed with issues they can relate to. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to middle school students. 4/5 stars.

Things that Shimmer is a fantastic middle grade book that dives deep into what it means to be a good friend. Melanie Adler is a middle schooler (7th and 8th grades) who finds herself in a tricky situation -- fitting in with the popular crowd or being a true friend to girls who are on the "outs." I felt like the story captured middle school friendships so well, while also discussing PTSD in parents and introducing kids to the 70s. I liked the realistic ending and the hopeful message that it's never too late to become a better version of ourselves.

A wonderful nostalgia trip for anyone who was a kid during the 70’s.*
Melanie is really hopeful about this last year in junior high. She and her best friend, Vicky, want so badly to be accepted by the “Shimmers”, the most popular girls in school. Melanie isn’t quite sure how to accomplish this, however; she already has the rep of being a “model student”, which scores no points with the Shimmers. And, there’s a bigger issue she must keep hidden. After a car accident two years ago, Melanie’s mom is still afraid of literally everything, always imagining and panicking about things that might happen. Vicky knows about this, because she and Melanie have been best friends since “size two shoes”, but can’t really understand how painful it is to have a mom living in constant fear.
Then, Melanie meets Dorit, and her whole world suddenly changes. Finally, she has a friend that gets what it is like to have a traumatized parent. Dorit’s dad fought in the Six-Day-War in Israel, and the memories sometimes still haunt him. Melanie has so much fun with Dorit during the summer of 1973, and feels so lucky to have her to confide in. But it’s a different kind of friendship than she would have if she became a Shimmer girl…
Such a relatable book! Melanie is growing up in a world where things like color t.v.s, digital watches, and the Carpenters’ songs are new and all the rage. She and her peers are also bombarded with world news about Watergate, Vietnam, and the fighting in the Middle East. For pre-teens, however, angst over acceptance into a popular group will always take precedence. Proof that some things about life experiences will never change, even over a span of five decades!
Thanks, Netgalley, for the digital copy of this wonderful novel!

This book grew on me with each reading session. At first, I found the main character, Melanie, to be negative right from the beginning, so I initially had a hard time connecting with her. I don’t think I would be as aware of it if I was reading this in my middle grade years, but as an adult reader it took some time to warm up to her. I did really enjoy how real her struggles were. Some of it was predictable with her feelings and decisions around friendship and popularity. However, there were bigger issues at play (trauma, caretaking, war) that I’ve never seen taken on in middle grade fiction that I thought were handled well given the weight of the subjects. As an adult reader, the 70s theme didn’t really work for me because I felt there was a lot of telling and not showing. I really only felt it was working with the introduction of Dorit’s grandparents situation. The rest felt a little shoehorned in where there was a lull, to add detail to a scene, but I didn’t feel transported there. An example was early on the details of the typewriter- I don’t think a middle grade student would understand what the parts were without a little drawing to go with it. The word “tween” was used a few times which I thought was odd (although it’s been around thanks to Tolkien, it wasn’t used much until the early aughts.) I did find the emotions and desires of Melanie and her friends universal and timeless. I commend the author for letting these characters feel a range of emotion that goes beyond the standard MG novel. Thank you for letting me into this world via an e-ARC. #ThingsThatShimmer #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book. Things That Shimmer is middle-grade historical fiction set in the 1970s that revolves around a Jewish girl, Melanie Adler, as she navigates wanting to fit in at school but also the difficulties of her mother's PTSD. When Melanie befriends a new girl at school, Dorit, who also has a parent with PTSD, she is torn between her desire to be part of the popular group—the Shimmers—and her desire to have a friend who truly understands her. I think Melanie's struggles will be relatable for middle-grade readers, and I appreciated the historical details and mentions of historical events throughout—including Watergate and the Yom Kippur War—which ground the reader in the time period. Lakritz mentions in the afterword that she drew upon her own childhood experiences in writing this book and it definitely shows. I also loved that there were so many Jewish characters throughout, and their Jewish identities aren't ever questioned—they're just a given and they feel normalized in a way that I don't often see in Jewish middle-grade books.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great writing and relatable story line for middle schoolers, Being an outsider and willing to do anything to be in the popular crowd, even going behind your true friend's back. Riveting plot with intriguing family dynamics that shed a light on mental health in a gentle way.

Sometimes the things that we want is not always best like wanting to be a part of a group. Especially if they're mean.
I loved every minute of this book. It took me back to my school days. I didn't want the book to end at all! Yes, it was written in In Verse style but it was still so good! Usually I don't like that style but for some reason this book hit home for me.
I really enjoyed learning about the Watergate incident that threw the presidential election off that year. It was interesting because now no president after Nixon could clean it up.
I think that my heart went out to Melanie's mom and Dorit's dad the most. Two of the most broken people I've ever met. I kept hoping for them.
Everyone has a story.
Fear is the controller. I hated that about my favorite characters ' people.
This was a wonderful coming of age story that I absolutely loved.
There were places that I did laugh out loud though. This wasn't all doom and gloom. A few light hearted moments.
Be sure to read the author's notes at the end.
And I liked the quote that says Some people aren't what they seem to be. So very true in most cases. Didn't Nixon prove that? Trust is already hard to come by.
A lot of this happened when I was really little so I can't relate to most of it.
Now Melanie's school years I can. The growing up and wanting to belong I definitely can. She's an awesome girl who's had to learn things the hard way just like we all do.
I'm like her too, about not appreciating things that are right in front of you or put in your path until it's roo late. Like Melanie I've had regrets so yes I understand Melanie to a point. This is definitely a heartfelt story of a journey to find one's self and where you actually belong.
A box of tissues might be required.
5 stars for a well written story even though it's In Verse style. I highly recommend.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing for the e-ARC.

It is 1973 and Melanie Adler and her best friend, Vickie are both wanting in the most popular group at school, The Shimmers. Fitting in is difficult for her when her mother, who was seriously injured in a car wreck that has left her with PTSD and scars, worries about everything and needs to know what Melanie is doing at all times. Good things happen when a new student, Dorit, begins school and she and Melanie become immediate friends. For the first time, Melanie has a friend who empathizes and understands Melanie's and has her own family issues., especially when Israel is attacked on Yom Kippur, where she has family living.
Even with her new best friend, Melanie still can't help wanting to be in with the Shimmers, and when she finally gets invited to the head Shimmer's Bat Mitzvah, she choses them over Dorit.

I really enjoyed all the 1970s pop culture, Watergate, and with the war going on in Israel and Gaza right now, students will make connections to the Yom Kippur attack in the book. I will definitely purchase for my historical fiction collection.

This was my first read of this author, and I was greatly impressed. Things That Shimmer is the story of a 7th grade girl in the 1970s and her desperate longing to be accepted into the group of cool kids known as The Shimmers. This book brought back a lot of memories of my junior high years, many of which were painful to remember. This book about friendship and being true to oneself is excellent, one of the best YA novels I've read in years. Highly recommended!

Melanie Adler is dealing with a lot at home; her family was in a car accident, and her mother was badly injured. Because of this trauma, she suffers from migraines and chronic anxiety, to the point where she panics is Melanie isn't home from school right away. Melanie has things to worry about at school as well; it's 1973, and she's read enough Teen Beat to know that as a 7th grader, she should be popular. Her long time best friend, Vicky, is starting to hang out with the popular crowd known as "the Shimmers", but Melanie herself isn't able to attract the attention of the queen bee. Instead, she gets picked by the principal to show the new girl around. Dorit Shoshani was born in Israel, and her father fought in the Six-Day War. Dorit has moved around enough to know that there are always popular girls, and she has no interest whatsoever in jumping through the hoops to be one of them. She and Melanie become good friends, especially when her family buys a house in the same neighborhood. The two are both dealing with family trauma; living with parents with PTSD is not easy, and this was a period of time when this was not identified or treated in the way it is now. Instead of worrying about make up, boys, or clothes, the two are more interested in swimming at the pool, doing crafts, and dancing to the new Carpenters' album. When Melanie is paired with the popular Marla in the Girls' Foods, the two enjoy working together, and Melanie is invited to Marla's bat mitzvah celebration. Vicky is not, but the fact that Melanie might be considered for the Shimmers renews Vicky's interest in her old friend. Unfortunately, this new popularity does not endear her to Dorit. When the Yom Kippur war takes place, Dorit is very stressed, and the family eventually decides to move back to Israel. Melanie wants to try to make amends before her friend moves away. Will she be able to?
Strengths: This is perhaps the very best example of including historical details that I have seen. It helps that I have experienced many of the historical details personally and can attest to the veracity of every single one. The New Betty Crocker Boys' and Girls' Cookbook, complete with Mad Hatter Meatballs and Flopsy Mopsy Carrots? On my bookshelf as we speak. Love Babysoft Perfume? Still have a bottle. Watergate, snoopy posters, pink-and-green bedrooms, Go Ask Alice, mood rings, The Partridge Family, baby oil at the pool, and innovations like blow dryers, digital wrist watches, and computer-printed schedules are all mentioned, along with the coup de grâce: a glass cup that "looks like an ice-cream sundae but it's really a candle that smells like strawberries" and wallpaper that is "green and gold flowers that look like popcorn balls" and is FUZZY.

Whew. Sorry. Time traveled back to 1973 for a moment to the hallway of my best friend's house. Seriously. This was exquisiste.

There are good points NOT related to my own personal childhood. The parallel experiences of parental trauma the girls must deal with is a good bonding mechanism. At its heart, this is a story of personal identity and the age old middle school experience of losing friends because you grow in different directions. It doesn't matter if this happens when you are wearing the bell bottoms and maxi dresses of the 1970s, the low slung jeans and chokers of the 1990s, or the Crocs and Buffalo Plaid pajama pants of the 2020s; it still hurts the same. This story could be told in a modern setting, but I loved that this is based off some of the author's real life experiences and related in all of the green shag glory of 1973.
Weaknesses: This is set in an indeterminate middle American town with a university, but it must have been one hip and happening place to allow girls to wear not only PANTS to school, but worn out JEANS. That, along with a mention of yogurt in a school lunch when the author CLEARLY meant to say "Delmonte Pudding Cup", is a slight anomaly that I would be remiss in not mentioning!
What I really think: This is a must purchase for any middle school to bolster the historical fiction section and will be great displayed along with Collard's Double Eagle, Shang's The Way Home Looks Now, Dumas' It Aint' So Awful, Falafel, Bithell's Brave Bird at Wounded Knee, Kalmar's Stealing Mount Rushmore, Parson's Clouds Over California, Farmer's Malcolm and Me, Woodson's Remember Us, Budhos' The Long Ride, Frank's Armstrong and Charlie, Hitchcock's One True Way, Amos' Cookies and Milk, Alikhan's Marika Marches for Equality, Nokowitz's The Prince of Steel Pier, Supplee's The Sweetness All Around, Jones' Finding My Place, Toalsen's Colors of the Rain, graphic novels Harper's Bad Sister, Martin's MexiKid, Russo's Why is Everybody Yelling, Copeland's Cub, Holm's Sunny Side Up, and Tavares' Hoops,and Kuzki's Soul Lanterns and Smith's Dawn Raid (for an international perspective!).

This is a great coming of age book that had Judy Blume vibes. I loved going back to this time period and rooting for Melanie to find her place among kids at school.
The talk and representation of PTSD is good here and shows how there wasn't much help for it back during this time.
A good book for teens who feel like they don't belong and are looking for a place to belong, but also trying to find themselves.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Melanie Adler has felt like a loser her entire life, and what’s worse, a traumatic accident has upset the balance of her whole family; her mother is struggling with terrible PTSD. If she could be one of the Shimmers, a group of the most popular girls in school, surely her life would be so much better and it wouldn’t matter what was going on at home. A new girl in town, Dorit, understands what Melanie is going through and they’re soon inseparable. But when one of the Shimmers befriends Melanie, how can she navigate both friendships? Especially since the Shimmers are a group of mean girls?

A bittersweet story about learning the cost of what happens when you don’t appreciate the people in your life the way you should. The ending felt very true to life and I liked that there was the acknowledgment that things would never go back to the way they were before, but even with that, Melanie was going to be ok.

Thank you, NetGalley for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I loved this "coming of age book" and all of the Judy Blume vibes it gave me. I identified with and felt for Melanie as she vacillated between all of her perfectly written feelings regarding The Shimmers.

Gah, as a grade schooler in the 70's it was just so relatable. Wonderfully well-paced and well-plotted book with excellent characterizations and a satisfying ending, I highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. it is my pleasure to write an honest review.