There is a kind of intimacy in Kelly’s latest middle grade novel, as if she personally encountered each character in the book during her own childhood. This leads to characters who fit a stereotype, but have an authenticity as characters that many kids have/will encounter during their school years. Not much happens in Fawn Creek, Louisiana; kids have been defined and sorted to their long-standing friend groups and Greyson is sure that nothing will ever change. And then Orchid Mason arrives. She takes the seat of queen bee mean girl Renni who has moved to the next town over. Orchid, with her strange clothes and tales of travel in the wide world, and the flower behind her ear, is a breath of fresh air. The biggest strength of the book is that Orchid shows each of the  kids in the small town what’s possible. She treats them with kindness and shows an interest in them for who they are, allowing them to break out of the (what feels like) preordained role they have always played. Chapters alternate between different POVs and the writing is clear and accessible. There is nothing new here, but Kelly writes books that are solid and readable. She introduces characters we can root against and those we can cheer for. Recommend for readers in grades 4-7.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth