Starred Review ALA Booklist (Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Starred Review A stubborn refusal to leave home for the first time is familiar territory, but Sher and Leng liven it up by comically relating Skip's reluctance to go to sleep-away camp and her single mom's gently insistent reassurances exclusively through a series of sticky notes left for each other. The notes appear plastered on all kinds of objects around the cluttered home the two share, and in addition to the good-natured argument about camp, Sher reveals illuminating glimpses of their everyday life. Skip's mom is realistically busy, and amid the mundane details of buying groceries, doing laundry, taking care of their cat, and helping Skip study for a math test, she lovingly and matter-of-factly addresses her daughter's nerves about camp. Leng's freewheeling, boisterous ink lines and watercolor washes echo Skip's jittery kid energy r hair winds wildly around her head, while piles of toys and clothes jostle about in her room d the choice to give Skip dark skin, unlike her white mother's, is very refreshing. With an entertainingly offbeat storytelling format and fantastic artwork full of eye-catching details (particularly their chubby cat), this endearing picture book with an empowering message of bravery will surely resonate with little ones nervous about their own burgeoning independence.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A busy mother and child stay connected with notes as an important separation approaches in Sher and Leng's debut collaboration.Raiding the fridge for breakfast before school, brown-skinned Skip finds a sticky note from pale-skinned Mom, who has apparently already left, on the door: "Let's have one more movie night before you go." When Mom returns, a similar note awaits her in reply: "I'm not going. Not EVER!" Over the next few days, notes continue appearing from Mom as she readies Skip for an upcoming departure to sleepover camp, as well as notes with replies from Skip, who has no intention of attending camp. Alongside reminders for each other about buying milk, trips to the laundromat, and a visit from Mimsy (grandma), the family's notes also contain a gentle tug of war as Skip adamantly insists that camp is out of the question and Mom patiently counters each concern. Sher manages to capture the familiar anxiety of a first-time camper as well as the quiet persistence of a parent's reassurance as these succinct but affecting messages move steadily from unease to confidence. The sticky notes themselves move in and out of the limelight with each page turn as Leng's breathy illustrations exude the easy energy of the characters while bringing their deceptively simple notes to full emotional life. The open ambiguity of the illustrations will allow readers to imagine Skip as either Mom's biracial biological child or her adoptive child of color. Untrammeled and honest. (Picture book. 4-8)

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

In a back-and-forth conversation written entirely on sticky notes, a mother reassures her child, who is reluctant about going to summer camp. Soft, expressive ink and watercolor illustrations show the two preparing as the departure date on the calendar nears and the mother's own reluctance to attend camp as a child is revealed. Art and text blend seamlessly in this warm, humorous story.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A busy mother and child stay connected with notes as an important separation approaches in Sher and Leng's debut collaboration.Raiding the fridge for breakfast before school, brown-skinned Skip finds a sticky note from pale-skinned Mom, who has apparently already left, on the door: "Let's have one more movie night before you go." When Mom returns, a similar note awaits her in reply: "I'm not going. Not EVER!" Over the next few days, notes continue appearing from Mom as she readies Skip for an upcoming departure to sleepover camp, as well as notes with replies from Skip, who has no intention of attending camp. Alongside reminders for each other about buying milk, trips to the laundromat, and a visit from Mimsy (grandma), the family's notes also contain a gentle tug of war as Skip adamantly insists that camp is out of the question and Mom patiently counters each concern. Sher manages to capture the familiar anxiety of a first-time camper as well as the quiet persistence of a parent's reassurance as these succinct but affecting messages move steadily from unease to confidence. The sticky notes themselves move in and out of the limelight with each page turn as Leng's breathy illustrations exude the easy energy of the characters while bringing their deceptively simple notes to full emotional life. The open ambiguity of the illustrations will allow readers to imagine Skip as either Mom's biracial biological child or her adoptive child of color. Untrammeled and honest. (Picture book. 4-8)

School Library Journal (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Gr 7-10 This book picks up where The Line (Dial, 2010) leaves off. Rachel finds herself struggling to adjust to life Away, after having Crossed over the Line in order to save the leader of a group of Others. Feared, and in some cases openly despised, she clings to the hope that she will be able to find her father, Daniel, presumed dead for several years, and reunite her family. Rachel learns quickly that not all of the Others are as terrible and frightening as she has been led to believe, and through her, the Others discover that there are still good people on the other side of the Line. The story starts slowly, but once it gets going, it moves quickly-so much so that the ending seems a bit rushed and not quite fully developed. Rachel is a little vanilla as far as teen heroines go but there are plenty of fully fleshed-out characters to carry the narrative, particularly among the Others. The story will leave fans of the first book eager for the next installment. Erik Knapp, Davis Library, Plano, TX