Starred Review ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Starred Review Fawn Creek, aka Yawn Creek, is a tiny, tight-knit company town in Louisiana. The seventh-graders at the local school have been together since they toddled around; they all have their cliques and are used to living within those confines. Recently, however, they lost one of their leading voices, Renni, who moved away. Then, in floats Orchid Mason st recently from Paris, France o is unconventional and unpredictable. Which group will she slide into ck? God squad? But Orchid doesn't meet anyone's expectations. She voices unasked questions, offers different perspectives, and refuses to be pigeonholed. People want to get close to her, perhaps hoping to glean some of her individualism, as they come to appreciate being your own person. Newbery medalist Kelly has captured the middle-school mindset, with its attendant anxieties, dreams, and hopes. Her accessible prose and relatable situations lead readers to question assumptions while gaining insights into the characters and themselves. Reminiscent of Eleanor Estes' The Hundred Dresses, this modern tale carries a tremendous amount of feeling and impact as well as a dash of mystery. This is another gem in the crown of Erin Entrada Kelly AVO!

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Small-town life for the 12 seventh graders of Fawn Creek, Louisiana, gets turned upside down.When new student Orchid Mason arrives-a rare occurrence in a town that hardly ever sees change-her stories of living in Paris and New York City seem too good to be true. Painfully shy Dorothy and her best friend, Greyson, who doesn't fit his father's gender expectations, are enraptured by Orchid's stories of the world, which give them hope for something better than life in a place where Gimmerton Chemical is the main employer. But not everyone is as welcoming, and Janie, the queen of the social scene, plots to put the new girl in her place. Lessons on similes, metaphors, and poetry from Mr. Agosto, their English teacher whose family left Venezuela for Fawn Creek when he was small, are brilliantly used to enrich the characters' observations. Kelly has created a strong ensemble cast of students, all of whom present White, with realistic problems rooted in family life, friendship, and school. Having grown up pigeonholed into expected roles, how can they fit in while following their own passions? The book begins with the mystery of Orchid and ends with universal lessons in self-acceptance, standing up to bullies, and the power of kindness. The rural Southern setting is well developed and is enhanced by occasional full-page illustrations.An emotionally resonant story about authenticity and belonging. (Fiction. 8-12)

Horn Book (Thu Oct 03 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Fawn Creek, Louisiana, is such a small town that there are only twelve students in seventh grade. Even with such a limited pool, however, the kids manage to create discrete cohorts. The mean girls, the jocks, the goody-goodies, and the misfits have all known one another forever and are locked into their roles. All these dynamics are shaken up, however, with the arrival of Orchid. Orchid is beautiful, a bit off-kilter, and fascinating. She has lived in New York City, Paris, and Thailand. Or has she? As she interacts with her fellow students, they begin to notice inconsistencies and improbabilities in her story. What they are slower to notice is that in her combination of naivete and sophistication, Orchid is acting as a subtle and effective catalyst for openness, honesty, and kindness. Kelly (Newbery winner for Hello, Universe, rev. 3/17; and honoree for We Dream of Space, rev. 5/20) does a brilliant job here with an ensemble cast. We are most often inside the heads of class misfits Dorothy and Greyson, but we take detours to visit other characters, with their fears and secrets. Carefully constructed protective public shields fall away as the various characters pop into fully realized three dimensions and realign themselves with family and friends. Orchid is the Stargirl of this generation, a borderline magical character who appears in town and effects startling change. The novel's hopeful denouement is entirely earned.

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

Small-town life for the 12 seventh graders of Fawn Creek, Louisiana, gets turned upside down.When new student Orchid Mason arrives-a rare occurrence in a town that hardly ever sees change-her stories of living in Paris and New York City seem too good to be true. Painfully shy Dorothy and her best friend, Greyson, who doesn't fit his father's gender expectations, are enraptured by Orchid's stories of the world, which give them hope for something better than life in a place where Gimmerton Chemical is the main employer. But not everyone is as welcoming, and Janie, the queen of the social scene, plots to put the new girl in her place. Lessons on similes, metaphors, and poetry from Mr. Agosto, their English teacher whose family left Venezuela for Fawn Creek when he was small, are brilliantly used to enrich the characters' observations. Kelly has created a strong ensemble cast of students, all of whom present White, with realistic problems rooted in family life, friendship, and school. Having grown up pigeonholed into expected roles, how can they fit in while following their own passions? The book begins with the mystery of Orchid and ends with universal lessons in self-acceptance, standing up to bullies, and the power of kindness. The rural Southern setting is well developed and is enhanced by occasional full-page illustrations.An emotionally resonant story about authenticity and belonging. (Fiction. 8-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this uplifting small-town novel about friendship and identity, Newbery winner Entrada Kelly realistically captures the complex hierarchies of middle school. When new student Orchid Mason joins Venezuela-born Mr. Agosto-s class one November day, the 12 seventh graders can-t help but be excited-Orchid has traveled all over the world, while little changes in Fawn (aka -Yawn-) Creek, Louisiana. Ignoring the small cued-white class-s well-established social hierarchy and garnering disdain from local mean girls, Orchid gravitates toward introverted Dorothy, who longs to connect with her detached parents, and soft-spoken Greyson, who-s struggling with his father-s characterization of him as -soft.- But while Orchid-s stories of life in New York City and Paris enthrall her classmates, her reticence to share much about herself causes her classmates-especially those threatened by Orchid-s popularity-to doubt her claims. Told by alternating narrators who each confess to feeling confined by unrealistic expectations and preconceived roles, this contemporary novel, timely in themes of self-acceptance and bullying, builds on the experiences of the author-s childhood to create a raw, real exploration of belonging that-s also sweetly hopeful. Occasional art by Krampien highlights the setting. Ages 8-12. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties. (Mar.)

School Library Journal (Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2022)

Gr 47 Fawn Creek, LA, isn't the kind of town where much changes, so the seventh grade students are instantly intrigued when Orchid arrives. There's Greyson, whose interest in style makes him feel misplaced in his own family; Dorothy, who has taken to hiding behind her hair; and Janie, clinging to her ringleader best friend, Renni. Not only does Orchid have stories of living all over the world, she barely notices the small, divisive cliques that make up her new class. Her classmates begin to see possibilities that they never dreamed of, but not everyone is happy about the change. As secrets unravel and the community dance gets closer, the students start to see that maybe a shake-up is just what they need. This story features an ensemble cast, with each character's backstory revealed slowly. Fawn Creek itself also feels alive; readers will feel like they're breathing in the humid air and traipsing down familiar trails with the characters. Kelly shakes up the idealized small-town story trope by showing the realities of life in a small, poor town, and the limitations the characters face as they worry that they might never see what else the world has to offer. The premise of this novel has similarities to Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl , but Orchid and Fawn Creek may feel more authentic to readers. VERDICT While the plot itself is nothing flashy, this is a well-told, relatable novel about misfits and outsiders that will ring true with middle grade readers. Kristin Brynsvold