Martha is surprised when her classmate Olive's mother stops by with a page from Olive's journal where she wrote about Martha. Olive was killed by a car while riding her bicycle, and Martha thinks about the ways in which she could have been a friend to Olive as her family packs and travels from Wisconsin to Cape Cod to visit Martha's grandmother, "Godbee." Most of the story takes place at Godbee's, where Martha has her first kiss from one of the neighbor boys and is betrayed by him, and protected by one of his brothers. Throughout, Martha ponders becoming a writer. A quiet, moving story of a girl on the cusp of adolescence (pre-social media).

Quotes

The world was changing before Martha's very eyes, and she hated it. (44)

But the things Martha could not live without at home, she barely missed when she was at her grandmother's. (54)

She felt jealous, and then silly for feeling so, and then was baffled by how changeable and brief her feelings could be. (158)

The world can change in a minute, and at the same time remain unchanged. (165) ( )

Newbery Honor Winner!

Newbery Honor Book!

Newbery Honor Book!

Martha didn't know Olive, but her classmate died in an accident and Olive's mother brought Martha a page from her daughter's journal, in which she described Martha as nice, someone she wanted for a friend, and dreamed of seeing the ocean. Martha and her family are about to go to the ocean themselves, to visit with her grandmother, Godbee, and while she's there, she thinks about who she wants to be.

This is the sort of quiet book that is very hard to pin down what it's actually about - the summer Martha's twelve has all sorts of experiences for her as she finds her place in the world. Her family is realistic, with Martha and her mother sometimes having their tiffs, Martha and Godbee sharing secrets, and toddler Lucy being, well, a toddler. Chapters are very short, only a couple of pages each, and keep the story moving quickly. Recommended for fans of The Penderwicks. ( )