THE MESSY LIFE OF BLUE

Eleven-year-old Blue—never Beulah—fears that she is a bad person because memories of her deceased mother are fading.

She is the only girl in the family, and there are plenty of extreme sibling shenanigans and issues with her neighborhood nemesis, Crybaby Jared, but she definitely gives as good as she gets and then some. She wishes she could talk to her father about her feelings, but she senses his own grief and sadness. She lists her mother’s interests and attributes and sets goals to emulate her. Jumping into her schemes with little thought to possible repercussions often leads to disappointment, embarrassment, or general hilarity. Blue’s chatty narration of these episodes is always true to her sometimes-limited vision of the events she reports, and she readily admits her errors. Baby brother Arnie grows less irritating while oldest brother Seth and even her most difficult brother, Jackson, show occasional signs of empathy and kindness. Devastating secrets are revealed and there’s a surprising, defining moment when she realizes that she loves her wild, weird brothers, and they love her, at least most of the time, and she can always remember her mother in her heart. Things are not tied up in a neat ribbon, but her life might become a tad less messy; readers will laugh out loud, cry, and commiserate with her every step of the way. Blue and her family seem to be white.

The protagonist is a feisty, mixed-up, phenomenal delight.