The Middle of Somewhere

"None of this that I'm about to tell you would have happened if my mother hadn't found that squirrel in the toilet." Twelve year-old Veronica Sparks hooks the reader into her story--and wow! does she have a story to tell! Mom breaks her knee in the squirrel incident, becomes bedridden for a few months, and implores her father, "Pop", to take his two grandchildren with him for a few weeks (it is the start of summer vacation) in his brand new RV as he goes scouting for wind-power-generating sites, his new endeavor. Ronnie (Veronica) has just read "Sieze the Way: Ten Weeks to Supersize Your Life" and intends to broaden her horizons. Quotes from the book lead the chapters until Ronnie culls her own quotes from her experiences. Funny stuff! A cantankerous motorcycle-riding grandpa, a 7 year-old brother with full blown ADHD, a road trip across Kansas (and you thought Kansas was flat and dull..), a stowaway dog, and then the disappearance of the little boy and Pop's and Ronnie's scramble to find him, leave the reader with much admiration for this young woman-to-be who keeps her cool, sees situations for what they are, makes no judgments. Readers are satisfied, knowing in confidence that there is a little bit of Ronnie Sparks in them.

Funny and fast moving, Cheaney's new novel follows the adventures of Ronnie and her younger ADHD brother as they travel across Kansas with their grumpy grandfather. The chapter headings - optimistic affirmations from a book Ronnie has read - provide positive teaching opportunities.

J.B. Cheaney's THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE tells of Ronnie, who's hitting the road in an RV with her grandfather at the wheel. During their long journey she will re-discover the meaning of family and learn new lessons about sibling importance and her own place in the world in this moving story of travel and new worlds.

J.B. Cheaney supersized my reading pleasure this summer with her latest book that includes something for everyone. Take an RV, throw in a cranky grandpa, an ADHD little brother, and a half grown girl(yearning to "Sieze the Way"), and your bound for adventure and misadventure. Kansas? That's right next door. I feel a road trip coming on. Thanks, Ms. Cheaney!

I am a Children's Literature instructor at a University and have shared with my students other books by J.B. Cheaney. I have been anticipating this book since I knew of its planning. Now that I have read it, I can say I was not dissapointed! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this literary treasure! "The Middle of Somewhere" had me traveling with the family, laughing at their crazy antics, and enjoying where the journey took them both through the state of Kansas and through life. I think that lots of young students will be able to relate to Ronnie. I also think that teachers will find valuable teaching opportunities from mapping their route to writing truisms. It is a great read for the summer! I encourage you to get it and read it today!