Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement. The rural Southern setting is well developed and is enhanced by occasional full-page illustrations.Īn emotionally resonant story about authenticity and belonging. 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. Kelly has created a strong ensemble cast of students, all of whom present White, with realistic problems rooted in family life, friendship, and school. Agosto, their English teacher whose family left Venezuela for Fawn Creek when he was small, are brilliantly used to enrich the characters’ observations. Lessons on similes, metaphors, and poetry from Mr. But not everyone is as welcoming, and Janie, the queen of the social scene, plots to put the new girl in her place.

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. 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. Small-town life for the 12 seventh graders of Fawn Creek, Louisiana, gets turned upside down.

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