Monday, August 23, 2021

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday # MMGM Book Review: Many Points of Me by Caroline Gertler

 

Eleven-year-old Georgia Rosenbloom has been best friends with Theo since they were newborns. They even live in the same apartment building, and their moms are best friends too. Theo didn’t know his dad, and Georgia’s dad was like a father to him. Being a famous artist, her dad even taught Georgia and Theo art lessons and helped them with techniques. But her dad passed away a year ago, and things have been different since then. Georgia doesn’t feel as inspired by her art and can't seem to create anything she's happy with. She feels a part of her is missing. It doesn’t help that her mother has had to sell off some of her fathers artwork and share it with other people when Georgia just wants to keep it all for themselves. The MET is doing a big exhibit on her father and wants to learn more about his inspiration for his famous asterism series (points of stars). Theo was the one who had given her dad the idea for the series, and he even has a sketch of her father's- something Georgia doesn't have. She can't help feeling jealous. Georgia even starts a friendship with a new girl at school and tries to leave Theo out. When she stumbles upon a sketch her dad made of her, she notices points on the back. Was his last asterism really supposed to be of her? Georgia will stop at nothing to try to solve this mystery, even if she has to do it by herself. Will Georgia and Theo ever get their friendship back? Can Georgia come to terms with her father passing and get her own inspiration back? Is it possible to determine what her father's final painting in the series would have been? You will have to go on this emotional roller coaster with Georgia and find out!

I heard about Many Points of Me by Caroline Gertler on a blog (I am sorry I can't remember which one) and I added it to my list of books to read. I’m so glad I read it! Georgia is a character who took that my heart and I felt for her with everything she was going through. I was distraught at the struggles going on with her and Theo. I don't like when friends fight, but I know it is happens. I really like that there is an art mystery in the book, as Georgia tried to solve what would have been her father's final piece in his masterpiece series. This book made me think about all of the things that make us who we are and how we reflect ourselves in our art. The author did a great job helping me understand Georgia and her heartbreak. I recommend this book to people in fourth grade and up who like art, mysteries, and books about friendship. If you are like me, you may need a couple tissues handy. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

Has anyone else read Many Points of Me by Caroline Gertler? We’d love to hear your thoughts! 

Happy reading!

~L

For other MMGM posts, please visit Greg Pattridge's blog.

34 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. You're welcome, EC! Glad it sounds excellent to you. :) ~L

      Delete
  2. My father died when I was young and it's a lot for a kid to come to grips with.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. L. Diane Wolfe- I am so sorry to hear that. You're right- not easy for a kid to come to grips with. ~L

      Delete
  3. I have not read Many Points of Me, but it sounds similar to Clues to the Universe by Christina Li and I will certainly be adding it the the TBR. Have a lovely week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brenda- Now you have made me curious bout Clues to the Universe. Hope all is well! :) ~L

      Delete
  4. Such a wonderful; plot with the friendship and family focus. The art aspect intrigues me, too. Thanks for featuring your post on MMGM. I'll be looking for this one to read before the year disappears.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Greg- I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :) ~L

      Delete
  5. This has been on my TBR list since I interviewed Caroline on my blog earlier this year. If it's like Clues to the Universe, I know I'll like it. Thanks for your great review.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Natalie- Enjoy! I hope you get to read it soon. You are the second person to mention Clues to the Universe. I have to read that one! :) ~L

      Delete
  6. What an excellent review of a story with great characters. Loss is hare for kids, but it sounds like it's handled well. And I like that art mystery to be solved in this story. Think that grabs my attention the most. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Patricia- You are welcome! So glad this one grabbed your attention. It is a great read! :) ~L

      Delete
  7. This has been waiting on my shelves for months! I remember seeing Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles interview the author, and the blurb by Rebecca Stead (my favorite author, as I've mentioned on my blog many times over) sold me! You make it sound great—I should try to get it read when I can! Thanks so much for the great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Completely Full Bookshelf- I enjoyed it and hope you do too! :) ~L

      Delete
  8. I haven't read this book but it sound like one I would want to read. My Kiddo lost her dad at the same age. I like the idea that the novel centers around Georgia's dad's art. I'm adding this to my TBR list now. Thanks for your great reveiw.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Randomly Reading- I really enjoyed the art focus too. I hope you like this one as much as I did. :) ~L

      Delete
  9. This sounds such a good book.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  10. This sounds like a really heart-wrenching book. I really hope I can get to it soon. Thanks for telling me about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rosi- Glad to introduce you to it. Enjoy! :) ~L

      Delete
  11. I haven't read it but it sounds good.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sounds like the author created a really memorable character!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I haven't read it yet, but thanks to you, I've marked it TBR. I always love finding a good MG story so I can give it to my family of young readers. Thank you passing this on.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sounds like a good book...will put it on my list to read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nas- Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! :) ~L

      Delete
  15. Isn't it wonderful when a character captures your heart as Georgia has yours! With so many amazing Mid-grade reads around I cannot for the life of me think why some children say they find reading boring.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Felicity- THAT is a mystery to me too! I can't get enough time for reading. :) ~L

      Delete

Thank you for stopping by and commenting. We love to hear your thoughts! We had to turn on comment moderation due to a high volume of spam. Fairday's Blog is no longer accepting awards. We appreciate all the nominations that we have received and are honored to have been mentioned! Happy Reading!

Twitter Bird Gadget Twitter Bird Gadget