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Reviewed by: Ashley Poulin, Elementary School Librarian Title: Code Name: Serendipity
Author: Amber Smith
Publisher: Razorbill
Year: 2022 Good for Grades: 3-6 Genre/Type of Book: Realistic Fiction/Chapter Book
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: None Recommended for a school library: It's fine to have, but I didn't like it enough to recommend it as a must buy.
Reason(s) for choosing the book: I tend to read a lot of the middle grade fiction that I order for the library, due to the age of my school population.
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Review:
Code Name: Serendipity is about a 11 year old girl named Sadie who is a bit lost. Her best friend has just moved away, she feels uncomfortable with going to resource room as part of her new IEP, and her elderly grandfather has recently moved in with them. When she finds a stray dog (Dewey) in the woods, she feels an instant connection and sense of belonging, but it’s not a normal connection between a girl and her dog - they can actually communicate with each other. The book follows Sadie’s path of navigating all those conflicts - making new friendships, learning new strategies to get by at school, figuring out if her grandfather is actually healthy or if his forgetting things is part of a larger issue, and doing everything she can to convince her moms that Dewey should be part of the family.
Overall, the books was fine. Some high points were the Sadie’s relationship with a new friend, Macy, and how the book handled diversity. Macy is Japanese, Sadie has two moms, and Gramps’ is treated with dignity as his dementia becomes more obvious. The diverse cast was woven throughout the story without the diversity being the sole focus of the story, which I appreciate in a book. Weaknesses included the supernatural seeming communication between Sadie and Dewey, which made it seem like it was going to veer into science fiction territory but never did, and that the ending wrapped up a little too neatly.
Number of party hats:
Find resources for Code Name: Serendipity at Teachingbooks.net
For more information about this book, see the Author's Website