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Reviewed by: Ashley Poulin, Elementary School Librarian Title: The Do-Over Author: Jennifer Torres
Publisher: Scholastic Press
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: No Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I was curious to see how it depicted a family handling school closures during COVID.
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Review:
The Do-Over is about Lucinda and Raquel, 12 year old twins, and takes place during the school closures of 2020. After a recent divorce, their father moved several hours away to a rural family farm and their parents want the girls to stay there during shutdown. Once their parents mention the girls moving to the farm during shutdown, the girls see a perfect opportunity to get them back together. However, they didn’t anticipate their father’s new girlfriend and her daughter being at the farm as well.
In addition to the family story, the book follows the girls through their participation in extracurriculars, particularly the school newspaper, which Raquel runs. It also focuses on the dynamics between the girls, which can be challenging at times. Racquel can be overbearing and sometimes does not think through decisions all the time, while Lucinda tends to follow, even when she knows Raquel isn’t doing the right thing. This is a great contemporary, realistic fiction novel for younger middle grade students. It will make students think about what is right and wrong, but isn’t weighed down by super heavy content and would be a good pick for younger students who read above grade level.
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Find resources for The Do-Over at Teachingbooks.net
For more information about this book, see the Author's Website