3.5 stars ! !
Thanks for Netgalley and respective publishers.

Thats was a teenager boy story deprived about his underestimating life because of his sever disease.

"Few moments in life are enough to live you whole life"

Such instances comes in everyone's life, likewise happened in this story.
When Kit met Caleb, he forgot about his unhappy life and everything about it.
He was just flowing in the air where Kit named Flower was blossoming.

I like way of writing skills.
Quite easy and simple to read.
Recommendation for Teenagers.

Beyond magical. I completely enjoyed this book! I hope the author writes more!

I really enjoyed this book. It was nice to read a book that didn't feel overly sentimental about a kid with a disease. It wasn't a book that was trying to get you to cry. I felt like Caleb was a very realistic character that kids would identify with. He finds Kit fascinating, and I did too. I figured out fairly early on what was happening with her, but the book was very subtle about it all. A great read that I would definitely recommend for middle grade readers!

Caleb is not thrilled that he's going to have to spend the summer at a Parks and Rec camp, but he understands why his mother wants to send him. Still, when he is out in the woods near his house, he meets Kit, a strange girl whose mother seems to let her do whatever they want. Kit wants to be his friend desperately, and since his best friend, Brad, seems to be growing away from him, he's glad of the friendship. Even more importantly, Kit doesn't know about his medical problems and doesn't care. Caleb has cystic fibrosis, and even though he has been luckier than some, her still requires lots of medication and a complicated regimen to keep him from picking up infections. He knows that his lifespan is going to be shorter, and the appeal of doing whatever he wants while hanging out with Kit sounds much more appealing than spending time in camp. Since he is a "drop in" in the parks program, he managed to keep his absences hidden from both his mother and his older brother Patrick, who is interning for a cystic fibrosis foundation, which somehow annoys Caleb. In fact, just about everything but Kit annoys Caleb, and he manages to show his surly side not only to his mother, but to his noncustodial father and his new wife. While being with Kit is an escape for Caleb, he starts to realize that something is very wrong with the way that Kit is being cared for. As the summer wears on, both Caleb's and Kit's situations become untenable, and it's just a matter of time before the truth will come to light.
Strengths: The treatment of and prognosis for cystic fibrosis has changed so much over the last fifty years that books on this topic written earlier do not adequately represent children who live with this condition today. Caleb is a realistically drawn character who knows his limitations but chafes at them in a characteristically middle grade way. The best part is that the story is not ALL about his disorder; it's mainly concerned with how he wants to live his life within the constructs that provides. Kit's story was sad, and many readers will be drawn to it as well.
Weaknesses: I was glad that Patrick got to speak his piece at the end of the book. Caleb's opinions of him were very negative, but I liked him more than Caleb at many points in the book. The father was very unpleasant, but is redeemed a bit at the end as well.
What I really think: I have liked each of Ms. Vrabel's books a little better than the last. I think she has shown a huge amount of growth in her writing. It's great that she has researched health challenges of different types so that readers can see these challenges addressed in the literature. Check out Pack of Dorks, Blind Guide to Stinkville, Blind Guide to Normal (in that order!) and see if you agree. I do think that she writes an excellent middle grade boy voice!

I couldn’t put this book down. It was wonderfully written, honest, and had true to life middle grade voices. Caleb had moments of exceptionally bad behavior, but a) he’s 12 and b) he is fighting for his own voice and his life. Caleb had never really been given the ability to make his own decisions and figure out who he was. He also had quite a chip on his shoulder and found it difficult to comprehend what others might be thinking or feeling. Common enough for any tween, let alone one with CF. Caleb and Kit is a must read and one that I couldn’t stop thinking about.

Caleb and Kit are two middle school age kids with some issues. One of the things I appreciate most about this book was its honesty. Caleb has a chronic illness, and his everyday life is messy. His parents are divorced, and that doesn't help matters. Kit's life isn't too neat either. She lives alone with her Mom and since her Grandma died and things haven't been going so well. For awhile, I almost wondered if Kit were a real girl.  I had no problem entertaining the thought that she might be a fairy and not human at all. I don't want to give too much away, but the takeaway theme that I got and that I think kids will see is that real life (everyone's) is messy and complicated and no one has it all together. You do your best every day to not hurt the people you love and try and go from there.  That's a lesson well worth internalizing in middle school.

This was the cutest story I have read in a really long time. The last book to really make an impact on me was Wonder! I think this one might be my new favorite book of the year

A well written book in that it touches on difficult issues such as CF, mental illness, child neglect, and divorce in a clear manner. Not victimizing or sensationalizing but enabling the reader to glimpse these experiences and gain an understanding. Not an easy task for a writer to balance on that fine line. This author did not topple or sway but rather, soared.

This middle grade fiction book hits a lot of social issues in one book-Caleb is dealing with cystic fibrosis as well as a divided family. His dad left the family for a younger woman and lives a short distance from Caleb, his mom, and Caleb's almost perfect older brother, Patrick. Caleb wishes he lived a less structured life and finds a friend, Kit, who is living almost entirely without structure. This one is sure to provoke lots of conversation as well as to open a window into what it's like to live with a chronic disease as well as to live close to and love someone with such a disease. It's very well written and it's easy to connect with all of the characters.

A beautiful, heart-wrenching, hope inducing tale. Do you believe in fairies? I do. I believe people come into our life for a reason, and like Kit, I think she and Caleb were destined to meet. They help each other in ways they didn't know they needed, and without realizing it. But is Kit's imagination enough to carry them through?

First, there was horrible formatting issues with my copy of this book; it made it interesting at times as I tried to figure out what was going and just where the sentences had both gone and where they were supposed to go as well.

Now that that bit is out of the way, this was a pretty amazing book. I knew very little about Cystic Fibrosis before reading this and this book really gave me insight into both the disease and what it must be like for a young boy [or girl] to live with a disease like that. What it must be like to have such a strictly regimented schedule and to have everyone be mad because you are treated differently. What it is like to have family resent you for being sick as much as you resent them for being well. This book covers ALL those topics and much more.

I liked Caleb a lot. He felt like a very real character to me, as did his friends and family. They all seemed to react and act the way you would expect them to, but not in a boring way. It was like meeting new people and liking them, even at their very worse. I liked Caleb's relationship with Kit as well. Even when he was doubtful of the things she was telling him, he wanted to be her friend, wanted to live <i>his own life</i>, even when it becomes apparent that neither she nor Caleb can actually do that.

I recommend this book to everyone. It is a great read and teaches you a lot all while entertaining you. And for kids who know someone who is ill or different and are shy about approaching them; this book is great in teaching that its okay to be different and that those people need good friends just as much as anyone else does.

Perfect blend of realistic fiction and fantasy! Readers will be "kept on their toes" as they try to decide where reality ends and fantasy begins. Readers will find themselves asking, "Could there really be..."

Title: Caleb and Kit
Author: Beth Vrabel
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Interest: Grades 3-6

12-year-old Caleb is getting ready to begin summer camp. He is not enthused and it isn't because he is introverted or uncoordinated, it’s much more serious than that. Caleb has Cystic Fibrosis (CF) a hereditary disorder that produces thick mucus, causing blockage of pancreatic ducts, intestines, and bronchi resulting in respiratory distress. He has learned to manage his condition through medical treatment and his mother’s hawk-like vigilance and care. Patrick, Caleb’s brother, does everything in his power to help his brother stay well including volunteering at Caleb’s clinic. Patrick is impossibly talented, smart, empathetic, and nurturing, which causes Caleb to resent him most of the time.

One day Caleb convinces his mother to allow him to take a walk in the nearby woods. He meets a young girl. She seems to appear out of nowhere and is as carefree as a sprite. She doesn’t seem real. Kit connects with Caleb at once and knows they were meant to be friends. Caleb’s new friendship compels him to skip camp to spend time in the woods with Kit. Kit makes Caleb feel “normal.” She does not know about his illness, but Kit has some secrets of her own. Will Caleb be able to keep his ruse a secret? What is Kit hiding from Caleb?

Caleb and Kit is a fantastic middle grade novel told in the first person. The author interviewed people who have CF along with their families to develop authentic dialog and situations. Caleb’s parents are divorced, so Caleb must also learn how to adapt to blended families and how to relate to his father whose inability to cure Caleb translates to open hostility. Caleb’s brother feels the need to compensate for Caleb’s illness by being as good as two sons. Caleb feels like his life is like being a fish in a bowl. The book, like life, doesn’t neatly solve each character’s problem, but is satisfying nonetheless.

Curriculum Connection:

Patrick’s mother loved the book “World of Faerie”. Pair “Caleb and Kit” with Faerie lore. Discuss Kit’s reaction to learning of Caleb’s disorder.

Not really my style but I can see why people are entranced by the story.

It took me a few chapters to get into, but once I did the story of Caleb and Kit held me tight. Clear and honest middle grade voices. An unflinching portrayal of a family facing a chronic illness. A powerful look at the lies we tell ourselves and each other. Caleb and Kit is an engaging story of friendship, growing up, and growing apart, and I have a feeling that I'm going to be thinking of Vrabel's characters for a long time.

This is the first fictional book I've read with a MC with cystic fibrosis. Caleb is 12 years old, and is well aware that there are a lot of things other kids do at his age that he just can't. His best friend is going to spend all summer at football practices, and instead of being allowed to stay at home alone, Caleb's mom enrolls him in a day camp, where most of the fellow campers are 8 or 9 years old. Caleb's mom and older brother are very invested in Caleb's health and his future, and this means that he's constantly being monitored. On the other hand, there's his dad, who has limited time with Caleb, and seems more concerned about starting a new life with his girlfriend.

Caleb's life changes when he meets Kit in the woods outside his house. Kit is like no one he's ever met before. She's not concerned about fitting in anywhere, and she has a motto: She does what she likes. Caleb and Kit fall into an instant friendship, but Kit isn't all that she seems. She's hurting too, and Caleb needs to figure out how to both help himself and save his friend.

I loved how frank this book is about Caleb's disease, how callous a lot of other people are about it (well, I don't love that part, but it's very realistic). His dad's girlfriend, for example, asks him to step out of the room whenever he needs to cough and clear his lungs. A person with CF constantly needs to clear their lungs, not doing this can make them seriously ill. Caleb is also a very developed character. His idol is Captain America, which makes sense, because like Captain America pre-serum, Caleb's body is stunted and he can't do the things he'd like to.

The only thing I didn't love was how judgmental his family is about how he's acting. There are indeed a lot of things Caleb does this summer that isn't good, or right. But when he speaks up because his father insists his pregnant girlfriend gets genetic testing (you know, so they don't have another CF baby), or when his father denies him a high calorie drink/snack that he needs just because said father is being a jerk, then I feel his "attitude" is totally justified. Mostly, I thought Caleb's reactions were normal for a 12 year old kid. His father was going to have a baby with his girlfriend. His mother has started dating. I think that's a lot of changes, and Caleb's worsening CF just makes everything even harder.

For fans of Wonder or Out of my Mind, don't get your hopes up but do read this story. Caleb and Kit, while informative on cystic fibrosis and how a 12-year old is affected by it, just doesn't quite hit the inspiration level that the other books did. Caleb is a nice enough kid but his family members seem to be rather shallow. The animosity between Caleb and his brother is off-putting. Kit's life seems a little unrealistic but interesting, however. I am a middle school librarian and my students are always asking for more books like Wonder and Out of my Mind. I might suggest this to some of them, I don't know that it would keep the attention of most of my students

Caleb has cystic fibrosis and his mother and brother are all over the idea of making life comfortable for him. However, their constant involvement, from his mother harping over him to his brother's seeming perfection and unfaltering watchfulness, is driving Caleb crazy. When he meets Kit in the woods behind his house, he wonders if he has met a member of the fey rather than a little girl with too little adult supervision. Kit lives in a house in the woods, and she prefers to keep her family concealed from Caleb's prying. Together, the two of them make an unlikely pair, but with Caleb reaching a particularly rebellious phase, Kit seems like just the friend he wants. Her mantra seems to be, "I do what I want." That's very appealing to a child whose life revolves around a regular schedule of assistance and supervision. Of course, Caleb has a lot to learn and Kit's life of complete freedom isn't actually the dream that it seemed to be at first. As Kit's antics cause Caleb more and more trouble, and his newfound rebellious habits put his fragile health at risk, an inevitable collision with reality becomes more and more inevitable. Caleb is going to have to come to some difficult self-realizations and mature decisions, and he is only just coming to realize the true measure of what he's stumbled into.

I loved this book because it was unblinkingly honest. Caleb was no hero. He was just a kid learning about himself and what he could and should do. Not everything ends up being neatly resolved and the characters all take a beating along the way. Caleb makes some decisions that aren't so great and sometimes he does the right thing, but either way he finds that he has to come to terms with the consequences. It's a powerful story, one to which readers will certainly react strongly. Very impressive.

I have mixed feelings. This book is well written and the characters are dynamic and full of life. You feel exactly where Caleb is at, the frustration of his mom and brother, and the sparkle of incredible that Kit is. Kit's character made my heart thrill and ache. Strong lessons about learning truthfulness and looking beyond yourself, coming to see that your parents are on your side, and what it means to love a friend when it takes making difficult choices curl through the whole book. The side notes from nature that point to these lessons were lovely. I'm not sure I liked the ending. It was true to life, but also felt like a dash of cold water.