I requested this because I've loved Wolitzer's adult books, but I wasn't optimistic - most people who are good at writing for adults are not also good at writing for children, but this was the perfect parent trap narrative!

I loved this book! It's told in a completely different way, emails, texts and letter. But somehow it worked really well. The reader got to know Bett and Avery more personally because of the written word rather than just spoken word. Such a fun pace book that keep you entertained the way through.

I LOVED this book! I loved the epistolary style and the characters. It was such a fun read. I felt like I was cheering along the girls as they became friends and tried to help their fathers. It was a really unique idea. I will definitely recommend this to middle grades readers. It's the best children's book I've read in awhile.

I do not think I could have turned the pages any faster.
The evolution of the relationship between Night Owl and Dogfish was superlative.
Each twist, turn, problem, solution, plan, and replan brought life and meaning to the story.

o: You
From: Me
Subject: Re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Happy Book Birthday to To Night Owl from Dogfish!

I still remember my Counting By 7s Newbery book group. Those kids are sophomores in HS now. And the Skype! Holly Goldberg Sloan was out on her veranda in Southern California and we were bundled in sweaters with snow outside our window. We all pinky sweared that if the movie ever came out from the book, we would go together. That's my Holly history. Loved her then and love her now.

Pair her up with Meg Wolitzer and here's a sweet story "to explain something." What is that something? Friendship, family, theatre, camp, coming of age, adventure...a whole LOT of somethings.

12 year old Bett Devlin lives in California with her Dad. Avery Bloom lives in NYC with her Dad. Unbeknownest to the girls but their dads are dating. When Sam and Marlow book a summer motorcycle trip around China, they send the girls to the same camp in Michigan. Neither of the girls knows each other until Bett finds Avery's email and thus the online correspondence begins prior to the start of CIGI (Challenge Influence Guide Inspire).

Camp could be disastrous and the book could quickly go downhill from there. Yet with twists and turns, a "Lady Gaga" grandmother, a famous mother, Palindrome BOB, a collection of pressed flowers, Javier the dancer, and ultimately a wedding (I'm not saying whose), the complete cast of characters (with the help of Holly and Meg of course!) definitely "took lemons and made them into [gallons] of lemonade."

This book surprised me. I could not stop reading. What was going to happen next? I was SO rooting for the romance between Sam and Marlow and, for Avery and Bett, too, who Avery (Night Owl) so appropriately called it, the "Juliet and Juliet" of friendship. This book is like a modern day Judy Blume novel--first menses, middle school crushes, lip gloss, friendships, family. I liked it for its sweetness; its innocence; its vulnerability and just plain FUN.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I desperately wanted to read this book for several reasons:

1. I am a HUGE fan of Wolitzer's work. I have read, and adored, many of her adult and YA books.
2. There is just something about camp books that delights me.
3. I love epistolary novels.
4. There is a Parent Trap like storyline in there, and that's a film I will always love.

Well, I am happy to report, that the above mentioned things contributed to a wonderful reading experience, but there was so much more to this novel than what I listed.

I am going to admit, it was insta-love for me. I was smitten with Avery and Bett from their very first exchange. Bett's larger than life personality and tell-it-like-it-is philosophy made me smile, and Avery being so straight-laced and grounded was the perfect foil for her.

The early letters between the two were filled with fun facts and some plotting, but you could also see Bett and Avery discovering some commonalities and a friendship slowly emerging. In addition to seeing their friendship grow and flourish, I also saw the girls grow and flourish. This book took place over two years time, and I saw Bett and Avery mature physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I also loved the idea of family presented in this novel. Both Bett and Avery were being raised by single fathers, and though Avery knew her biological mother, Bett only knew of the surrogate who carried her. It's always lovely to see such diverse families in books. The authors also incorporated the idea of found-family, and I have to say, this "family" was filled with so much love and joy, it was really heartwarming to be around them.

There were so many other things in this book that impressed me too:
• The authentic dialog between the girls
• The hijinks, oh my, they were fun
• Gaga, aka, Betty 1, aka, Bett's grandma ❤️
• A small redemption arc for one of the auxiliary characters
• Animal interactions and the great outdoors
• A pretty dramatic climax
• A twist I didn't expect

I wore a smile on my face from the beginning of this book to the very last page. This story was fun and sweet and touching and emphasized three really wonderful things: friends, family, and love.

Well written, interesting plot and fresh characters this is an easy handsell. I can see this being featured in any good store display. The authors have done a wonderful job writing a story that will speak to kids who have similar experiences and have not yet found anything like this before! Kudos to the authors! Great read.

I loved the genuine voices of these two girls who write emails back and forth. It’s a heartfelt story about two girls, Avery and Bett, whose dads start dating. First, the girls are determined to stop their dads and also not be friends with each other. Then after lots of emails and meeting at summer camp, the girls become friends who actually do want their dads to be together. But that doesn’t work out. What does work out is Avery finding her mom and Bett’s grandma discovering her love of the theater. The next year it works out that the friends go to summer camp together again – and it’s a different experience than the first year — but the life-changing events that happen may just bring together the families again.

Told entirely in emails, 'To Night Owl from Dogfish' centers around two teenage girls - the outdoors-y fearless surfer girl Bett and the more introverted, anxious bookworm Avery - who are brought together when their Dads start dating.
The entire arc of their relationship is covered in this book - from their initial contacts when they discover they are being forced into a friendship by being sent to camp together, vowing to not be friends ever as neither of them wants their respective Dad to be in a relationship, to the inevitable thawing of their frosty connection, to a series of unusual events that they subsequently blunder through, this is a fun read from start to finish.
There are significant similarities with the Parent Trap, but also enough differentiation for this to be worth spending some time with. It's a quick read and one that'll have you crossing all your extremities for a happy ending as it hurtles towards its denouement.

Funny heartwarming story about friendship, family, and relationships. Avery and Bett "meet" through emails and then in person at summer camp. Their father's are in a relationship and they are thrown together to meet and become friends. At first, they refuse to do so. But circumstances change them and their fathers.
Told in emails and a few letters, this first person narrative would be a great story for any student going through changes in their family. The main characters are realistic and very relatable. They are funny, stubborn, and middle school tweens who grow as people from the the beginning to the end.