An Engaging and Upbeat Boy Meets Quirky Girl Tale

This didn't start well for me. Our hero was delicately balanced right on the edge between whiny sadsack and sensitive soul. Our heroine wasn't a manic pixie dream girl. Rather, she was a depressive pixie dream girl, with a side of vaguely cutesy poetic delusion. The nickname "Marsh" is short for "Martian", so you see where this started out.

The good news is that as I read on I started to like the book, and by the end I really liked the book. Why? Well, the best I can figure out is that about a third of the way in the author let go of the ironclad rules that had locked these two characters into their respective roles as worn out tropes, and just let the characters develop in interesting ways. Our hero stepped up and our heroine calmed down. Interestingly, a whole bunch of supporting characters also showed up at that point and added some spice, vinegar, variety, and depth to the story.

It's probably not a SPOILER to disclose that we end up with a happiesh ending. The characters from the beginning of the book didn't necessarily deserve such an ending. But the new, improved characters who developed over the course of the tale did. When you couple this with some sharply crafted set pieces, the surprising throwaway lines peppered throughout the narrative, and hints of tenderness and insight, this touched on some unexpected and beguiling high notes. A pleasant surprise.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I chose this book because I'm trying to get a granddaughter interested in reading. She claims that she hates to read, so I look for stories that look like they will appeal to her. I only read parts of this with her, but she was excited about it and said she really liked it. For her to admit to liking a book really tells me that it's good! 😀

This book is really great. I didn't think I was going to like it at first, but as the book began to unfold I couldn't stop reading. The friendship in this book is so heartwarming, standing up for what you believe in and finding the courage to be who you really are, not what other people think you should be is so inspirational. Really great read.

Marsh & Me was kind of cute and an okay read. I think it was too short to have any thorough story development, but for less than 200 pages, this book made the points it was trying to make.

I have to compare this book to the well-known Stargirl because it's just like the middle-grade novel. Basically, Marsh & Me is an Australian Stargirl... and I didn't really like Stargirl. The whole "mysterious girl" thing is overdone, and this book didn't make it new or interesting in any way. I did like Marsh as a character, even though I found faults with her motives-- that is, it wasn't well-explained why she did the things she did in the treehouse. I personally don't think just her mother dying would make her seem that out of it, but who knows. She might have some other problems, but that wasn't implied in the story at all so it ended up not making sense to me.

The parts with the main characters forming a band and competing in the Battle of the Bands at the end was interesting; too bad it didn't go with the rest of the book. How did they get second place if they only practiced for what seemed to be one day, anyways?

Marsh & Me was okay overall, but if you want a good middle-grade novel about a quirky girl and a boy who crushes on her, you might as well read something else because this book is completely average.

A fairly good read for kids looking for a story though not many will connect with the characters. Shy boy meents "wild " girl and learns what it is to stand out. Will buy a copy but I did not connect with the story.

A cute, thoughtful read for younger audiences. Not sure if it’d be a great fit here because the plot didn’t really feel like it got going until about halfway through, but once it did the sentiment was thoughtful and sincere. Perhaps better with a younger audience.

Joey is comfortable hiding on his hill and playing music, but when a girl (he names "Marsh") decides to make it <i>her</i> home he'll have to come out of his shell and discover what it means to stand out.

I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, the writing was absolutely exquisite at times. There were some truly beautiful moments. But the story overall felt rushed and a bit underdeveloped, so those moments rarely felt <i>earned</i> to me. For instance, in the last fourth of the book Marsh tells a really beautiful folktale about planting a tree, whispering a secret, and then (much later) making a flute from the tree that sings the secret. This ties directly to the ending image of the book, which was a powerful one -- but we'd only just been told the story. It would have been a more moving scene if the folktale had been a reoccurring theme throughout, I think. Instead, it felt like a cool idea the author just added right at the end.

So, I suppose, I liked pieces of this. And the idea behind it. But in the end, it just didn't grip me the way it has other readers. Could just be me!

(Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review!)

Marsh & Me
by Martine Murray
Random House Children's
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Children's Fiction
Pub Date 19 Feb 2019


I am reviewing a copy of Marsh & Me through Random House Children’s and Netgalley:


Joey desires to have someone to talk to about music, he wants to be part of the group. The problem is he is painfully shy and that always seems to get in the way. He often escapes to his secret place on a hill but discovers one day a young girl, a strange young girl has invaded the hill and looks like a spaceship. The hill is the place where he can be himself. Joey decides he needs to stake his claim so he goes to the girl he calls Marsh, short for Martian and finds that she’s been busy making herself an imagined Spaceship as well as building an imaginary world.


This imaginary world hides his secrets but this may be the thing to bring Joey out of his shell. When Joey decides to follow Marsh home he discovers her life is not at all what he expected. He soon finds out too that they are both passionate about music.


I give Marsh & Me five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Marsh and Me was wonderful book about a boy named Joey who discovers his true talent and a girl named Marsh who is healing from the loss of her mother. They both seem to be lost at the beginning of the story but through their friendship they find the courage to come out of their shell.
I really liked Joey’s character in this book. He wasn’t athletic or able to build things like his father and he just felt like a nobody until he was able to play the guitar at his school’s battle of the bands. Marsh was a bit of an odd girl, but she was so bold it fit with how shy Joey was and they were exactly what the other needed.
I think many kids would be able to relate to Joey’s character. I really liked this one!
Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC, my opinions are my own.

Marsh & Me is a charming story of two kids who want to be alone, but find life is more fun when you are alone together. Both facing a world where they feel they don't belong, music provides an outlet that helps heal wounds. While the book was a bit tedious at times, it was a very quick read and will appeal to many.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.

Stick with it!

This book doesn't grab you until midway. The beginning was kind of.. meh. However, if you settle into it, and let Murray take you on this journey you will experience a heartwarming tale of friendship for the ages.

Have you ever felt like you didn't belong, even in your own family? Have you ever had something so devastating happen to you that you just want to shut out the real world and make up your own? The first question can be answered "yes" by Joey. He only goes to three places - home, school, and his hill- and he only fits in in one of those places. At home he doesn't fit in because he's not a sports jock, at school he doesn't fit in because he is so quiet, but on his hill he can be who he really wants to be. Joey loves the isolation of his hill because he can play his guitar and no one will hear him. However, one day he notices that a treehouse has been built in a tree on his hill. Joey is not happy that his special hill has been invaded by a spaceship looking treehouse. The funny thing is, the girl who built the treehouse is not too happy that her hidden house has been found by someone either. She makes it very clear that she doesn't want him around and Joey is not even sure she is human so he calls her "Marsh", short for Martian. When these two finally make peace and Joey goes into the treehouse, he discovers more questions than answers about this very strange girl. Where is her home? Why doesn't she go to school? What is the deal with all of these strange objects she has lying around? Why does she talk about being from another place? Joey doesn't know any of these answers but he is determined to find out. This is a must read 2019 book!

This book is absolutely incredible. I honestly thought it was a little strange at first, but as the book began to unfold I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. The friendship in this books is so heartwarming, standing up for what you believe in and finding the courage to be who you really are, not what other people think you should be is so touching, and finding the courage to step out of the shadows is so inspirational. This story of friendship, family, and love is a must read. Do not miss this one!!