This was a super fun and heartwarming middle grade novel. I love the "Dear Me" journal/letters format for Sam to tell the story. She has such a quirky narrative voice that made this ridiculous story that much better. I love that this book focuses on a grandmother-granddaughter relationship (as well as a mother-daughter relationship) and learning not to judge people before getting to know them. Some of the events of the crazy road trip seemed a bit over-the-top and unbelievable, but it only made the story more fun. The intended audience will also be more forgiving about such events. Gram and Mimi are a riot, and I like that "perfect" Brandon turns out to have more to him than what's on the surface. Highly recommend to the middle school age group.

When I Hit the Road is a cute middle grade novel. It is told in journal entry format by Samantha, the main character. Samantha and her mom travel to Florida to visit her grandmother. Very quickly adventure begins. I highly recommend checking out When I Hit the Road. The characters are lovable from the get go and you never know what will happen next.

Sam is less than thrilled to go on a road trip across Florida with her grandmother, her grandmother's friend Mimi (who came along to deliver bibles to every Vacation Bible School in the region), and a very cool, very cute boy named Brandon. They have to fulfill Gran's dream of performing in a karaoke contest, but things get complicated when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Now they have to survive wild alligators, breaking in a church window for food, a flash-flooded camp cabin, and quite a few bathrooms from the end of the world. Sam recounts the entire trip in her diary, thinking that every time something else horrible and ridiculous happens, things can't get any worse. They always do.

This is a rollicking, madcap adventure. Gran and Mimi are both lively, colorful personalities and contrast nicely with Sam and Brandon. All four main characters are well-rounded and likable, but they still bring out quite a few laughs along the way. The story has plenty of heart, as Sam grows to appreciate her grandmother, embrace the spirit of adventure, and build her own self esteem. Several moments are downright touching, but the narrative is consistently fun and feel good. A great summery, memorable, and unique read. I can't wait to recommend this one to my library users. 8 to 12.

I wasn't expecting a journal entries as the type of format that story would be written in. It was hard for me to keep up with the story. I also felt that it was for a younger middle grade crowd, like girls transitioning between chapter books for children and chapter books for teens. It just didn't feel like a gripping story to me

When I Hit the Road is a cheerful middle grade book full of surprising twists and turns. Samantha (Sam) is not excited to spend the summer with her grandma in Florida. How fun can a senior center be for a kid? But the fun and adventure never stop once they set off on a bucket list road trip with her Grandma's friend Mimi and her grandson, Brandon (Brandy). Sam documents everything in the new Dear Me Journal her mom gave her before the trip. Alligators, Bibles, Ferris Wheels, Karaoke all play a part in this feel-good story. As Mimi said, "We've crammed more chaos, catastrophe, laughter, and fun into three days than I'd ever thought possible." Sam learns that not everything is what is looks like on the outside. She is glad she has so many memories "to cherish for a lifetime". Fun, innocent book with the perfect amount of suspense and hi-jinks.

A light hearted story of a middle school girl having to spend several weeks with a grandmother in senior citizen housing in Florida. It draws us into life as a middle schooler and a senior citizen. It's a laugh out comedy from the reader's view but not so much from Sam's point of view. Through a Dear Me diary from her mother's workplace, Sam writes to her future self. She burden's herself with what is happening to others but discovers differently in the end.

I honestly loved this quick funny but honest look at life with senior citizens. First of all, I thought the construction of the book was interesting since each scene was an entry of a diary to Samantha's future self. Then Sam's voice rang very true to me, reminding me very much of my own daughter as a rising 7th grader who also liked to journal. The very humorous calamities that befall Sam, her grandmother, and others are not so over-the-top zany that they are unbelievable, but they are chuckle-worthy. Likewise, there are points in the book where my heart stopped for a moment because things got very tense. I've read in other reviews that these parts seemed too intense; however, I remember from my middle school years, I know from my own kids' adolescence, and as a middle school teacher that these events happen all too often, especially when dealing with grandparents. I thought those relationship moments of finding the joy in the kooky and the happiness in the crazy were the greatest part of this book.

With the summer fast approaching I'm still holding out hope that my library's children's summer reading program will happen - either in the branches (fingers and toes crossed) or online due to Covid-19. In order to get ready for all those eager young readers, I've decided to spend some of my quarantine time reading junior fiction to provide my young readers lots of suggestions!

When I Hit The Road is a Middle Grade story that's a cute and quick read. It focuses on Samantha, a tween who's not eager to spend her summer vacation with her grandmother at her retirement community in Florida. But her Grandma surprises her with last minute road trip so she can compete in a senior’s karaoke competition. To make matters worse for Sam, Grandma's friend Mimi and Mimi's grandson, Brandon come along for the ride. Seeing how her summer has taken another downward turn, Sam decides to write letters to her future self to chronicle the trip and it's through these letters that the story is told.

This is a sweet story that shows some of the bumps and bruises multigenerational families face. I liked the quirkiness of the older women, but Brandon's character could have had more oomph. The plot touches on family issues but the tone remains fairly light with some mildly humorous situations added in.

When I Hit The Road is a cute story with a nice message that showcases the importance of family. Look for it May 5th!

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Samantha Is a rising seventh grader and the thought of spending summer vacation with her grandmother in Florida isn’t exactly what she considers a fun happening.

Nevertheless, she is pressured into visiting her recently widowed grandmother. Then the poor girl, learns that she will not only be staying with her feisty Grams, but will be riding along with her and her pickle ball friend who is just as feisty. Grams is attempting to fulfil an item on her bucket list by singing karaoke.

And to top it all off, Mimi, the Pickle-ball friend is bringing her hunky eighth grade grandson, Brandon. I might also mention that Grams is driving her new Mustang

The foursome are about to embark on a very quirky tour of places NO ONE ever visits in Florida. Stops include... an alligator-infested road where their car breaks down, an empty church where they spend an uncomfortable night, a ramshackle cabin, the worst public restroom since indoor plumbing had been invented, a filthy not-barbecue joint and that’s just the beginning!

Many of the stops are interrupted by anxious calls from Sam’s stressed-out, workaholic mom, who’s trying to maintain control of a seemingly gone-wild Gram.

This is a happy, fun read filled with wild, lighthearted adventures of a summer trip to remember.

The tale is written in journal entries adding to the fun of this book.

Samantha is not thrilled to be going to Florida for the summer with her mom. It's not like she doesn't want to spend time with her mom and grandmother, but it's a spy mission in an old people's neighborhood. Then when her mom is called away on work it becomes worse. Because now Samantha has to make sure her grandmother doesn't get sick and doesn't get into trouble. Easier said than done because they are about to embark on a road trip across Florida with a neighbor and her cute grandson in order to enter a Karaoke contest. But one thing after another happens... will this be a trip to remember or one they'll never forget?
The story itself was good. I really wasn't a fan of the format. I get the point and how it fit in the story but I just kept thinking - won't Samantha's future self remember all or most of this?

When I Hit the Road is a middle grade novel that takes us on summer vacation with Samantha. Samantha is not excited about going to visit her grandmother at the retirement home for the summer, but when her mother has to leave their vacation for work and Samantha is left with her grandmother things get even more undesirable.. Samantha's grandmother decides to take her on a road trip to attend a karaoke contest along with her best friend Mimi and Mimi's cute grandson. Along the way they have some issues, they have some laughs and certain things happen. This story is sure to leave you with your heart warmed.

I thought this was a really sweet book. I really liked the heavy family aspect of this novel. We get to see growth within certain members of the family and it really adds to the novel as a whole. It's a really quick and easy read. The characters were all fun and easy to like. The writing was really good as well. I'd recommend this to anyone really. It is middle grade so that is something to take into consideration, however, it's got a really good message that everyone could stand to be reminded of sometimes.

This was a really cute quick read. It was a great story about the importance of family and it made me think a lot about my relationship with my family members. I enjoyed being able to see the struggles of everyone in the story, not just Sam. I thought the scene where Sam found her grandmother crying to a picture of her grandfather was so heartfelt and emotional and I love that I was able to see that side of other characters. I personally didn't really care for Mimi's grandchild; I just felt like he didn't add too much to the story. I think he could've been developed a little more to make him a lot more fun and interesting.
Overall though, I enjoyed reading this!

Samantha's mother is very stressed because her mother has moved to Florida after the death of Samantha's grandfather instead of moving into a condo eight minutes away. The mother is also working very hard at her job for a scrapbook company, and gives Sam a journal to keep when the two go to Florida to keep an eye on the grandmother. Sam isn't thrilled, although she has nothing better to do with her summer, having been unsuccessful at everything she tried during the school year in the way of extracurricular activities. Once the two arrive at Sandy Shores, the condominium complex where Gram lives, the mother's anxiety goes into overdrive. Gram has a new turquoise convertible, got rid of all her furniture (to the mother's dismay), and is on blood pressure and cholesterol medication. She's also playing pickle ball with her new friend Mimi, and planning a road trip to sing in a karaoke competition and deliver Bibles to churches for Mimi. At the last minute, Samantha's mother has to return home for work, and Sam gets left to go on the trip by herself. Mimi's grandchild also goes along, and is a bit of a surprise. The trip is plagued with all manner of humorous difficulties which soon become more serious, and Sam begins to wonder if she is in over her head. She does make a lot of quality memories, and so forgives her mother for forcing her on the trip.

Strengths: I liked the multigenerational aspect of this, even though most of the book centered on Samantha's concerns. The mother and grandmother had their own issues, and they definitely affected Sam! All too often, we don't see adults having lives of their own, unless they are dying or have some horrendous problem. The karaoke dreams are fun, and the idea of making memories is a good one. The problems the group runs into are funny (the kids get splattered with mud, they have to break into a church to sleep, they have a very interesting transaction at a run down gas station), and the novel moves along quickly.

Weaknesses: I wish the adventures hadn't been quite so serious. The grandmother collapses twice, which makes this a bit less lighthearted. Also, Mimi's grandchild was a fairly flat character, and could have been a lot more fun.

What I really think: I will probably purchase because I need more funny, realistic fiction that doesn't cover heavy topics. This is great for fans of other grandparent road trip books like Cooney's Hit the Road (which has circulated well for 14 years!), McVoy's Drive Me Crazy or Acampora's How to Avoid Extinction. I love the cover on this one and read this just before our Boys Read Pink celebration-- it's a perfect read for boys reluctant to pick up a book with a girl as the main character!

Super cute middle grade book with lovable characters and be,ievanel conflict and interactions. This one will e a hit with kids and is clean with no violence. Full review on goodreads.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved all of the characters and the grandma was the best. I loved her adventure and the letters to herself. I couldn't believe the predicaments that they got into on their road trip, but I laughed at their misfortune.

Samantha had a rough year in the sixth grade, and her summer isn't shaping up to be much better - instead of going to talent camps or workshops like her older sisters, Sam is accompanying her mom on a trip to Florida, to visit her Gram. Once at the senior condos, Gram reveals that the family is headed for a widow-bucket road trip, so Gram can fulfill her wish to audition in karaoke contests! Oh, and Gram's friend (plus a surprise guest) is also coming!

I really enjoyed this middle grade novel about the importance of family, unexpected treasures and hidden talents. I'm partial to stories about kids and their grandparents, and this one certainly didn't disappoint! The quartet's road trip was filled with zany mishaps and close calls, and I think a lot of readers will be able to relate to Sam, with both her hopes and insecurities.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebook Young Readers for an ARC.