Joy is turning 13, and while it should be a happy day, instead becomes one of sadness as she remembers that a year ago she lost her best friend in a tragic accident. They have been best friends for 5 years, but now Lukas is gone and the only thing left is the first clue from her scavenger hunt last year.

They've been doing it forever, a yearly scavenger hunt for their birthdays, but she couldn't do it last year, and then kept pushing it off and off as it wasn't the same without him. As she travels their favorite spots she reflects on their time together and their great friendship.

While this is going on we get also get to see Lukas's side of things as he is going around setting up the hunt. We see his family struggles and him trying to be a good son and brother. His only goal is to make this birthday one of Joy's best ones yet.

This is a really heartfelt book about friendship and grief and would be great for any middle schooler struggling with their own issues. It's a short reas, but very impactful.

Great book for reluctant 5-8 grade girls. I look forward to sharing it with my students.

This friendship turned love story hits all the right feels!

Reminiscent of A Bridge to Terabithia, this is an endearing story of friendship. Well written and sure to be a popular read with both male and female middle school age readers.

Grab the tissues!

Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin tell about love and loss in this middle grade coming-of-age tale. Joy and her friend Lukas create scavenger hunts for one another's birthdays. When Joy wakes up on the morning of her thirteenth birthday, she decides to go on the scavenger hunt that Lukas creates for her birthday the year before--the days he dies. What begins as a scavenger hunt ends as acceptance of the loss of her best friend and first love.

Told in two-person, now-and-then narrative, the reader is able to follow Joy as she searches for the clues that Lukas left behind, as well as Lukas as he hides the clues. Polisner and Baskin provide authentic voices to both of these characters as each moves through his or her journey. Readers will feel connected to both Joy and Lukas, and will find themselves rooting for Joy as she struggles through the clues that Lukas left behind, along with her feelings of grief and anger. Polisner and Baskin deftly present some real issues as subplots, yet do not detract from the importance of the main plot point. What they do well is give the reader hope while restraining from tying everything up perfectly in the end. Although some aspects of the story are not concluded by the end of the book, the reader still feels hopeful that the characters involved will eventually resolve their issues for the best.

This is a great choice for middle grade readers who enjoy realistic fiction or are coping with a loss of their own. Libraries of all sizes would do well to purchase this book.

***I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for providing an Advanced Readers' Copy (ARC) in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.***

This one is amazing, so emotional! It is told from two perspectives--Joy and Lukas. They have been best friends since the end of second grade and they are preparing for their thirteenth birthdays. They have a tradition where they create a scavenger hunt for each other’s birthdays. Joy is telling the story in the present, but Lukas is telling the story from the previous year as he is hiding clues for Joy’s hunt. In the present, Lukas is dead, but few details are disclosed about his death except that Joy is still struggling with her grief.

I expect this one to be in the Newbery running for sure as it reminds me of a modern day Bridge to Terabithia. I enjoyed the story being told from both character’s point of view and the raw emotion they both struggled with. Kleenex is a must for reading this one.

A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Knopf Books for providing me an advanced reader’s copy of “Seven Clues to Home” for my review.

I rarely get emotional and teary-eyed whenever I am reading a story. I certainly never thought I would bawl at the end of a middle grade novel. But this book just had me hooked and touched my heart.

When I initially started reading this book, I really did not know what to expect. The story is a simple one of friendship and I didn’t know how it would turn out. The timelines are a bit confusing in the beginning, but after the first few chapters, you get a handle of what is happening. However, after those minor hiccups, everything fell into place and grabbed my attention. It covers some serious topics like grief, loss, death, friendship and family.

The authors did a wonderful job in narrating the story between the two characters. The main characters, Joy and Lukas are so adorable together. They are so innocent and lovable, even if the situations around them are not. I loved Lukas and how he treated Joy even though he didn’t have a proper life at home. I also loved Joy’s relationship with Natalia. Mr. Carter was adorable too and I wished I had a teacher like him growing up.

The whole concept of the scavenger hunt was also great! I kept guessing as to what the clues were at times. There are a few twists and turns that surprised me, but also made the book feel realistic. I really cannot complain about anything in this story; I loved every bit of it. The story is simple with a heart-warming plot with solid characters. It’s a book that makes you realize how precious our times with our friends and family are, and we have to make it memorable.

Overall, I loved reading “Seven Clues to Home” . I feel is one of the best middle grade books I have read this year!

Liked the character development and the relationship between the two main ones, even though one of them was dead! The scavenger hunt was a good element and I think kids would really like this book. That reader that likes these stories will definitely enjoy this one. Gae is a local LI author and really think she is doing great work.

Joy's thirteenth birthday is a bittersweet celebration. One year earlier, to the day, her best friend Lukas died. Heartbroken, Joy finally gathers the courage to open her dresser drawer and open the birthday scavenger hunt clue he had given her for her twelfth birthday. This poignant, compelling story of friendship is told from two different perspectives. One part of the tale is told by Lukas as he carefully places each one of the birthday clues. Readers know his life will end soon, and that is always at the forefront as the pages are turned. Joy's part of the story is told on the day she is finally trying to find the clues Lukas left for her. Will any of them still be there?

These two talented authors have given us a memorable middle-grade novel about the value of a good friend. After reaching the moving conclusion, readers may feel the need to hold loved ones a little closer. This book would be an excellent addition to any elementary or middle school library collection.

“This is part of what it is to be thirteen. To go on a journey and end up right back home. To love someone who loved you back, and still have to say goodbye to them.”⁣
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Good god y’all I’m a mess. ⁣
My emotions are all over the place right now but what better time to write your review?!⁣
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An endearing story of love and grief as one girl follows the clues in a scavenger hunt left behind by her best friend. ⁣
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This story takes us on a scavenger hunt told by our two main characters. On one side we see how Lukas planned the scavenger hunt, and on the other we follow Joy on the scavenger hunt. ⁣
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This is a middle grade/YA novel but people of all ages can enjoy this one.⁣
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Be prepared with tissues because this is a tearjerker! I was honestly not ready for such a beautiful story. ⁣
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Thank you @netgalley and @knopfteen for letting me read this gorgeous book early. ⁣
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I plan to purchase a copy of this book when it comes out!

This was a really sweet book good for preteens and young teens and since the story was told in both Joy and Lukas' voices it would appeal to both boys and girls. I loved the alternating voices and timelines. Sometimes I felt the voice of joy was a little too sophisticated but it didn't really take away from the story. Both characters were good and kind and wholesome and had good relationships with their families even though they weren't perfect. The romance and the growing sexual feelings Lukas has for Joy as well as the death of Lukas are handled in a very age appropriate way. I think the book could be read by 5th graders through 10th graders and would also be appropriate in a classroom setting. The cover and the title are perfect and the ending made me tear up.

Joy is such a radiant character and I hated to say goodbye to her. This is an excellent title that I think kids would enjoy for summer reading. It does deal with some deep grief of Joy losing her friend Lukas, but she starts to find herself through this last treasure hunt. This is such a beautifully told story that offers lots of entry points for serious discussions about friendship, grief, and family. These two writers wrote a beautiful book and I think middle graders will find the characters likeable and this book relatable. Thank you Knopf and NetGalley for this ARC!

This dynamic author duo have written a beautiful story told in dual perspectives across different timelines. Joy and Lukas are relatable characters. The alternating format between Joy's journey of finding the clues and Lukas's journey of planting the clues helped the reader better understand the relationship between the two. A heartfelt story. I cannot wait to return to school to share this book with students!

Told in alternating perspectives, a year apart, Joy begins the birthday scavenger hunt her best friend, Lukas created for her last year. We follow Joy as she completes the hunt and Lukas as he created it. A heartfelt story of friendship, family and feelings. Read in one evening with smiles and tears.

This heartwarming story kept me turning pages in one sitting! A beautiful tale of a special relationship between Joy and Lukas and their birthday scavenger hunt that holds more meaning now than in their earlier years of friendship. This story holds themes of love, perseverance, recovering from grief and forever friendship. A great addition for MG/YA readers to their "to-be-read" pile!

Told in two voices during the previous summer and current, “Seven Clues to Homes” is a heartbreaking, yet hopeful middle school novel about friendship and family. It was a quick and satisfying read with two distinct voices. The scavenger hunt provides enough of a mystery that the pages flipped effortlessly and I finished the book in one sitting.

In about an hour long book we experience a girl dealing with the death of her friend, Lukas, a year ago on her twelfth birthday. Story picks up a year later but the story is told by both Lukas and Joy, Lukas as he experience the day a year ago and Joy in the present remembering the past but dealing with the present. She is in search of the clues of a treasure hunt that Lukas created a year ago for her birthday. Joy has pleasant memories as she comes to grips with some of her grief.

It's Joy's 13th birthday. It's also been one year since her best friend, Lukas, died in a tragic accident. Every year on her birthday since they were little, Lukas would design a treasure hunt for her. Now, she has the first clue to the last treasure hunt he ever created and she decides to finally open it and complete one last hunt in memory of her friend.

This book was simply breathtaking. It was very atmospheric, lyrical, and touching. I loved the portrait of the town and this amazing friendship the authors created. I loved following the story in dual perspectives between Joy in the present and Lukas in the past. Both of the characters had such rich histories. I loved discovering more and more about them with each chapter. I devoured this book in one sitting and was sad to say goodbye to these amazing characters at the end. I truly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to recommend it to readers who want stories about dealing with grief, friendship, and hope.

I enjoyed this story. I think children will especially enjoy the duel timeline points of view. As a teacher, I appreciate how the sad parts were not the focus and kids need to infer what actually happened to Lukas.

Sweet and sad story about two best friends. I just lost my best friend after 20 years and it was hard to explain to my daughter. Would be a good book to have her read..

One of the most touching books on processing loss I’ve ever encountered. From past to present day, alternating perspectives dig deep to show the reader the blossoming of true friendship, young love, those who are gone too soon, and the pieces those left behind have to try to put back together.
Polisner and Baskin handle the subject material so gently, hitting on some pretty heavy topics without being heavy handed, it was an honor to get to know Joy and Lukas.