Melanie is an incredibly loveable character. I felt immediately invested in her story. Her imagination is wild and lovely. The way she explains relationships and intentions is really clever and moving, too.

Melanie’s imagination lands her the lead role in the school’s performance of PETER PAN. It helps her deal with the bullying of a fellow classmate and find the courage to make a new friend.

She describes and observes a lot of relationships in BELIEVE, too. From watching her dad interact with his friends, to navigating her own complicated relationship with her grandmother, she relates those exchanges with flair.

Fans of THE OTHER BETTER ME by Antony Jon or NOT IF I CAN HELP IT by Carolyn Mackler will definitely want this book in their libraries.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Melanie is trying to come to terms with her mother's disappearance, she auditions for the school play Peter Pan as her mother used to read the story to her when she was young. This brings about feelings she has been trying to hide from for a year. During all of this she is also being bullied at school.

Whilst i enjoyed the story and really rooted for Melanie and the friendship she was forging with Leanne. I did have issues though with some of the language choices and imagery, it was weird in a couple of places and it really brought you out of the story expecially. There were also a couple of references that i understood as a 40 year old woman but a Middle Grader/Primary Schooler would not, example, who Ma and Pa Ingles are. There were also alot of references to things science doesn't understand, as this is only 134 pages there were at least 5 references like this. I really feel the edit could have been stronger.

These instances really detracted from a really good story. I understand this is a debut novel and I would read others by Mathison as the premise of the story is solid.

Thank you to NetGalley and Starr Creek Press for the copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Full of humor and wonder, BELIEVE explores the power and limits of the imagination – and how love both breaks and heals our hearts.
Eleven-year-old Melanie knows she is special and had never been bored. She understands the secret language of old houses and makes jewels out of broken glass. Her imagination can do anything -- except make friends. It is 1980, and life as a fifth grader at Buckminster Experimental School is lonely at best, when she is not dodging Karen, the school bully. Then, Melanie meets Sabrina, who looks like a TV star and acts like a spy, and who does not care what anyone thinks. She teaches Melanie how to believe in herself, and soon Melanie starts living her dreams. She even lands the lead in Peter Pan!
If only she could share it all with Mom. Missing her mom is like trying to breathe with one lung. It is bad. Sabrina thinks they can track her down, and Melanie wants to believe, but sometimes it is easier to pretend. Her new life feels like a house of cards, until one day it all comes crashing down and she finds herself with no choice but to face the truth… and let go.
An incredible teen story so wonderfully written, with a unique plot line following the everyday struggles of young girl. This book tackles mental health in a way that young children can access. The ending was a refreshing surprise, satisfying but not stereotypical.

This quirky, heartfelt middle-grade novel about grief and the resilience of the human spirit will keep you guessing until the very last chapter.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to obtain a an advance copy of this book to give an honest review.
BELIEVE

By Julia Matheson


Description:
Full of humor and wonder, BELIEVE explores the power and limits of the imagination – and how love both breaks and heals our hearts.
Eleven-year-old Melanie knows she is special and had never been bored. She understands the secret language of old houses and makes jewels out of broken glass. Her imagination can do anything -- except make friends. It is 1980, and life as a fifth grader at Buckminster Experimental School is lonely at best, when she is not dodging Karen, the school bully. Then, Melanie meets Sabrina, who looks like a TV star and acts like a spy, and who does not care what anyone thinks. She teaches Melanie how to believe in herself, and soon Melanie starts living her dreams. She even lands the lead in Peter Pan!
If only she could share it all with Mom. Missing her mom is like trying to breathe with one lung. It is bad. Sabrina thinks they can track her down, and Melanie wants to believe, but sometimes it is easier to pretend. Her new life feels like a house of cards, until one day it all comes crashing down and she finds herself with no choice but to face the truth… and let go.
An incredible teen story so wonderfully written, with a unique plot line following the everyday struggles of young girl. This book tackles mental health in a way that young children can access. The ending was a refreshing surprise, satisfying but not stereotypical.

This quirky, heartfelt middle-grade novel about grief and the resilience of the human spirit will keep you guessing until the very last chapter.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to obtain a an advance copy of this book to give an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Believe is about Melanie, a smart and imaginative 5th-grader. On the surface, this is the story of Melanie's struggle with being the new kid in school and dealing with mean-girl Karen's bullying. On a deeper level, though, Melanie is coping with the loss of her mother who, as Melanie explains, left the family just a year prior. Melanie leans on her precocious and confident friend, Sabrina, to help her know just what to say to Karen, find the courage to audition for a school play, and ultimately face the reality of her mother's disappearance.

Believe is a book for middle-graders who sometimes feel they are on the outside of their peer group, who experience bullying, and who are faced with the loss of a parent. A familiarity with the original story of Peter Pan will help the reader to better understand the references to the play and how they relate to Melanie's woes, but those unfamiliar can still enjoy this book.

As an adult reader, I picked up on the two major twists very early in the book. However, an early middle-grade reader probably won't. Both reveals were elegantly written. Additionally, the year in which the book is set does play a part in some of the events. I take that the time setting was chosen to give the kids more freedom (a child catching a Grey Hound bus to the next town over just wouldn't be believable in today's society). Younger readers may or may not understand this.

A bitter-sweet story centred on the impact of loss and grief on a child. This book pulled on my heartstrings without leaving me a sobbing mess - quite a feat!

Melanie has lost her mother, moved to a new school and is the target of some low-level bullying. Her imagination is her escape and her saviour. She embarks on a quest to find her lost parent and ultimately ends up finding herself along the way.

Imagination and the escape it offers forms central themes for this book. It serves as a reminder to stay true to oneself, no matter how difficult to circumstance. It’s a nice story, but didn’t resonate deeply with me.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5/5

Reader beware! Julie Mathison´s middle grade book Believe will steal your heart. The main character, Melanie, is a witty, sweet fifth grader who is finding it difficult to make friends.
After her mother leaves, Melanie´s dad has been consumed by his art and seems completely disconnected from his daughter. Meanwhile, Melanie endures the wrath of Karen, a bully at school who epitomizes the sad truth ¨Hurt people hurt people.¨ When Melanie learns that her class will perform the play Peter Pan, she fears her shyness will keep her out of the bright lights of the stage. With encouragement from her lone friend Sabrina, Melanie auditions and lands the lead role of Peter Pan. But this is bigger than the stage. Peter Pan was a bridge to her mother and the many hours the two spent reenacting scenes from the play in their blanket forts. Now, Melanie yearns to share her stage experiences with her mother, and she is determined to find her. This young girl's journey becomes a search for herself. How can she move forward unless she understands why her mother left?

Mathison set this book in the 1980s, so some of the references and humor needs explanation that is at times awkward and may leave kids questioning references to icons of pop culture such as Charlie´s Angels. While it was nostalgic for me as an adult who grew up in the 70s and 80s, it made me wonder about Mathison´s decision considering her modern audience of pre-teens. Nevertheless, this is a delightful read, and it established a strong authentic voice for the author, who seemed to enjoy reminiscing.

Mathison´s masterful work is in the depiction of this character's emotional state while dealing with grief. This is a realistic representation of processing those feelings and trying to figure out life's greatest mysteries, especially when provided with very little direction from adults. Melanie´s discoveries about her mother are also the reader´s discoveries. The shared feeling of not having the answers makes this a powerful and emotional experience for readers.

This book would be best for mature middle grade students. It invites important and necessary conversations, but this may be a difficult read for sensitive kids. Melanie´s coping mechanisms may create some confusion for some readers, but Mathison does a wonderful job of portraying difficult topics realistically. This story is a beautiful one, and I absolutely adore Melanie.

I read an advanced copy of this book for NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.*

Melanie is an eleven-year-old girl who's imagination seems to be able to create anything, but she can't make friends in her school or even defend herself from Karen, the school bully.
Then she meets Sabrina, who looks like a TV star and is just fearless, never caring about what anyone thinks. They become friends fast and soon enough Melanie gets encouraged by her, even getting the lead role as Peter Pan in the school play. The only thing missing is Melanie's mom, who disappeared almost a year ago and nobody wants to talk about it. But what if Sabrina and Melanie can finally track her down and find out what happened?

"Believe" is the emotional journey of accepting grief while learning to open yourself up to others. It's a middle-grade book, but I believe older readers can fall in love with it too, just like I did (and I'm 11 years older than the main character).
Julie Mathison's characters are very real and every one of them has a background so we can understand their motivations and why they are the way that they are. The friendships are really well-constructed and all of the "Peter Pan"s references and parallels were amazing! The writing in this book is great!
Melanie's way to see the world and her whole journey throghout the book was so awesome to read that in the end I just wanted to see more, specially from Karen, the school bully, who's story I trully feel like had more to it.
It's not a book full of big surprises (even though it has some), but it's such a beautifully-written story about friendship and love and growing up... I just know it's a great book for all ages and it became one of my favorites.

At the heart of this story is how Melanie is dealing with the loss of her mom. Her two primary coping strategies are revealed in the end. It was obvious to me an adult reader not sure about if kids will see it. This is set in the 80s but the setting doesn’t impact the story.

My 11yo daughter loved this book. Emotional and thought-provoking there's a strong connection between the reader and the MC needs for friendship during such a difficult time of her life. A well-written novel that staying in the reader's heart for a long while after.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Melanie is our main character...a lonely girl in 5th grade who is doing her best to get by without getting too much attention from the school bully. Of course, it doesn't always work for her because most bullies choose the kids that don't have a whole lot of confidence in themselves and will let them get away with it... At least in my experience and from talking to many others. Anyway, one day Melanie meets Sabrina who seems to bring out the best in Melanie. She becomes an entirely different person when she is around her...one who is no longer stuck in her little shell and is willing to try new things because she believes in herself. So much so that Melanie makes another friend who admires her for those qualities...because she seems so comfortable being herself with no fear. Throughout the book, Melanie tries new things while having to deal with Karen(appropriate name in today's day and age). Melanie has a lonely home life because she says that one day her Mom and Dad got in a fight and her Mom took off and never came back...and now her Dad can't really deal with it and won't talk with her about what happened. But Melanie believes her Mom is out there somewhere and missing her...For me, the title Believe stands for the way she learned to believe she could do anything and the belief that her Mom is okay and she will see her again.

There is a magical world that children can escape to when middle school gets to be too much to handle and they have problems making friends. A world of adventure and happiness, friends and allies, all you need is an imagination. In Believe, debut novel by Julie Mathison, eleven-year-old Melanie is one such believer, a bullied child going through a rough patch and one in desperate need of a friend.

Things start looking up when Melanie meets Sabrina and she even lands the role as Peter Pan in her school play. The only problem? Melanie's mother is missing, possibly involved in a fight to bring down the mob, and Melanie misses her dearly.

Believe is an enchanting story about grief, friendship and trust. Set in 1980, it harks back to a simpler time before the advent of technology and when the original Charlie's Angels was on TV.

There are twists in Believe and I somehow guessed both of them in the opening paragraphs. I'm not sure that early middle-graders would though which would make the reveals especially interesting and will generate a lot of conversation on the issues addressed. The final reveal was very well done indeed.

My main criticism of Believe would be the quotes of Peter Pan throughout the novel. I've always been a fan of Peter Pan and Melanie's experience playing Peter is integral to her development throughout the story. However, Peter Pan is a play marred by racism and from the quotes used I deduce that the children are performing the original, unabridged stage version.

This would have been absolutely normal in 1980 when the book was set (and Melanie does reflect on how uncomfortable some of the terms make her feel) but there are references to 'Indians' and 'natives' throughout the book and Melanie goes on to use the term 'pygmy' in a story which is an equally racist term.

There is also ableist language throughout the book, with Melanie remarking at one point that she 'stood there like a stroke victim'.

I read an advance copy of Believe on Netgalley. Perhaps these issues will be ironed out in the final version? Having suffered loss in our family, I would love to be able to recommend this book to my nieces but feel I couldn't unless these issues were resolved (and they can be resolved by a simple edit).

An otherwise excellent novel spoiled by insufficient analysis of racist and ableist terminology common in the era in which it was set, I give Believe a disappointing two out of five stars.

Melanie is a smart kid who loves to get lost in imaginary worlds but has a bit of trouble navigating this one. We follow her in the few months it takes for her class to put on a production of "Peter Pan", during which she develops some new friendships, learns to stand up for herself and deals with difficult events from her past.

Melanie is also (spoiler alert!) an unreliable narrator, which was an interesting thing to have in a middle-grade novel. Sure, most adult readers will guess the major plot twists early on, but I imagine it would take kids a bit longer to catch on.

I enjoyed quite a few aspects of this, especially some of Melanie's observations about magic intertwining with the real world, but struggled with other parts, especially the stereotypical school bully. I also wasn't quite sure about the decision to set the book in the 80s - I imagine it was done to make use of "simpler times" where kids could ride bikes all around town instead of playing on their phones, but it didn't work for me completely.

In general, really, although I found the book whimsical and a lot of its messages relevant, it didn't quite pack the punch it should have. It's not so much about any specific flaws; rather, the whole packaged lacked a certain oomph that really would have taken it to the next level.

With tons of heart, thought and emotion, this is a journey of a girl finding herself.

Melanie is a fifth grader, who keeps to herself and doesn't fit in with the rest of the kids. During one of the regular bullying sessions, she finds a new friend at her side. This friend is exactly the push she needs to gain courage not only to stand up for herself but also to learn who she is and what she even wants. Melanie also begins the journey of healing as she takes the hunt for her missing mother into her own hands...one that leads to a few surprises along the way.

Melanie is a lovely girl, who has shielded herself off from others. Her awkwardness is endearing but not as much as her heart of gold. Her very active imagination is what will capture readers as she tries to fiddle her way and find her place in the world. But then, fifth graders will easily relate to how awkward fitting in or standing out can be.

The story shines thanks to two main twists. The first one is already clear in the first pages, but young readers probably won't pick up on it for quite some time. It adds a nice touch which had me smiling. The second is also a bit predictable, but it definitely adds the intriguing punch. Especially the ending picked up pace and edged this closer to a four star review, but it wasn't quite enough.

This read is short and entertaining. Young readers will find quite a bit to sympathize with and feel connected to. The ideas of bullying, learning who you are, friendship, loss, overcoming certain fears, and embracing family are all wonderful messages and perfect for the intended age group. While so much is included, I found myself skipping paragraphs again and again...and still, had no trouble keeping up with the tale. Also, this is placed in the 1980's. The author brings in quite a bit of pop-culture from that time, and while she does take the time to explain the important references, I'm not sure it will interest this age group or resonate with them.

All in all, this is a lovely tale with tons of goodness. I'm sure the right reader will enjoy it quite a bit.

I think that some of the language and words used in the book will make it a bit unaccessible for its intended audience. Some of the transitions between chapters/scenes were confusing and the Mel/Sabrina situation will be hard for some to grasp. That being said, I think more books on dealing with grief need to be written, this one has good bones but I think needs more development. There are some good quotes and moments but it fell a little flat.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This was a lovely whimsical read about a young girl navigating daily life at school and at home. Melanie befriends a girl called Sabrina and they become inseparable. Sabrina is everything Melanie isn't and really draws Melanie out of herself to be more confident and less shy.

I guessed the outcome of this story within the first third of the book however it was still a beautiful story and well worth finishing to the end.

The author covers loss and imagination within this book give grace and delicacy and I really enjoyed reading it.

This is a difficult book to assess because I know it's for a younger audience. But even still - I think there are things this book does well and then things that take you away from the experience of reading it.
This book exists almost in a duality of times - the author's experience of a time past, and then the attempt to connect to a present. This language has a bit of a dissonance to me as a reader, and I question when language came into play quite a few times.
The story itself is absolutely predictable from the beginning. There is no stray from this expectation and the characters all act predictably. This is unfortunate, as this is a tale of coping with loss and grief. The potential of ideas, imagination, and missed opportunities of development are all on display in the worst sense, which really brings this narrative down. This book repeatedly fails to live up to the opportunity its name provides.
But then this book ends in a sort of almost ending, nearly as if there is half a resolution to the story, and then the other side is almost a promise for a resolution. But that promise is hardly fulfilling enough and I feel mostly like this is just forgettable.

A fantastic teen story so wonderfully written. A unique plot line following the everyday struggles of young girl. This book tackles mental health in a way that young children can access. The ending was a refreshing surprise, satisfying but not stereotypical. A beautifully written novel.

My eight year old daughter loved this book! She had a hard time putting it down. At dinner, she would excitedly tell me about what had been happening in the book. She read it in about 5 days. I think other girls from about 2nd grade through early middle school would also like this book. The reading level is appropriate for strong second grade readers on up. We will be looking for more titles by this author!

So I'm writing this review as someone who is over ten years older than the target demographic for this book. However, that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this book.
The story follows Melanie, a fifth-grader, as she navigates school, and does her best to avoid Karen, the school bully. Then Melanie meets Sabrina, a girl who is fearless and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. Sabrina slowly draws Melanie out of her shell and encourages her to believe in herself. The only thing missing is Melanie’s mum, however Sabrina is convinced they can track her down.

I can't remember the last time I read middle grade, but really enjoyed this book, it has a really whimsical feel the whole way through that I loved. I loved Melanie as a character, I loved her imagination and the way she saw the world. The book managed to cover topics such as grief and loss in a really lovely way, that would be perfect for younger readers.
Mathison did an amazing job of only having a handful of characters, but making them all really unique and interesting- I felt like I knew all the other children in Melanie’s class by the end of the book.

I guessed pretty early on the “twists” in this story, but I think that’s because I'm an adult reading a children’s book, and even then, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story. I think this is a great book for pre-teens, but I also feel like it can be enjoyed by all age groups- I loved it!

I personally found it hard to really relate to the story, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. This book is a wonderful book to share with children. It touches on topics, such as grief and finding your courage, that I wasn’t expecting. A quick read that is perfect for younger readers.