I’ve never met a Barbara O’Connor book I didn’t love and I found out I don’t own this one yet in my classroom! I loved the message of friendships at all ages. Posey is a character that will stick with you for a while. Walter mourns the death of his older brother, Tank, but through new friendships and a little dog named Porkchop’s companionship, he’s able to start healing. This touching book is reminiscent of Because of Winn Dixie.

Yet again, Barbara O’Connor writes with so much heart about characters with quirk and charm galore. Just wonderful

Barbara O'Connor is really wonderful at bringing whimsy to her books even when the topics dealt with are pretty heavy. This was a really great exploration of grief and change and moving on.

Ten-year old Walter is dealing with the grief that accompanies the passing of his older brother when Posey, the new girl, moves in next door. Posey is outgoing and friendly and the pair quickly become friends in this quirky, fun, character-driven story. This heartwarming coming-of-age adventure features themes of friendship, family, loss, and most of all, hope. A sweet friendship, quirky characters, and a lovable dog make for the perfect combination.

There is something very magical about Barbara O'Connor's books. They are exactly the kind of books I would have loved to read as a kid, and still love reading now! I adore her quirky characters, who feel very real and relatable in their heartbreak and their triumphs.
Halfway to Harmony is as beautiful a story inside as its gorgeous cover. Walter is grieving the loss of his beloved older brother Tank. His parents are struggling with their own grief, leaving Walter feeling isolated - until Posey moves in next door. She is bossy and extroverted - and just what Walter needs. They soon discover something they both need - a mystery and a mission. The pair soon find themselves helping Banjo, a quirky soul who has fallen from a hot air balloon. Filled with humor and adventure, this story is about how friendship and community can bring healing and happiness to hurting hearts.

Thank you MacMillan and NetGalley for sharing this book in exchange for an honest review. I love Barbara’s books because they always intertwine humor and heart so beautifully. Halfway to Harmony lived up to her reputation and I would recommend to all who are looking for a book with a lot of laughs and a lot of depth.

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on this advanced reader edition of Halfway to Harmony by Barbara O’Connor. I love all of her books, especially Wish, so I could not wait to get started. And this book did not disappoint. I entered the world of Walter and Posey, a world seemingly so long ago yet filled with the same complexities of life today. Touching upon the themes of family, loss, friendship and adventure, I felt all the feelings of the characters throughout each page. And while the ending may have been a bit predictable, it was filled with a surge of confidence, friendship and most of all, hope.

It's almost Walter's birthday and it will be the first one without his brother who went overseas to war and never came back. Walter's is lonely and sad. Then Posey moves in next door with her dog and the adventures begin...especially when they discover a dead body.
Ok... he wasn't really dead but Banjo did fall out of a hot air balloon that is now missing. Together Walter, Posey, and Banjo search for the balloon and become friends in the process.
Solid middle grade fiction - pretty tame really but sweet. There was, I feel, a timing issue near that end of the book but nothing major.

I have to say, Middle Grade fiction is really doing it’s stuff lately. Halfway to Harmony is another Middle Grade Fiction that did not disappoint. This book will pull at your heartstrings while also giving you a light feel great read. After losing his older brother Tank, Walter is grieving for the loss of not only his brother but the void it left because Tank was also his best friend. Walter in his dreams often hears his brother Tank inviting him to be with him, but Walter awakes right before he can blow his birthday candles. Walter is such a loving character whose journey becomes finding that love lost and feeling some form of normalcy in his life.

We then meet Posey, spunky young girl with a 3-legged dog companion. She is also Walter’s new neighborhood and the person Walter beings a friendship with. After all, he is no longer all by himself. Posey and Walter then meet Banjo, a man whose dream is to be a part of a hot air balloon race. Both Posey and Banjo are also characters you find yourself cherishing. Posey has an impeccable photographic memory and a liveliness that can brighten up a room. Oh, let’s not forget that her pup is name Porkchop, which is the absolute cutest. Banjo’s very positive and adventurous take on life adds a certain hopefulness into the story. Both Posey’s and Banjo’s personalities adds a positive nature that helps Walter get through the grief and anger he feels in relation to his brother’s death. The grief process doesn’t feel pushed aside or rushed; it feels erased organically.

Overall, this story is filled with moments of growth, laughter, joy and adventure. Banjo’s dream becomes Walter’s and Posey unforgettable summer. If you are looking for a heart-warming summer adventure full of many journeys and magical dreams, this is the book for you.

Walter's life was turned upside down when his brother Tank was killed in the line of duty, so when extroverted Posey moves in next door and pulls him out of his shell, Walter isn't too sure about this new friendship. Things get complicated when the two discover an injured man in the woods who broke his leg after falling from the sky out of a hot air balloon. As expected from Barbara O'Connor, the characters in this book are charming, quirky and a bit flawed. Middle grade fans of realistic fiction will enjoy this sweet and tender story about new friendship and taking chances.

Ten year old Walter Tipple has learned that his older brother Tank, his hero, was killed while serving in the Army. Walter is still carrying the last letter from Tank , unopened. His mother won’t accept the reality and packs up everything in Tank’s room and moves the boxes to the barn.
A new family moves in next door with Posey who is the same age as Walter. They go off to the woods and find a man who fell out of the sky. He was in a hot air balloon that the three of them are now trying to find.
Walter realizes that life throws some difficult experiences while grieving and trying to come to terms with his brother’s death. This is an adventure story with a wonderful ending. I needed this book and so will many children who lose a brother or sister in the Armed Services.

What a sweet book! This is a great tale of friendship, healing, and believing in yourself. I look forward to sharing this one with my kids! Halfway to Harmony will make a wonderful addition to MG shelves, everywhere.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Do you know those books you can’t stop thinking about; the ones you can’t wait to finish, but yet you know you won’t really want to say goodbye? HALFWAY TO HARMONY is one of those books! It will tug at your heart strings and make you laugh out loud as it transports you to summer in rural Georgia. You’ll fall in love with the characters, especially Walter and Posey. Walter, who is struggling to accept the death of his hero and older brother, Tank while serving overseas, is convinced he will never be as popular and as well loved as Tank was both to his family and to his town. His lonely, sad summer quickly changes when Posey, her three legged dog, Pork Chop and her mom move in next door. Posey is a pure delight! I loved her positivity, her loyalty, her spunk and her constant quoting from her two favorite books, Nuggets of Knowledge and Caesar Romanoff’s Rules for Making Friends. Suddenly, Walter has a best friend and together they have loads of adventures including finding a “dead” man, Banjo, calling 911 for the first time ever and rescuing his hot air balloon, all while Posey teaches Walter the rules to making friends (great points to spark a conversation with your class or children during a read aloud). Her friendship, her support and her understanding of Walter’s grief helps him gain confidence in himself and to begin to accept Tank’s death.

I have been a fan of Barbara O’Connor’s books for a long time. WISH is one of my all time favorites, so I was so excited to receive an ebook of #halfwaytoharmony to review. It proved to be just as special and memorable as I hoped. It was the perfect book to lift my spirits this week and to transport me to a different world full of fun and warmth. It’s a book that needs to be in school libraries for grades 4-6 and is also a perfect read aloud

I DNFed this book about 27% of the way through.

While I understand this is a kid's book, I have a really hard time believing that two kids would just act so nonchalantly to a supposed dead man in the woods. I also have doubts that said assumed dead man would just be open to going on a small adventure with those two kids. I think this book might set children up to think it's okay for them to talk to complete strangers.

Along with that, the main character wasn't really written like a main character. He was more so an object we were using to see all the other characters, and I wasn't a big fan of that.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Barbara O’Connor (even from Minion, who read Wish and really enjoyed it), but I had never actually read her work myself. I always love seeing middle grade books that tackle grief and healing, though, so I decided to give this one a try, and y’all, I am so freaking glad that I did!

Halfway to Harmony is a heartwarming coming-of-age adventure about the people we lose, the people we discover, and the people that help us find ourselves. It will break your heart and give you the warm fuzzies all at the same time.

I admit that I had some misgivings going in, because I don’t read a lot of contemporary books, and I tend to want more action and forward moment in the books I read. There’s not a lot of action, per se, in this book, as it’s definitely character-driven. But with quirky, fun characters like these? That was absolutely no problem for me, and I sailed through this book without wanting to put it down.

My Thoughts:

- Halfway to Harmony is a character-driven book … so it’s lucky that it’s filled with a cast of unique characters that will pull you into their world and refuse to let go. If you’re looking for something that’s filled with action and forward momentum, this isn’t the book for you. Sure, things happen, but the focus is on the characters and their interactions with each other. Usually not the type of book I read, but these characters are absolutely fabulous.

Walter is the main character, who’s coming to grips with the death of his older brother, Tank, who he looked up to. Grief is a hard thing to deal with, especially when you’re that young.

Posey is the new girl next door, the one who seems loud and outgoing and like she has the whole world figured out. She loves spouting little nuggets of knowledge from the book by that very title that she read recently.

Banjo is a mysterious stranger they meet in the woods (no, not like that, I promise), who ends up with an immediate crush on Evaline, Posey’s mother, and spends much of the book attempting to woo her while also chasing his dreams.

These characters are packed full of personality, and they’ve all got things they’re working towards. Walter’s quiet personality is offset by Posey, and the two become fast friends. For me, though, Banjo really stole the show, and his infatuation with Evaline was both adorable and charming, and I loved seeing his antics!

- There’s a grand adventure in this. Maybe not the seeing-the-world sort of adventure, but a quieter kind that I think most readers will be able to relate to. If you live pretty much anywhere rural, you’re used to the crazy adventures that can pop up, especially if you live near a forest. For me, this raised all sorts of feelings of nostalgia, because a grand adventure for a kid might be very different than that of an adult (even though, to be fair, I think Walter’s adventure is quite the adventure for anyone!) The scale felt perfect for these characters, but also reminded me so fondly of my own childhood. I don’t want to spoil too much about the adventure, but I will say that the air balloon on the cover comes into play! More than that, though, the best part of the adventure is that the characters have to come together in order to solve it, and it seems like there are always hiccups and bumps in the road that they have to find solutions for.

- There’s a sliver of a romantic subplot, and honestly, that was one of my favorite things about this book! To be fair, there’s so much about this book to love. I’m sure you’re looking at me a little crazy right now, because romance really isn’t my thing, right? This was just so stinking cute, though. Romance may not be accurate. Banjo is so obviously stricken and is doing his very best to woo Evaline with his charms. These interactions were absolutely some of my favorites, especially the way Posey reacts to Banjo being sweet on her mother. It is just a subplot, though, so it’s not very in-your-face or at the forefront, so I think it has the ability to appeal across the ages that might read this book! A little something for everyone.

- The children in this book tackle some pretty big problems, such as grief and making friends, which I think is so important in middle grade stories! The big one, first of all, is Walter and his struggle with the grief of losing his brother and not knowing how to move on. The family as a whole has just been sort of broken and drifting apart since Tank went to war and never came home, and they’re all grieving as their own little silos. Walter has to learn what it means to not have his older brother around to look up to, but also how to continue being a part of the family now that there’s a member missing. Friendship is also a really big theme. Walter’s friendship with Posey sort of accidentally falls into his lap, and she becomes basically his only friend, because he’s not very good at making friends. Fear not, though! Like so many other things, Posey has read a book on this, and Caesar Romanoff has got their back, with his tips for how to make friends. I really enjoyed this, not only because there are some really great tips in general packed into a compelling story, but there’s also the larger narrative that Walter is already making friends, without even realizing it, which makes the struggle to learn how to make friends a teensy bit ironic.

Halfway to Harmony has a timeless feel to it. Though obviously set more recently than not, I never got a full sense of when the story takes place. And that’s OK. The events surrounding these few weeks in Walter’s life focus on a sense of place instead.

From Walter and Posey to Banjo and Posey’s mom, all the characters in Halfway to Harmony have weight to them. Walter’s trepidation is balanced by Posey’s self-assurance, and Banjo’s bravado is something to behold. As the book moves forward, you see true progression in Walter and Posey. And you can’t help but smile and shake your head at Banjo’s antics.

My favorite moments in Halfway to Harmony are the simplest. When Walter allows himself to breathe, to live in the moment, there’s a beautiful calmness that envelopes you as a reader. O’Connor uses these moments for differing emotions with great ease.

Halfway to Harmony tends to be on the more quiet side as far as middle grade novels go, but it should appeal to a large cross-section of readers.

Barbara O'Connor has this special way of building friendships between unusual and unlikely and loveable characters. Posey, Walter, and Banjo (what a great name!) will find a special place in your heart. This book is about family and loss and friendship and adventure. Oh, and of course it has a dog!

This was a very cute, fast-paced story. Kids will enjoy reading about Walter and Posey and their adventure with Banjo and his hot air balloon.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a delight! The friendship story, the adventure, the hot air balloon, the loss of a sibling ... it gave off strong Bridge to Terabithia vibes. I enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the gifted digital copy!

Halfway to Harmony by Barbara O' Connor conveys grief and loss through the eyes of Walter Tipple. Walter is trying to move on from the loss of his brother Tank. Throughout the book, Walter experiences adventure through his experiences with Posey, a new neighbor full of spunk! In addition to helping a man seek out his hot air balloon, Walter learns the meaning of kindred spirits. Walter certainly endures quite a journey of self discovery!

I recommend Halfway to Harmony to children in elementary/primary school. It covers emotional topics such as grief and loss easy to understand for young ones. It's certainly an enlightening story!