Five paleontology skills stars for this new release from Angela Ahn! Peter is obsessed with dinosaurs and believes his future career is in paleontology. Will a junior dinosaur dig in the Alberta Badlands jumpstart his plans? He is ready with his notebook, explorer vest, dig experience in his back yard, and a wealth of dinosaur facts. He has been learning to PLAN, OBSERVE, ORGANIZE, RECORD, and EXECUTE. What to do when the execution phase is a huge disappointment? And what is wrong with Hammy, his beloved grandmother? There were so many things I loved about this book: 1) The family vacation -- so realistic. 2) L.B. is so precocious and the brother-sister relationship well done. 3) Explores the topic of dementia in a way that is approachable and a conversation starter. 4) Peter stands up to a bully. 5) The family interactions are so heartwarming and humorous at times. I laughed out loud multiple times. If you enjoyed 'Merci Suarez Changes Gears,' then this one is for you.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a little bit of everything and managed to do all of it well. Friendship, bullying, aging and ailing grandparents, sibling relationship, parents who are both supportive and pressuring/involved and distracted...all share the spotlight in this middle grade gem. I loved this book particularly for its well-crafted relationships. Peter is a budding young paleontologist who faces a myriad of issues. His sister, L.B., is both annoying and endearing. Peter’s asthma seemingly crushes his dream of working in the field. Something is wrong with Peter’s grandmother, Hammy, but nobody will talk about it. The solution Peter arrives at brought me to tears. I also appreciated the focus on Peter’s schoolmates: Ryan, the bully, and Samuel, the older popular kid. This entire book was so relatable and honest, and I can’t wait to hand it to our young patrons.

If you enjoyed Angela Ahn’s debut Krista Kim-Bap you will fall in love with Peter Lee and his whole family in her new middle grade novel Peter Lee’s Notes From the Field.

In this story, Peter is OBSESSED with dinosaurs, a preschool passion morphed and grew into a potential career in paleontology for the fifth grader. He is very close to his whole Korean family: mom, dad, little sister L.B, Hammy (grandmother) and Haji (grandfather). He deals with the usual fifth grader stuff, a mean and obnoxious bully in Ryan and a great friend in Joe. When an opportunity comes up for a family vacation to Drumheller to participate in an actual dinosaur dig, the whole family, Hammy and Haji included, heads out on a road trip from Vancouver. Peter meticulously takes notes and his scientific mind is telling him there is something up with Hammy. It’s a beautiful, intergenerational story of love, growth and discovery.

I ADORE Peter and L.B. in this story. Peter is so, so relatable and his voice is so clear. I love how Angela Ahn weaves in his scientific interest throughout the story and how she teaches the reader so many new concepts throughout adding elements for the non-fiction fan wrapped up in a fantastic fictional story. L.B. is a typical little sister who probably knows a little too much for her own good. Extremely intelligent and so spunky, she’s a perfect companion character to Peter. The story line with Hammy and Haji will be so familiar to many families who hold their Elders close to them. We live in an area where it is extremely common to see grandmothers and grandfathers picking children up from school and acting as caregivers. When Hammy starts forgetting things it’s cause for concern for Peter and a reminder to adults that as much as we may try to hide the hard things from our children, they are so observant.

Angela Ahn writes an incredibly relatable character in Peter. At one point he fails and fails hard which makes him start to question life. What a common experience for children this age and a lovely reminder to middle grade readers that your life isn’t set in stone when you are ten or eleven. Plans can change, ideas will morph into other ideas and skills are transferable from one interest or goal to another. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t want to tell Ryan to take a long hike! Angela Ahn writes the schoolyard bully to perfection in Ryan. Readers will feel empowered by Peter and his dealings with Ryan. All of the characters in this story are so wonderful, except of course Ryan, readers will want to pick them all up and invite them over for dinner at their house.

I really loved this story and was totally hooked from page one. It’s a fantastic middle grade novel that will appeal to so many readers.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to read a book about a Korean family. I feel that is an underrepresented group in children's literature. I liked the family dynamics. It's clear they all love each other, but they also get on each other's nerves like any real family. Peter's struggles, with his family, with bullies at school, with his passion, and his health, are all very relatable. I did think that at times there was a lot going on. From finding ways to manage his frustrations with LB, to the bully, to the asthma, to the dementia, to the family dynamics, to the paleontology, it was definitely a multi-faceted book. While it does reflect the intersectionality of real life, it might be a lot for some middle grade readers to follow. Once in a while, there is some tougher vocabulary, especially with the paleontology discussions, but I think most middle grader readers will be able to make it through this book pretty easily. I also liked how the ending wasn't necessarily neat and tidy. We see the potential for change and growth in Peter's family in the future. This is a great middle grade story that reflects an underrepresented perspective but places it solidly in the relatable experience of an eleven-year-old boy. Will definitely recommend for school libraries!

What do you get when you mix a 10-year-old brother who is crazy about dinosaurs, a younger sister who is a child prodigy, and a family trip to the Alberta Badlands and a real paleontology dig at the Royal Tyrrell Museum? Well...uncomfortable hotel rooms, asthma attacks, and a little too much togetherness is a pretty good guess.

Peter Lee loves dinosaurs and plans to become a paleontologist. His little sister L.B. is enrolled in numerous enrichment programs (a gifted child), but the family decides to take a trip so that Peter can live his dream of participating in a real dig. Things ought to be great, but Peter and L.B. have both been noticing that their grandmother is more confused and forgetful every day. This might be their last trip together.

Peter is a "Canadian-born Korean" whose grandparents Hammy and Haji live nearby and are very involved in his life. The story of how his grandparents met, the family's day at a KoreanCanadian festival, and other details give readers a glimpse of the cultural background of Peter's family. #OwnVoices

If you know someone who loves realistic fiction - this book deals with obnoxious classmates, a mother determined to have her children reach their full potential, sibling relationships, families coping with the stress of dementia, and overcoming disappointments. This also has enough action and humor to make it a good classroom read-aloud for middle grades.

This book starts out to seem to be about a boy who love dinosaurs, but then it slips in under the radar that this is a book Peter and his family possibly loosing his grandmother to dementia, and how he triess to come up with a partial solution to that.

And it all works. The story works, because that is the way that life is, that it throws things at us and we have to adjust.

I love the running theme of the grandfather saying that he notices things.

Also the running theme of the mother trying to get kids to do homework whenever they can, until they rebel.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Peter Lee isn't your typical eleven year old. He is very into science, he is one of the few Korean kids at school, and he has asthma, which means he has his inhaler all the time. One problem he can't solve though, is how to help his grandmother, Hammy, who is sick.

Peter's observations and journal entries are a fun read. He is a very relatable character who is really someone readers can root for. This book tackles issues that are relevant to kids today. Peter's interest in science is also great for readers who can relate and may spur and interest in paleontology with other kids. Overall, I will recommend this to a variety of readers looking for more middle school realistic fiction.

What a great book! Peter wants to be a paleontologist and is excited to be able to go to a dinosaur dig. He loves writing and sketching daily in his notebook where he can plan, observe, organize, record and execute. His precocious little sister keeps him on his toes. When the dig doesn’t go well, Peter is discouraged until something happens with his grandmother and he and his sister come up with a plan. Will it help or is it too late? Peter learns to believe in himself and that it’s okay to take risks.

Awesome Middle grad fiction. Highly recommend. I really enjoyed the characters, the tone, and voice of the book.

Peter is a likable character and his family is too. When his grandmother begins to show signs of dementia, Peter comes up with a plan to keep his grandparents in their own home with some independence. This is an issue book but has realistic storylines that might make its appeal more widespread. Not sure though

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

I loved the author's debut book, Krista Kim-Bap, and I was anxiously awaiting a new book by her. Wow, was the wait ever worth it! She has such a knack for writing intergenerational relationships that I find touching, and I was so glad this story revolved around Peter, his immediate family, and his grandparents.

Peter already knows that he has a future as a paleontologist. His passion for dinosaurs and uncovering the secrets of the past is clear, and he wants nothing more than to spend his life doing this sort of work. When an opportunity go on a real archaeological dig in Drumheller becomes a reality, he's ecstatic...except he has to survive the car trip with his annoying sister and the rest of his family first. His grandmother, Hammy, is starting to forget things, and it becomes clear on this trip that all is not well with her. When they reach Drumheller, the dig is a disaster as the dust aggravates Peter's asthma and creates an embarrassing scene that swears Peter off paleontology for life. Peter might not have any long term future plans anymore, but when they return home him immediate plans become saving Hammy from being sent to a care facility, and keeping her at home where she belongs.

I love seeing how passionate Peter is about paleontology, and yet how quickly he dismisses that dream when it doesn't turn out the way he imagined. It felt very realistic to me that he immediately closed off that part of himself while that passion unconsciously morphed and readjusted itself. I loved setting of Drumheller as so many dinosaur-loving Canadian kids dream of going there, and the experience of the dig experience was well fleshed out. My favorite part of this story, though, was Peter and L.B.'s relationships with their grandparents, Hammy and Hanji. While their parents bring math homework along for the kids to do in the hotel room during their trip (this scene cracked me up), Hammy and Hanji are more indulgent and lenient. Peter's determination to keep Hammy at home and a integral part of their daily life is evidence of his strong devotion to her, as is his secret project with Hanji.

I highly recommend this book, especially since cultural diversity in Canadian middle grade fiction is sadly lacking. I hope to read many more books by the author in the future.</p>

RECOMMENDED: Gr. 4-6

Peter Lee is a character who will stay in reader’s minds long after the last page. He’s unique and engaging and the voice of this book is perfect for young readers. Themes of family and figuring out your place in the world are uniquely presented. Highly recommended!

This was a wonderfully sweet story about the strength of family and finding your talent. Each of the characters felt so real and relatable, whether it was to my own family members or that of my friends. There were a lot of different layers within the story - Peter’s struggle with a school bully, L.B. wanting to just be a kid, Hammy’s memory troubles - some of which I thought wrapped up smoother than others, but overall I enjoyed this story and the lovely illustrations of Peter’s notebooks!

This was a wonderful and heartfelt story! I absolutely adored reading this and joining eleven year old Peter Lee and his journey. The story has fun art inside and little field motes from Peter’s notebook, which is such a charming detail. The story is told from Peter’s perspective and his journey from dealing with asthma, paleontology dreams, a genius little sister, and a family member that has suddenly become sick. The family dynamic is such so well fleshed out and I really adored the authenticity of it. The things that Peter deals with in the story are very real struggles for kids and people of all ages, and found him to be a relatable character. The story was delightful, heart warming, and I think it would make a great read for anyone of all ages!

* Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*