Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Hugo stands out among his peers due to his stature. He is a talented “garbologist” who doesn’t recognize his interpersonal strength. It hurt my mama/teacher hurt to read about kids bullying each other, but even though this book was about serious issues, it did make me laugh out loud, too.

One Kid’s Trash by Jamie Sumner, 240 pages. Atheneum (Simon), 2021. $18

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

11yo Hugo’s dad decides to abandon his job as an engineer and pursue his bliss working at a ski resort. Luckily, Hugo’s popular cousin Vijay (and his family) also live in Beech Creek, but sixth grade is sixth grade the US over. Because he is the smallest 6th grader around, Hugo has bullies to contend with. He finds a way to popularity by the fine art of garbology – analyzing someone’s garbage to figure out what makes them tick. But every trick also has its drawbacks.

A light, easy read with a funny trash-based twist. Would be great in paperback.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

This reminded me of Linked by Gordon Korman- in the best way. The two would go great together. Im adding it our Bookish Society MG booklist.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I absolutely loved this middle grade novel by Jamie Sumner. Hugo is new to the school and trying to find where he fits in -- the only problem -- he is TINY for his age. Which makes him a HUGE target. Hugo's cousin Veejay goes to school with him and helps him make friends with the group in charge of the school newsletter. Hugo lets it slip that he has a "gift" of garbology -- which is going through someone's trash and learning their secrets. Hugo uses garbology to his advantage to make friends with some of the cool kids, but meanwhile, he grows farther apart from Veej and the newsletter crew. Hugo has to figure out where he belongs and how to make a name for himself without sacrificing someone else.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for sharing an ARC with #Collabookation!

I absolutely loved this middle grade book. Hugo is such a relatable main character going through completely relatable struggles with friends and family. After moving due to his dad's job, Hugo feels like he finally found a group of friends (from being picked on for his size at his old school) and becomes quite popular at his new school for his ability to read people's garbage. The story also addresses bullying and whether it's okay to bully others because you've been bullied. I think this is such a relatable book on so many levels, and one that my students will definitely enjoy.

I cannot wait to add this title to my classroom library!

A funny and engaging story about fitting into a new place with new people and new circumstances. Hugo is a relatable main character and his struggles with his friends and family feel like struggles that happen in real life. He has always stuck out because of his small size, but when he discovers a way to stand out for another reason, he has to decide if he wants to embrace this new role in life and what that means for him. Ultimately this book is about how kindness and friendship and seeking understanding always win. Set in Colorado in a ski town during the fall, this book has an extra layer of fun with those elements.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the early copy. I love this middle grade story! How refreshing and what a nice story to read. Hugo is upset when his family moves across the state due to his dad's new job. Hugo has to not only move but has to change schools as well. He's happy that he at least gets to go to school with his cousin Vij. Hugo does not like starting new because he is tiny and others tease pick on him. But when Hugo discovers a new talent at school it changes things, but changes somethings that Hugo later regrets.
A great middle grade story and I cant wait to recommend it to some of my higher readers.

Hugo is unhappy when his parents uproot his life from Denver to move for his dad's new job. Hugo feels like he finally found a group of friends and is not ready to be the new kid that gets picked on for his size. With the help of his cousin, Vij, Hugo becomes quite popular at his new school for his ability to read people's garbage. But with his new found fame, can Hugo keep it from all going to his head?

This is a cute story of a kid struggling to feel like he belongs and struggling to confide in his parents when they begin arguing. It shows that bullying is not the answer and to never forget the friends that were always there for you!

One Kid’s Trash is so good and perfect for elementary and middle school libraries.

Here’s what I loved:
It’s about garbology (the study of trash) and I didn’t even know that was a real thing
Hugo is short, and we hardly ever see that in middle grade literature
It’s funny while also dealing with serious issues

The set-up: Hugo’s dad has had a mid-life crisis and has given us his desk job to become a ski instructor, so the whole family has moved across Colorado to start over. Hugo is tiny and dreads starting at a new school, where he just knows kids will tease him. Fortunately, his likeable cousin goes to the same school, and Hugo starts making friends right away. When his classmates realize that Hugo can interpret trash (he’s a bonafide garbologist), Hugo is popular for the first time, until things start to get out of control.

I absolutely loved the premise of One Kid’s Trash and I know it’s going to be popular in my library. This would make an excellent pairing with Linked by Gordon Korman.

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon and Schusters Childrens Publishing for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I always appreciate how this author brings children with disabilities and differences and puts them at the forefront of her novels. It's so important that children feel seen in the books they choose to read. This was such an important book about bullying and the affects of how you deal with that bullying. I think it was also an important story about how being the "outcast" is not always a bad things and that it's so important to always be authentic in yourself because that's how you are going to find your people. Another win for this author and one that teachers and librarians should definitely have available on their shelves.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

An engaging story, with a unique premise - the study of trash, about starting over at a new school and finding your friends. The story addresses bullying and whether it's okay to bully others because you've been bullied. Add in complex family dynamics and you get a compelling story.

Also, this book is under 250 pages so it is a book that kids can read quickly!

One Kid's Trash was a surprise for me! I was expecting something about the environment from the cover and title, so it was a completely different story than I thought. Jamie Sumner's characters are always authentic and flawed and real. They seem very much like the middle school students I teach every day, and I know many of them will be able to relate to these characters. From wanting to fit in to parents arguing to moving to a new school -- these are all issues my students will understand. The writing is interesting yet accessible to them as well. I enjoyed this and will definitely get a copy for my classroom library!

I plan on doing a book birthday on the publication date with this book. I think it will resonate with my students because the main character is such an underdog, born prematurely, and has always been small. He gets bullied a lot. So much he is used to it. His parents have moved to a new town where the only person he knows is his cousin Vijay. Vijay encourages him to join the school newspaper where Hugo discovers his hidden talent of garbology where you can figure out characteristics of a person by looking at what they throw away. This new detective talent makes him popular, but also gets him into trouble. All the while, he's dealing with his parent's drama with jobs and marriage. I can't wait to do a book talk on this book. Thank you so much to #NetGalley and #JamieSumner for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

After a quick review, I believe our middle-grade visitors will enjoy this book and identify with the main character and his insecurities and desire to fit in. Thank you for the ARC!

Jamie Sumner strikes again with this fun and fast-paced middle grade book. As more and more Middle Grade books center around difficult topics and trauma, it's a joy to read a book that's funny, honest, and quirky that's truly escapist.

Another fantastic book by Jamie Sumner! This book was highly engaging, fast paced and perfect for middle school readers. I can't wait until it is published and available to share with students. It tells the story of Hugo who just moved to a new town so that his father could explore his own dreams of working at a ski resort. Hugo is very small for his age and is consistently self conscious and sometimes bullied because of his size. As he struggles to fit in at his new school he discovers that using "garbology" is one way to connect with his peers. He looks at other peoples trash and provides information them. This novel explores friendship, family, bullying, and embracing being yourself. The story feels very realistic and addresses common middle grades feelings and situations.

I received an electronic ARC from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
Garbage is not a usual focus for middle grade novels, but in this case, it works to help a new kid fit in. Hugo is struggling with his family's move and starting at a new school. Unfortunately, he also faces the issue of his height; he's not very tall and has to reestablish coping methods with new people. He tries to show his skills by analyzing someone's trash and steps into the role of a garbologist. One shining gift is that his cousin is also at his school and in several of his classes. Hugo tries to step out from the support from his cousin and in doing so, hurts Vijay along with other friends. Bullying plays a key role in advancing the story and readers get to see the bullied become the bully in a moment of anger. Sumner captures middle school life and readers will connect with the students and staff. They stop short of being stereotypes and are shared as normal humans with struggles and challenges to be met.

Set in a Colorado ski town, this was a fun read - fast paced and funny - dealing primarily with self-image and how to treat others. The main character Hugo's very small for his age, so that's a focus as well. There was also some bullying that spiraled out of control and parental problems. His knack for telling personality traits from a person's garbage made for an interesting story line as well.

Thanks to the publisher, I received and read this as an e-ARC. I've loved Jamie Sumner's other titles and had high hopes for this one. Ultimately, though, I didn't love this one. I liked how garbology played into it, but the book itself just ran a little long and I felt like I had to push myself to continue reading.