This was a great middle-grade read. Joy is having a hard time adjusting to the fact that her father has lost his job which caused them to have to move from their house to a small apartment. She blames the new apartment for her parent's relationship trouble. But soon she meets new friends, gets a Hideout, and begins a business walking dogs. The focus in this book is owning your mistakes and earning forgiveness. Janae Marks is excellent at handling tough subjects for tweens without making things too heavy.

Review published on Goodreads, 3 November 2021:

I love that A SOFT PLACE TO LAND stars a young, Black girl but is not about the Civil Rights Movement, slavery, or racism. It's about an ordinary kid with everyday problems. I'd love more books like this, the kind that feature Black characters and families and talk about the types of problems any one can face—friend drama, family issues, unexpected change, figuring out how to reach goals, etc. Books about racism are good for bringing attention to the issue, but I like this kind even better. People are people and we're all dealing with something.

A SOFT PLACE TO LAND is a quick read, with enough going on to keep the story moving along. The characters are all warm and likable. Joy is a sympathetic heroine. Even though her story goal (trying to earn enough money for a piano or at least the piano lessons her family can no longer afford) isn't super compelling, I still wanted her to achieve it. Overall, I was a teensy bit disappointed in this story because it's just not very unique or memorable. I loved Marks' debut novel because it was more original. On the whole, I liked this one more than loved it. I do like Marks, though, and will definitely keep an eye out for her next book.

If I could, I've give this book 3 1/2 stars. Since I can't, I'm rounding up.

This is a well-written slice-of-life story about a middle schooler dealing with a lot of big changes. Joy's family has had a big change in their financial situation so they've had to move from their house to an apartment. Joy had to change schools, and she has had to give up her piano lessons. She makes a new friend quickly and soon develops a solid friend group, but her family life gets pretty rocky. After she makes a big mistake that results in her losing a neighbor's dog, and another mistakes leads to losing her friends, she has to work hard to repair everything. A pretty satisfying ending, as well.

Joy's life changes when she and her family move out of their house and into an apartment building across town when her dad loses his job. That isn't they only thing that changes in her life. She has to make new friends, her parents are fighting more than ever, and she doesn't even have a space to call her own. This move has changed more than her address, it's changed everything. And she isn't sure she likes it.

Enter Nora and the rest of the gang from the apartment building. They show her the ropes in the building and at school. She learns the secrets of the building and even finds a way to earn money to rejoin some of the extra-curriculars she had to give up.

This is a universal story of fitting in and finding out who your true friends are. The cast is diverse mainly black and Hispanic characters. A story that every reader can and will find themselves in. Another home run for author Janae Marks. A recommended purchase for all school and public libraries. This would pair well with books like Ways to Make Sunshine and Azaleah Lane.

A Soft Place to Land by Janae Marks is a sweet, heartfelt story about friendship, community, and family. It handles challenging topics in a relatable way for tweens. This book is a favorite of my middle grade readers. Kids who enjoy books about friend groups, starting a business, and navigating relationships with younger siblings will enjoy this one.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

A sweet, middle grade story that focuses on themes of family, friendship, and what exactly it means to be a good friend. I really enjoyed this and I can't wait to read more from Janae Marks.

Janae Marks has written another fantastic book! I loved how this book tackled big topics like change in life circumstances, change in homes, etc. I think my students are going to really connect with this story, and I can't wait to share it with them!

Joy's family moves into an apartment building after their house is foreclosed, and Joy doesn't know how she'll ever become a film composer if there's no money for piano lessons. Fortunately, she makes a new friend in the building who shares a secret kids-only hideout where Joy can escape from her worries at home, and together, the two friends start a dog-walking business to earn money.

As she did in her wonderful debut "From the Desk of Zoe Washington," the author does a nice jobs of balancing realistic storylines about friendship and family. The way financial hardship affects a family was particularly well depicted. Many young readers will relate to Joy's need for a space away from her family worries and will wish for a kids-only hideout of their own. This novel hits all the right notes for it's middle-grade audience.

A Soft Place to Land was such a beautifully written novel. I keep falling in love with Middle-grade novels every day. Books like ASPTL are the reason why. 5/5 ⭐

Joy was such a fascinating protagonist. I loved seeing her grow through her struggles. The author perfectly represented how changes impact the lives of young people, and I am so glad I got the chance to read it. My family had to deal with financial struggles a few years back too, so I connected with Joy on a deeper level. Themes of family and friendship were the heartbeat of A Soft Place to Land. I really appreciated how each of the themes was talked about, keeping the "middle-grade" tone through and through.

This book has become one of my favorite middle-grade reads! I will definitely keep recommending it to others! <3

This book is, as the title says, so soft. It's for any kid who's ever needed space for themselves. The big thinkers and the small voices among us, this book is perfect for you.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for an early copy of this book.

I was excited to read this new middle grade novel by the author of From the Desk of Zoe Washington and it did not disappoint.

The main character Taylor and her family are forced to sell their house and move into an apartment when her dad loses his job. The stress of not enough money, a tiny apartment with paper thin walls when her mom and dad argue, sharing a room with her little sister, new friends, and no more money for piano lessons is hard on Taylor. One of her new friends lets her in on a secret hideaway in the basement of the apartment building where the kids go to escape, and Joy finally has a space to go when it all feels like too much. Joy begins to realize she is the not the only one feeling alone and sets out to uncover a mystery message left on the hideaway wall while also trying to come up with ways to help her family financially and in turn find a way to pay for the piano lessons she loves.

Joy’s family has to downsize and move into a new home due to her father’s job loss. This means she has to go to a new school and meet new friends which is something many middle grades students can relate to. A Soft Place to Land has the perfect title. The story and characters are soft, warm, and inviting. Janae Marks shares Joy’s story in way that is easily accessible to 4th-7th grade students who cope with transitions and learning the skill of navigating friendships while at the same time trying to understand and hold on to their own passions and joys.

Joy’s life is full of changes. Her dad lost his job, so they had to sell their house and move into an apartment. Joy’s dream is to become a film composer and her parents can no longer afford to buy her a piano or her piano lessons. The story takes us on her journey as she deals with these new changes, makes new friends, and tries to make money so she can get her piano lessons back. Along the way she’ll learn some important lessons and maybe even what home really means.

Thank you Netgalley and Katherine Tegen Books for the gifted book that I read in partnership with the audio from the library.

Joy has had a picture book life, up until now. Her parents' financial situation has changed and her family has had to downsize from the house she called home into an apartment where she has to share a room with her younger sister. She has to go to a new school and make new friends. Plus, her parents are fighting all the time, making life at home not the safe haven it once was. But thankfully she meets a neighbor about her age who introduces her to her peers in the building and their super secret refuge in the building that the adults don't know about. It's there that Joy starts communicating with someone via the literal writing on the wall and is forced to examine her own emotions and motivations. 

Writing with heart and a tender care for the very real feelings these middle school characters are experiencing, Janae Marks shapes this tale of finding a metaphorical and literal soft place to land with a skilled hand. 

Bonus, the dog characters, especially Ziggy are *chef's kiss*.

When Joy's father loses his job and her family sells their home and moves to an apartment, the tiny space magnifies her parents' arguments, and her frustrations. Joy is no longer able to pursue her dreams of becoming a pianist and composer, there is nowhere for her to be by herself, and she feels the pressure of keeping it together for her little sister.

Joy's story is one of family, friends, and the meaning of home. Middle grade readers will appreciate her creativity in making the best of her situation while connecting with her struggles.

This is a great middle schooler read. The story was very engaging. I appreciated how everyone had a story. And everyone had things to deal with.
Great read. Top 10 middle schooler book to read this year.

A really sweet middle grade story dealing with the struggles of friendship, moving, growing up, and family. Would recommend this to youth grades 4-8.

Marks shines again in a realistic novel that explores the realities and difficulties of change in middle grader's lives. A Soft Place to Land provides excellent insight in how difficult financial struggles can be for families, especially as so many families experience economic status changes because of the pandemic. Marks' characters are well-developed and engaging while still having realistic flaws. While not quite as social justice oriented as her first novel, A Soft Place to Land engages with struggles that are ever present in our society.

This book will be like a comforting hug or warm blanket to many middle grade readers. So many kids have to deal with parents fighting, moving, financial hardship, or fighting with friends. Joy experiences and navigates all of those. And she does so with optimism, honesty, and self awareness. The characters and their reactions are largely believable and relatable. There are some moments of mystery and suspense as well.

The large elements of a "new kid" story tend to be fairly similar. A kid has to find their place among their peers. Often, this means a sudden group of fast friends. We can see this coming when Joy meets the kids in her building. While she forms friendships very quickly, those same friendships are broken just as easily by her own actions. And I like the messaging here: both Joy and her new friend learn lessons about what it means to be friends, the things we share and our right to keep secrets. While I feel like some of the issues are too easily resolved and the characters are underdeveloped, this is a solid read for a kid just beginning to search for meaning in their reading.