Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books, Katherine Tegen Books, and Netgalley for early access to A Soft Place to Land by Janae Marks.

A Soft Place to Land confirms that Janae Marks has a talent for grasping the right tone and mood for Middle Grade contemporary novels. Her first (From the Desk of Zoe Washington) was fabulous, and this next book (not a series) does not disappoint. She tackles modern issues in an authentic voice of the age group (9-13).

In A Soft Place to Land, Joy’s family moves from a house with a yard to an apartment building due to her father losing his job. Joy now has to share a room with her younger sister, and has no place to go to be alone. Worse, she can no longer take piano lessons and begin her path to her dream career of composing movie soundtracks. She is in a new school, needs to find new friends, and tries to problem-solve for herself and her family.

What I like the best about this author is that, while her characters are dealing with real-life problems as they filter from parent to child, she does not focus solely on those problems. She expertly weaves in the joys of life throughout the story, and captures the rise and fall of the good and bad in daily experiences.

This is a great book for any upper elementary or MG student. I think everyone will find something to connect to and learn from this story.

FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON is one of the best middle grade novels I've ever read, so I was very excited to check out A SOFT PLACE TO LAND. While I do prefer the former, the latter was not at all a disappointment. I loved Joy as a character, and thought Marks handled all of the big issues in this book (financial difficulties, separated parents, death of a parent, etc) with real tenderness and heart. I wonder a bit at the marketing of this book as a "mystery" because while there is a little bit of that woven in to the narrative, I think it might keep some children who enjoy contemporary but not mystery from picking this up, when it is mostly a simple coming-of-age narrative. Overall, I think a lot of kids will be able to relate to this book, and will find comfort within its pages.

In this charming middle-grade novel, Joy navigates through adversity as her parents face financial trouble and relocate her family to a small apartment. When Joy builds a new life with positive routines and people, everything seems to fall apart. Marks beautifully crafts relationships and situations for all her readers to relate to. She addresses the pressure of being an older sibling, the shame of hurting friends, and the pain of witnessing conflict at home. This is a must-read for fans of From the Desk of Zoe Washington.

Janae Marks has another winner after her amazing debut with From the Desk of Zoe Washington. In this book, Joy Taylor is dealing with a lot of tough changes in her life brought on by her father losing his job, the family downsizing to an apartment, and now attending a new middle school. She finds some comfort with her new friends and the secret room in their apartment building until everything goes wrong. Throughout the story I admire Joy's character and perseverance. She makes a great role model through thick and thin. I think this book will be winner with the middle school crowd.

A beautiful story about finding your place in the work - both physically and metaphorically. Adolescent years are difficult enough without having to move and watching parents argue. That's why having a secret space with no adults allowed is just the ticket - until one mistake takes it all away.

This sweet story about mistakes and forgiveness among friends and family is beautifully told and worth savoring.

A secret hideout just for kids, a dog-walking business, and creativity thriving amongst the residents of this apartment building... These are three pieces that definitely make for an intriguing story! A Soft Place to Land shows what it can feel like when financial situations change for a family, and how that can affect both the kids and the parents. It also highlights what a unique time of life being a tween/teenager can be and the need for a space to create, be alone, and build the bonds of friendships. This is a story that middle grade readers will not only be able to relate to, but that will also likely spark some inspiration.

If anyone enjoyed From the Desk of Zoe Washington, they will also enjoy A Soft Place to Land.
Janae Marks excels at writing strong female middle school protagonists with big dreams. This was a fun read that is great for upper elementary or 6th graders.

Joy’s father lost his job and consequently, Joy’s family had to sell their home and move into a much smaller apartment building. In addition to missing her old home, Joy now has to contend with a lot of things. She’s a passionate musician but her parents can no longer afford a piano or piano lessons, she keeps overhearing her parents arguing about finances, and she’s starting over as a new kid at a new school without any friends.

Thankfully, Joy is quickly befriended by a girl, Nora, in her building who turns out to be a classmate and her friendship circle welcomes Joy. Her new friends even show her the Hideout, a hidden and long-forgotten room in their apartment complex that acts as a secret clubhouse for all the kids. Joy soon starts exchanging messages to an anonymous kid in their building who also seems to be going through a rough patch, until they suddenly stop responding. Friendships fall apart when it’s discovered that secrets are kept from each other and Joy desperately tries to find a way to make things all right again for her family, neighbors, and her friends.

I thought this middle grade book was a really great exploration into family dynamics and friendship dynamics as Joy and her family are going through a tough period in their lives. They have to sell their house and move into an apartment after her father loses his job and it takes Joy a while to settle into the new place. As she bonds with some of the other kids in the building, she learns a lot more about friendship and forgiveness.

I thought that the friendships portrayed were very realistic and I like how the author navigated them through the conflict in the story. I feel like our middle schoolers will really connect with the characters in this story and will enjoy the plot as well.

Beautifully written story about a girl struggling with the changes in her life from moving into an apartment with her family and struggling with her parents fighting. The friendships between the kids at the apartment was authentic and the use of a secret hideout was so fun.

Twelve year old Joy, her sister, and her parents have to sell their home and move into a small apartment in another neighborhood. Joy's dad has lost his job and the family has to make sacrifices. Film scores and becoming a composer are what consoles her and makes her happy, but she has to stop her piano lessons. On the plus side, she makes a good friend in Nora and three others in her building and they let her in on a secret place. When she makes several mistakes, she uses her heart and mind to make things better and find a soft place to land. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet middle grade story about a girl struggling with family changes - moving to a small apartment from a house and a brief separation by her parents - new friendships, and what it means to grow up and take on more responsibilities. A lot of young readers will identify with Joy, especially if music is a large part of their lives. This wasn't as compelling or as strongly written as the author's debut, but it will circulate.

"A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
Release Date: 9.14.2021

Joy Taylor loves her family, her home, and her neighborhood; it's where she has lived all of her life! When her father loses his job, the family moves to a small apartment with thin walls. All extra expenses are cut. Her parents are arguing constantly. To make matters worse, Joy, who dreams of being a pianist and film score composer, can no longer attend piano lessons.

Joy feels overwhelmed with all the changes. She is trying to stay positive for her younger sister, Malia. She is not hearing from her friends. She is worrying about her parents. She is trying to do well in school. She is trying to raise money to continue her piano lessons.

Joy's neighbor, Nora, shares a secret place to relax, the Hideout, a refuge that only the kids in the complex know about. Joy begins exchanging secret messages with another kid in the building, but the notes stop abruptly. Joy must find out who the person is and see if they need help.

I loved "From the Desk of Zoe Washington," so I knew when this book appeared on @netgalley, I needed to request it! I was not disappointed! This coming of age novel shows Joy's maturity and resiliency, as well as her problem solving skills. Kids can definitely relate to Joy and her struggles with friendship, responsibility, and learning to advocate for herself. Home is not a location but where your loved ones live. I look forward to purchasing and recommending to my babies at the library.

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review.

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Tweens will relate to the upheaval Joy faces while handling family, friends and a big life change. That desire for a place to escape to while you figure life out will resonate with kids. Not as strong as Form the Desk of Zoe Washington but a solid addition to middle grade collections.

The Taylor family is going through a rough patch. Twelve-year old Joy’s father was laid off, they had to sell their beloved house and move to a small apartment, cut out all non-essential expenses like Joy’s piano lessons, and change Joy’s middle school. Bad enough her dream to be a film composer has to be put on hold and her old friends are not reaching out to her, but her parents are arguing now and Joy feels she has to keep her feelings hidden to shield her little sister, Malia. The silver lining is the friendliness and kindness of the residents of her apartment building, from the elderly next door neighbor Mae and her lovable dog, Ziggy, to aspiring film-maker, Nora and the other kids in the building who share the secret Hideout. Joy and Nora start a dog walking business and enjoy the cozy privacy of the Hideout. All does not go smoothly though: Joy's father moves out temporarily, she loses Ziggy on one of the walks as well as the friendship of Nora and the other kids, the former when she digs too deeply into secret messages she found in the Hideout and the latter, when her actions lead to the adults' discovery of the Hideout. Despite her loneliness, Joy shows resiliency and a knack for problem solving that leads to a positive resolution. This middle grade novel checks all the boxes and will have wide appeal. Joy's family is African American and most of the other characters are people of color, too.

In A Soft Place to Land, Marks has written another heartfelt novel. Joy’s life was upended after her father lost his job. Her family moved into a much smaller apartment, which means that she attends a different school and has to share a room with her sister. Luckily, she quickly runs into Nora, a neighbor whose interests complement her own. As she meets others in her building, things don’t seem so bad after all. But when things start to unravel, Joy starts to wonder if everything will really be okay. Joy’s voice feels hopeful, even when her actions don’t always turn out as planned. Her struggles with friendship, increased responsibility, and dealing with all of the changes in her life feel realistic and relatable. I look forward to recommending this title to the kids who come into my library.

I was excited to read this after reading “From the Desk of Zoe Washington” by the same author. While I found most of the story enjoyable, I did find myself wishing for one or two large conflict(s) instead of many small and seemingly unrelated ones. However, as an educator, I can see the potential for this middle grades novel to act as a good social-emotional learning opportunity and discussion starter in the classroom.

A Soft Place to Land is a new novel from the author of the wonderful book From the Desk of Zoe Washington. In this new book, Joy and her family have had to move to an apartment after her father has been laid off. Joy has to stop her beloved piano lessons and move to a new school, and now her parents are fighting all the time! Fortunately, Joy makes some new friends who like to spend time in a secret place called The Hideout.

This was a quick, fun read with some good emotional depth. Many kids can relate to going through a whirlwind of change like Joy does. Every kid would also love to have a hideout! I did find the book to be a little too easy - everything just worked out all the time and everyone was nice and everyone in their apartment building was extremely supportive. It felt unrealistic. Still, Joy and her friends were all compelling characters and I especially enjoyed all the dogs! (Though I could not understand why the girls could not just walk the dogs at consecutive times instead of in a group?)

I haven't read anything by Janae Marks, but I am sure to do so from now on after reading this beautifully heartfelt contemporary. I've been on the hunt for more MG books about homelessness and/or parents who lose their jobs because so many of my students come from those situations, and I am thrilled that I've found a book that feels authentic and relatable to those above-mentioned topics.

The main character, Joy Taylor, comes from a pretty privileged life until her father loses his job. Suddenly, she and her younger sister have to move to a new town, attend a new school (for Joy, at least), and unfortunately, live in very tight quarters in an apartment with a mother and father who suddenly can't do anything but argue. With Dad out of work, Joy loses the one thing that was a sure-fire way to get her closer toward the job of her dreams of working with scoring movies, her piano lessons. As her parents arguing gets more intense and the walls seem to close in around her, Joy finally finds solace and friendship with a girl in the same apartment, Nora. With Nora's new friendship comes a secret only shared with the young teens in the building: the location and purpose of the Hideout--a secret room in the basement of the building reserved for only the teens. It is a safe place free of judgment where any teen who lives in the building can go to unwind and have a moment to just...be.

A Soft Place to Land gave me everything I have been looking for with a MG contemporary for my library and my student demographic. It's diverse, heartfelt, and organic, dealing with issues so many teens face but few authors choose to tackle such as: joblessness, strained familial relationships, forming friendships and losing friendships (even if temporary), first jobs, sibling struggles, and most importantly, young teens being strong advocates for themselves and their best interests. We need more books like this that teaches young readers that home isn't always a location but that it can be a person or group of people who accept us for who we really are. I look forward to putting this book on my shelves and in the hands of my excited readers.

Joy moves into an apartment with her parents and younger sister after her dad loses his job and the family must sell their house. To say Joy's life is disrupted is an understatement. She must share a room, stop her piano lessons, change schools, and keep it all together so as not to alarm her sister, Malia. As Joy meets more and more of the tenants of the apartment building her new life begins to take shape. Readers will relate to some of the bumps along the way she faces and cheer Joy on as she discovers a lot about herself and life.

Moving to a new place is always so terrifying and hard to find joy in the new, especially when it’s right down the road, smaller, and now forcing you to share with your sister. Joy’s life has been turned upside down in such a quick amount of time. Her dad lost his job and they had to sell their home and quick before it forecloses. The home she had been in her whole life. So now a part of her feels empty; but she makes a point to fill that space with music. Her dream - making music for movies.
She meets Nora at their new apartment complex and you start to see a glimmer of hope for Joy. As Joy and Nora get closer, she also keeps hearing her parents fight more and more, mainly over money, Joy gets a wild idea to make money. AKA walk Ziggy for their neighbor. Disaster strikes. Friendships fall apart. Joy is back to square one and striking out in every direction. But, as Joy starts to fit pieces of her broken puzzle of a life back together, other pieces aren’t fitting like they used to. She learns how to pick up the pieces and put them together to make an acceptable, new picture. A home base.