I’d like to thank Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Dreaming of Flight’ written by Catherine Ryan Hyde in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Eleven-year-old Stewie has taken over the responsibility of his late grandmother’s chickens and he regularly pulls his wagon full of freshly laid eggs to sell to neighbours. One day he knocks at the door of a house he doesn’t usually visit, it’s answered by an elderly lady who says her name is Marilyn and who reminds him of his late grandmother. He pays Marilyn a weekly visit with his eggs and a friendship gradually builds between them until she calls herself Stewie’s adopted grandmother. But Marilyn has been keeping a secret and asks for Stewie’s help and although it won’t be easy he’ll do everything he can to help her.

This is an exceptionally heart-warming novel that tells of a friendship between an eleven-year-old boy and an elderly and somewhat irascible lady who reminds him so much of his late grandmother that he makes unexpected visits to check on her. The description of Stewie is perfect for the boy in the story, and Stacey, Theo, the folk at Eastbridge and even the hens add to this beautifully written story to make it one that’s impossible to forget. I’ve loved this story and recommend it to everyone but I do suggest that some tissues might be needed at the end.

Stewie Little lives with his older brother Theo and his adult sister Stacey, who is their guardian. He never knew his parents, they died when he was very young, and his grandmother recently passed away. Stewie is an unusual child, who is quite serious and takes on the worlds problems. He makes a bit of money by selling eggs, door to door, which helps out the household budget.

Whilst Stewie is selling his eggs, he runs into the grumpy Marilyn, whom he gradually befriends. The friendship between these two is very sweet indeed :) Both Stewie and Marilyn have secrets that the other doesn't know, but both secrets are eventually revealed, which leads to an array of difficulty.

I don't want to spoil what happens in this book; needless to say, it is a gentle tale of a boy who is grieving, and an older lady who is going through some pretty confronting things in her life too. This author has a lovely way of dealing with thorny subject matters. There is talk of death and dying in this book, be warned.

I would have liked to have learned a little more about Stacey, it has to be said. I loved the last quarter of the book in particular, it went in a direction I didn't expect and it really warmed my heart :)

I give this book 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.

This was a little slow paced for me but it was an enjoyable read. Nobody does emotions like CRH, all her books truly touch your soul.

This was an enjoyable read, though slow paced at times. The story centers around a 12 year old boy named Stewie who establishes a relationship with an older, seemingly unlikeable woman down the block. The book offers some comforting perspectives on death, coping with anger etc.

This isn’t a magical story, but it almost seems like one. Take a nine year old boy who has experienced great loss in the first few years of his life. Add a woman with Alzheimer’s Disease who is hiding from the authorities and put them together, you might expect either fireworks or a hasty retreat from one or the other. After all, what do they have in common?

Instead, the story delves into what happens when the child, unaware of the adult’s secret, tries to ensure she doesn’t come to harm because of Alzheimer's. The results are a combination of disappointments and difficulties that will pull at the reader’s heartstrings, and unexpected success and joyful occurrences that will lift spirits and remind the reader there is still hope in the world, and it largely depends on us and our approach to people and life.

A book not to be missed, you may cry at times and feel like celebrating at others. The story is gently told by Catherine Ryan Hyde in a way that holds the reader's interest, keeps them reading past time to stop and do other things, and in the end, leaves them with a sense of hope and positivity.

There are sad, tear-producing happenings within the book, but these are countered with joy and hope that can lift the spirit and impart new hope to the reader. It is easy to read, but still it is a book best read when there is time dedicated to reading that will allow the reader to fully experience the emotions being elicited by the book. Highly recommend this as a book to read to enrich your own emotions.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing for providing me with an advance copy for review. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.

Another great read from this author as I raced through after the initial difficulty of seeing where it was going. The characters were well defined and was the plot felt uplifting and touching and full of emotion. It made a change from my usual thrillers. Thanks to NetGalley for ARC.

Stewie Little was eleven years old and after school, he’d deliver the fresh eggs he’d collected that morning from his grandmother’s hens. They were very fresh eggs and his customers liked them better than shop bought eggs. The day he met Marilyn at the house at the end of the street, Stewie decided she reminded him of his beloved grandmother who’d passed the year before. Although Marilyn was guarded and prickly, Stewie liked her. Slowly they came to know one another until the day Marilyn was taken away…

Stewie lived with his sister Stacey and brother Theo as their parents had died when Stewie was a baby. Stacey did her best to care for her siblings, and Stewie’s egg money helped. Visiting Marilyn was important to Stewie and their discussions were lively. But he knew Marilyn had problems in her life – he just wasn’t sure how he could fix them. He wasn’t sure what was in his future either.

Dreaming of Flight is another exceptional novel by Caroline Ryan Hyde which I loved. Stewie is a very literal child, questioning everything with his caring nature. He’s an adorable child, a perfect character for the story alongside his hens, his siblings and his friends, all of whom are adults. Everything I’ve read by this author, I’ve loved, and fortunately for me, I have a lot more to read yet. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Another charming novel from CRH, who has a way of pulling emotion from even the hardest of hearts. Stewie meets Marilyn when he's on his egg selling route. The eleven year old has had a tough go of it . Marilyn's had a tough time too and now she's facing an even more difficult passage. This is a thoughtful read about a young boy and an older woman and how we can and should help one another. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a feel good read.

This might be a tricky review to write, as it would be easy to spoil certain aspects of the book. I would recommend not reading reviews before reading this, but you’re here now, so at least read this one.

What an emotional book!

Stewie is an exceptional boy. He’s faced so much loss in his young life and carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. But he has his brother, sister, and Gam’s chickens, and his small world is better because of that. So when he meets Marilyn, she reminds him of his Gam because she, too, has her own unique brand of cranky. So it makes sense for these two to form a friendship.

I like Marilyn. I think she’s someone that Stewie needs in his life. He doesn’t always go about things traditionally, and Marilyn is a person who can help him see things and work things out.

Stewart speaks up when he doesn’t understand things because he wants to learn. He loves and feels so deeply. What he has to say is thoughtful; it’s deep and moving. The most important note I made while reading this was, “Why can’t I stop crying?” I cried for the last 1/5th of the book. It’s like Ryan Hyde peeked into my life and repeatedly wrote it in Stewie. It hurt, it was emotional, and it wrecked me. This is such a beautiful book. I highlighted so many things Stewie said to others that I feel will stay with me a long time. Thank you, Lake Union Publishing, for sending this very special read along.

Thank you NetGalley for the free digital copy of Dreaming of Flight. This is my honest review.

What’s not to like here? Stewie is lovely and this story is so well crafted. Sometimes people ask me for a book that can tell them a good story, not too dark and not filled with unnecessary sex and violence. This is it. A really good coming of age story that you could share with your mother and your daughter. I highly recommend.

👦👵Loved it! Such life lessons told with simplicity🤗

Dreaming of Flight is uplifting and healing, a story of friendship, love and loss with pre-teen Stewie Little at the center. He's suffered loss, gets bullied for his different ways and has few material things in life. Stewie seeks the company and approval of a customer for his cottage egg business and just a small gesture of kindness leads to a friendship that changes lives.

I loved this simply-told story. Stewie is a very sensitive boy who desperately misses his grandmother and the attention and affection she brought to his life. He loves the hens his grandmother raised and left him. There's a very touching interlude with Stewie caring for an older hen that really got to me. Just the first of many events in this story that moved me. As he proceeds through life, Stewie innocently affects others with his earnest honesty, polite manners and devotion to his elderly friend. And the magic of a smile, a bit of praise or a friendly gesture brings joy.

This is not by any stretch the first Catherine Ryan Hyde novel I've enjoyed but it's one of my favorites to date. Her characters grapple with big issues in a way that's so relevant and relatable. This story inspires while acknowledging the hardships and inevitabilities of life.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This is a very uplifting story by a great author who tells such stories better than anyone. CRH again has created appealing characters and a heart-warming compelling plot.

Stewie Little, an 11-year-old boy is the main character. He lost his parents before he was old enough to know them and was raised by his grandmother until she passed away. So now an older sister is the head of the household for Stewie and a physically handicapped older brother. Stewie is quite industrious, taking care of his late grandmother's hens and selling their eggs to neighbors.

Stewie strikes up a relationship with an older woman (Marilyn) who is helping babysit for a single mom. Marilyn at first resists Stewie's friendship but eventually warms up to him.

This is a very enjoyable read and it was fun watching Stewie win the hearts of others while coping with voids in his life caused by the losses of close family so early in his life.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

Five Shiny Stars

After reading this author's book "Stay" years ago and absolutely loving it, I snapped up any of her new releases. Unfortunately, subsequent offerings had an uneven track record, garnering 4 and 3 star reviews from me. So even though I had this advance reader copy on deck for six months, I wasn't exactly looking forward to reading it. And then the magic happened: this has to be my best fiction read of 2022!!

Perhaps it's the similar formula Catherine Ryan Hyde employed in her excellent book "Stay" repurposed here that enchanted me. A young, somewhat sad, thoughtful, extremely sensitive boy makes an emotional connection with an elderly woman and finds solace. Eleven year old Stewie Little (calls to mind the classic book & movie) lost both his parents when he was a baby, so because he never knew them he doesn't miss them. However, he was very close to his Gram who taught him how to raise chickens. She's already deceased as the book begins, and he is quite serious about caring for these chickens and retrieving their eggs. He uses his red Radio Flyer wagon to transport cartons of these eggs to neighboring patrons, selling them for higher prices than those available in stores. He honestly knows that his eggs are of a higher quality and are fresher than those in the stores, and has a convincing sales pitch to that effect. He splits the profits with his older sister Stacey who is going to nursing school and trying her best to fill in as parent to her younger brothers. Rounding out the family is older brother Theo who has a physical disability requiring him to wear leg braces. As the book begins, Stewie is finishing up delivering his eggs when he encounters a new potential customer in a home he never tried before. He is arrested by her appearance in the doorway because she reminds him so much of his deceased Gram, who he is still pining for. She is rather to the point and serious in the way she deals with Stewie, but he responds well to this, as his Gram was much the same in how she dealt with him. For an eleven year old, Stewie's like a little man, and his forthrightness, seriousness and sense of integrity is so admirable and refreshing, especially for one who has already lost so much in his short life.

The dialogue the author employs for each character is so enlightening, taut and meaningful. While reading this book I felt like I was learning important lessons about life. It made my heart light glow and I was moved to tears numerous times. I won't reveal any more to this story, because it is meant to be savored in full by the reader. Just know that this is a very beautiful story and I feel Blessed to have read it.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

The blurb for this book is well done including “Never knowing his parents, eleven-year-old Stewie Little and his brother have been raised on a farm by their older sister. Stewie steadfastly tends the chickens left by his beloved late grandmother. And every day Stewie goes door to door selling fresh eggs from his wagon—a routine with a surprise just around the corner. It’s his new customer, Marilyn. She’s prickly and guarded, yet comfortably familiar—she reminds the grieving Stewie so much of the grandmother he misses more than he can express.”

I think that the blurb almost tells too much of the story, I prefer to go in “semi-blind” to a book so I don’t often read reviews before I read a book, but I do look at my friend’s star rating. That’s why I always try to be honest even if it lands me in OUTLIER LAND!!

I love little kids, I had four and now four grandchildren – but there is a difference I think between sweet and SACCHARINE. This book was just a little too much on the cutesy side, although parts included some heavy topics such as grief, learning to trust again, being open with your emotions, etc.

The main character, Stewie, is a treat to read about. Who could not love this little boy, he’s almost too perfect to believe! I’m going to go with the following guide for this one:

MY PROS:
*Absolutely wonderful main character, I wish I would have known a little more about how he gets along at school, although they do touch on that.

*The premise of a young character and an older woman finding something they share isn’t new but it’s very well done in this book


CONS:
*The pace was too slow. However this is a new author for me and she may have been “showing how mundane Stewie’s life really was??”

*I would have liked to know more about his relationship with his brother and sister.

This isn’t a con but I would have liked to be “educated” a bit more on whether Stewie was autistic?

All in all it’s a nice and easy read which I think I would classify more as YA, it’s certainly appropriate for ages 13 and up.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

I really don't think this was the book for me. I didn't love Marilyn as a character and I felt like she just put too much pressure and asked too much out of a child, especially one she wasn't related to. I did like Stewie and I thought that his feelings and anxieties were really well thought out in the book. But I had a hard time believing and connecting with the fact that a child so young was out there doing so much? I also expected the twist with Marilyn to be a little more dramatic than what she actually did and I felt like her actions were super reckless and irresponsible and just put so many people at risk.

Great author was looking forward to this. It's good did not get emotionally invested in it as others from this author. Got better hear the end.
Great storyline just lacked the emotion at the beginning

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Five glowing stars for this wonderful book by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Ms. Hyde had a way of tugging at my emotions every time she puts words to a page. I have enjoyed many of her books and am always looking for a new one by this author. This book explores an intergenerational relationship between Steward Little (Stewie) and an elderly woman, Marilyn.

Stewie is the village provider of fresh eggs. He's taking care of the chickens his grandmother left when she died and sells the eggs to help his family. He loves those chickens! Stewie lives with his brother and his older sister. He never knew his parents as they died in a crash when he was just a baby. After losing his grandmother too, he is a very sad 11 year old. He meets Marilyn while selling his eggs. Marilyn is kind of prickly, like his grandmother, and she reminds him of her. Even though she is off-putting, Stewie develops a relationship with her. Marilyn has some secrets and she is in hiding, staying with a woman and her child. She lives there and babysits the child while the mother is at work.

The story is touching and I fell in love with Stewie. He's a wonderful boy and needs to find his place in life. This is a coming of age story as well as a story of love, loss, and grief. I couldn't put the book down and went through it quickly. When I was through i just wanted to read more, even though I liked the ending.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on May 3, 2022.

Thank you to Lake Union publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.
Dreaming of Flight is an emotional story following 12 year old Stewie, who is coming to terms with losing his Grandma. He's instantly loveable and relatable to anyone with sons, and his innocence and desire to fix other people's problems is heart- breaking. We follow his relationship with Marilyn, one of his egg customers, and watch as a young boy learns about his own emotions, about love and grief and what it means to be family. Absolutely wonderful. 5 stars

Dreaming of Flight is another beautifully written novel by Cathering Ryan Hyde. The characters came to life from page one. I fell in love with Stewie and his chickens. Ms Hyde's writing has the ability to make you laugh out loud or have to wipe away the tears. Thank you, Ms Hyde, for a great story!
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me access the the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has been one of my favorite authors for several years now, so when I saw that she was coming out with a new book I went to NetGalley to see if I could get hold of a copy prior to the publication date. Sure enough Dreaming of Flight was available. Thank you NetGalley! As in most of Ms. Hyde’s books, the main character is a young person, in this case a 12 year old boy named Stewie. Stewie’s parents died when he was a baby, and he was raised by his grandmother whom he loved very much. His Gam passed away a couple of years ago, however, and he has been a sad boy ever since. He was determined to take care of her hens and has been selling their eggs by going house to house. He has stopped achieving at school and really has no friends. His family now consists of his older sister, who works as a hospital nurse struggling to support the family, and his physically handicapped older brother.

Everything begins to change for Stewie when he sells some eggs to an older woman who calls herself Marilyn. She is a bit grouchy and is not particularly friendly to Stewie; but she reminds him of his grandmother and an unlikely friendship begins to develop. Marilyn is hiding a secret and lives is fear of the police coming to arrest her. Marilyn and Stewie’s relationship grows, and they become more involved in each other’s lives.

The story is written with such understanding and a tremendous sense of humanity. If only all people could have the integrity, honesty, and sense of dedication that this young protagonist has! I loved the book, as I have loved every other book I’ve read by this author.