Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this collection.

This is a collection of short stories is one that lends itself easily to use in the classroom. I enjoyed this, and hope many teachers use it to spark discussions amongst their students.

This book features a collection of the personal stories of 22 authors familiar to readers of middle grade books. Each author has shared an essay based on their own experiences, many of them from their childhood or middle grade years, that shares various ways that hope can be found, even in times when it seems impossible. The stories are as diverse as those who wrote them, ranging from experiences with prejudice in a family restaurant, to a holiday celebration in a classroom, the loss of a beloved grandparent, and life lessons gained from the basketball court and playground. Readers will enjoy the insight the stories give into the lives of their favorite authors and walk away with a positive message about persevering in the face of challenges.

Where does hope live?
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From a family restaurant to a hot-dog shaped car, from an empty road on a moonlight night to a classroom holiday celebration, this collection of short stories will tug at your heartstrings and show that hope can live everywhere, even—or especially—during the darkest of times.
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I was lucky enough to see most of these authors speak on a panel at #txla22 hosted by editor @reallyrosebrock and couldn’t wait to pick this up. Then @librofm released the audiobook early for the librarian ALCs & I got to hear Rose read it herself. I was overjoyed reading this title. It’s exactly what we need this year. I will make sure to purchase it because all proceeds go toward supporting the @nttbfest Grab your copy May 10!

CW: death, bullying

This book was exactly what my middle grade reading heart needed: a collection of hopeful and inspiring stories from my favorite authors: Karina Yan Glaser, Veera Hiranandani, Gordon Korman and Pam Muñoz Ryan, just to name a few. Each author told a story of hope from a time in their own lives from learning life lessons in a restaurant, deciding what it meant to be a ‘cool kid’ and learning book publishing lessons in the seventh grade. Every middle school reader needs to read this book. No, wait. EVERY reader needs to read this book as my adult heart desperately needs these messages of hope, too. It’s the perfect book for anytime reading, but it’s especially perfect for coming-out-of-a-pandemic reading.

I received an electronic ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group through NetGalley.
A powerful collection of memories from a wide variety of children and young adult authors. Readers see how hope kept them motivated and helped them survive in darker times. These can be read straight through or savored one at a time. Each person will find the stories that speak to their hearts and can return to them again and again for support and encouragement.