Sardines by Sashi Kaufman is a gentle and rich story of loss and resilience. Lucas is starting the sixth grade shattered. He lost his older brother just a year before, his mother has left, leaving no explanation and no goodbyes, his father has retreated into himself, silent, stern, and cold, and Lucas doesn't even have school supplies or clothes that fit. Worst of all, he is stuck in Teen Club after school, a program his mom had said was unnecessary, but apparently, she hadn't sent in the right forms. Grieving, lonely, sad, and neglected, Lucas struggles to stay afloat until the Teen Club gets a new employee who lets the kids go into the woods, and new-kid Finn locates a tree fort and binds the five kids in the club into an unlikely but fiercely loyal band of friends. Finn suggests each kid collect acorn caps for their own jars. When the jar is full, the owner gets to name a wish, and the group will help to make it come true. As unbelievable as it sounds, the kids participate, and one by one, they name their wishes and the group joins forces to find solutions. Finn never started a jar for himself, and Lucas is afraid to fill his, knowing that no one can fix his family and bring his mom home. But when the other kids team up to fill his jar, he has to trust them to stand by him, regardless of what he finds out about his mother and their future.

Kaufman has written a sort of middle-school version of the classic movie, The Breakfast Club. Five kids from very different backgrounds are thrown together and learn they are more alike than different. Her story is rich with emotion, introspection, and courage. Lucas is a great role model for so many kids. He didn't ask for or cause the problems in his life, but he keep going, surviving day by day, making wrong choices at times, but persevering with a tenacity that adults would do well to emulate. The pacing is smooth and maintains interest, giving readers time to get to know the characters without bogging down in too much detail. Some readers and their parents may be concerned by two choices Kaufman made. First, Cat, one of the girls in the Teen Club, is struggling with her own sexuality, wondering if maybe she doesn't like boys. At sixth grade, this may be a bit early for some readers to handle this topic, especially since many middle grade readers will be reading this even younger than sixth grade, when they, like Cat, may also not be interested in the opposite sex. Some readers may question their own lack of interest, wondering if they are "normal" or not. The kids stand by Cat, building her up and showing her that she, regardless of her choices in boys or girls, is perfect and normal and herself. Second, the wonderful teacher Mrs. Edgerly reveals that she is married to a woman at the end of the story. Some families may not have discussed the different structures families can take on, so parents should be aware of this topic and be ready to discuss it with their children. Mrs. Edgerly is a wonderful character to base these discussions on as she is a beloved teacher, a wise woman, and a caring friend to her students.

Overall, Sardines is a gentle and powerful story of the power of friendship and the ways we can help others through the rough spots of life.