I hold a really special place in my heart for literature like this. I love a good funny middle grade story, or an epic adventure like the Percy Jackson series, but there are also really tender, heart-felt, grief-filled middle grade books out there that just sit with you once you’ve finished. And Once For Yes is one of those.

I read Millington’s Olivetti last year and adored it. I’ve told so many people about it (yes, even adults) as it was so clever to have one of the narrators be a typewriter. Once For Yes is much like Olivetti, as the apartment building the family lives in also narrates part of the story. I wonder if this will always be part of Millington’s repertoire, to have inanimate objects be narrators. I adore it, so if she does stop, I won’t be surprised, but I will be a little heart-broken.

Anyway, the family is grieving for their middle child and sister. And when they are told the building (The Odenburgh) is getting sold, Prue, the youngest daughter, teams up with Lewis from across the street. But Lewis is harboring his own secret…one that would damage his new found friendship with Prue and the entire family. Because the secret is about Lina, the sister who died, the sister everyone is grieving.

Millington writes in a palpable way….you end up feeling the emotions of all the characters…the mother’s heartache, the father’s attempts to make everything seem okay, the oldest daughter’s need to always be somewhere else because the memories are sometimes too much. You feel Lewis’s heartbreak and you just want to gently wrap him in a hug and hold him for as long as you can. And Prue…sweet and stingy Prue. You empathize with her all the way to the end. You want things to be different for her. You want to bring her sister back to her.

And all along the way, you get the perspective of The Odenburgh. It’s weird, but also right. The building feels like a friend you’ve never had. And it sort of is, always watching, always waiting. Always giving comfort when needed and trying its best to hang on to everyone.

I love Allie MIllington's style of writing. It's poetic and clever and heartfelt. As expected, this was a sweet and enjoyable read--so full of heart and hope!

Life is hard after the loss of a loved one. That is especially true when a child dies suddenly due to a tragic accident. It leaves the entire community dealing. Once for yes focuses on a grieving family once they find out that their apartment building is being sold. Now, they have to deal with the loss of their home and their sister/daughter. The most interesting part of this novel is that the narrator is the apartment building itself.

Overall, I liked the story, but was at times irritated by the dysfunctional grieving in this family. The building as a narrator was fun (especially on audio!). I think my middle schooler would like this, but I’m not sure there’s much here for older readers of middle grade. 3.5⭐️

A fabulous book. I enjoyed every minute. The characters,including the apartment building itself, were well crafted and the story was laid out so skillfully. As someone who is grieving her own sister, I really appreciated that this book tackles a difficult topic and makes it approachable for a middle grade audience.

While I love Olivetti's cover art, I prefer this story to Millington's debut novel.

Once For Yes is a book that addresses so many parts of childhood. From growing up & apart from siblings, to making friends, grief & finding community.

If Millington writes this niche middle grade in which she animates inanimate objects, I think the world would be better for it. Like Olivetti, the animate typewriter, Once for Yes features the Odenburgh, an old apartment building. Don't we all understand that the inanimate has feelings, thoughts, and knows the world in ways that humans can only imagine? I think so or it's whimsical to think so and why it just fits so perfectly.

Millington creates a corner of the world in this area with the neighbors (friends and foes and children) in the Odenburgh as well as the larger community as they rally to save it from demise. Prue is central to this fight because it brings her closer to Lina, her sister.

It's warm and heartbreaking and creative. All the things I've now come to expect from Millington.

I really enjoyed reading Olivetti by Allie Millington so I immediately requested her latest middle-grade novel Once for Yes. Similar to Olivetti, an inanimate object takes on the role of narrator. An apartment building, The Odenburgh, tells its perspective on being sold and slated for demolition to make way for a new building. The Odenburgh has never gotten attached to its residents because they've always been temporary. However, eleven-year-old Prue doesn't want to leave. The Odenburgh is the last place her family was whole. It's the last place Prue lived with her sister Lina before she died. The Odenburgh decides to intervene into its residents' lives just this once, by flashing lights and setting off false alarms in the middle of the night, in order to bring them all together in an attempt to save their home and itself. While this story is charming and I enjoyed reading about the events from The Odenburgh's perspective, I didn't like it quite as much as Olivetti.

Thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for a review copy of Once for Yes.

I think I liked this even more than Olivetti! It deals with grief in such a beautiful way but has some levity that I really enjoyed. I don't often laugh when reading but this one caused a chuckle or two. I even caught a little nod to Amelia Bedelia.

There is a mystery thread that is woven throughout the story that kept me turning the pages and I found myself caring deeply for a building and its inhabitants.

Once For Yes is about community, found family, fear, courage, forgiveness, grief and so much more!

If you like The Vanderbeekers series, I think you will enjoy this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read an advance copy of this beautiful story!

On the heels of reading Millington's debut book, Olivetti, I knew I had to read this one. Once for Yes is about an apartment building that is about to be torn down. The building (The Odenburgh) is an actual character that expresses its thoughts, feelings, and observations. I grew to love Odenburgh and the tenants that I got to know. Just like Olivetti, the characters are rich and expressive and the storylines tear at your heartstrings. It's not easy to characterize inanimate things like Millington seems to have a knack for doing!

At the root of this story is a web of relationships and connections among the characters with strong themes of love, guilt, sorrow, and hope. It truly touches on the aspect of the memories we make with people and places.

This was another truly remarkable book from Millington and I look forward to seeing what she has in store next!

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Allie Millington does it again with ONCE FOR YES. Instead of a typewriter, this time she made me fall in love with a building—brick, by brick, by brick. I cannot wait to see what inanimate object she brings life to next!

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Publishing for the early reader copy. We are so excited to have Allie Millington visit our school soon, so I wanted to get a jump on her newest book. I LOVE it when books have a little bit of magic, and that’s what this has. My students will love it- it’s about an apartment building that is bringing people together amidst their grief, and it was the perfect amount of sweet and the perfect amount of hopeful and the perfect amount of sad.

Last year, Allie Millington stole my heart with her middle grade novel Olivetti, which told the story from the perspective of a typewriter. She’s back this year with The Odenburgh, an old brick apartment building that’s the last of its kind on a rapidly gentrifying street.

The Odenburgh is set to be demolished so that a shiny new building can be put in its place. 12-year-old Prue calls this “downtown disease,” and she is desperate to stop it by all means necessary. She is still reeling from the death of her older sister, and clings tightly to the building because of the memories it contains. She and the other tenants don’t want to lose their homes, and guess who else definitely doesn’t want The Odenburgh demolished? The Odenburgh itself, which is ready to join in the effort to save the building.

What I love the most about this book is that every character, no matter how small, has a story, and their stories are revealed over the course of the novel. The cantankerous neighbor whose anger towards an upstairs dog peeing on his plant has a much more valid reason for that anger than we first understand. The boy across the street who’s eager to help has his own memories of Lina, unbeknownst to her family. And The Odenburgh itself has a unique voice of incredible empathy and sensitivity—who knew a building could bring me to tears?

This is a beautiful story of family, grief, friendship, and moving forward, and I would highly recommend this to any child or adult who needs a little bit of TLC to help them through the tough times that life can bring.

Give Allie Millington the Newbery award for sentient objects that have deep, believable emotions. The buildup of the narrative to reveal what happened in the unspeakable tragedy the characters are processing will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

This was a first. A book where one of the narrators was a building. And I was hooked within a few pages.
This is geared more for middle schoolers but it is relatable to people of any age.
The author merged the stories of a building and a young girl as they dealt with huge changes.
The hope and connection in the book was inspiring.
Enjoy!

Allie Millington's breakout debut last year, Olivetti, featured an unconventional narrator - a typewriter. With this book, she does it again, this time the narrator is an old brick building, the Odenburgh, the last of its kind left on its street. All the other older buildings have been demolished in favor of new, modern buildings. The Odenburgh and its tenants, especially 12 year old Prue in apartment 4C, don't want to lose their home.

For Prue, it's personal. The building holds memories, ones that she doesn't want to lose, especially after the death of her older sister Lina, who Prue shared a room with. She is worried that she'll lose even more of Lina, especially since Lina had started to pull away the last few months before she died.

So Prue decides to save the building. And what do you know? The Odenburgh joins in on the plan! Also joining Prue is Lewis, a boy who lives across the street in one of the new developments. Lewis has his own secrets, and his own reasons for wanting to save the Odenburgh. So he teams up with Prue, and with the help of the building itself, they get to work.

Along the way they meet the other tenants of the building. Who at first were un-neighborly and rude to one another, they suddenly find that they have one thing in common. And the thing they have in common is wanting to save their home.

It's a story about loss, grief, friendship, sisters, and community. Original and inventive, I can't wait to see what Millington writes next!

Recommended for ages 9+.

"Once for Yes" by Allie Millington is a beautifully written and emotionally compelling novel that captures the magic of love, second chances, and self-discovery. Millington’s storytelling is both heartfelt and deeply engaging, drawing readers into a world filled with relatable characters and poignant moments. Prue and Lewis take you along on their adventures. This book is perfect for anyone who loves a story that lingers in the heart long after the last page is turned. Such a good book!

Didn't know I could love an imaginary building so much! I swear Allie sits down with a few words in her heart and spins a tale that resonates in hearts through memorable characters like Prue, Lewis & the Odenburgh: in Once for Yes, I imagine she started weaving with the words "Home - Community - Healing" because that's what I'll always associate with this story now. Full of emotion and relatable for all who have had a untimely 'goodbye,' this is the kind of Middle Grade read that my 'big feelings' readers will absolutely adore. Brava for a sophomore novel that will be a favorite, just like Olivetti has become!

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC!

I really wanted to like this as the premise was interesting and the shifting viewpoints, as well as the mystery surrounding Lina’s death, were all definitely intriguing but I just couldn’t connect with the material emotionally. It fell very flat to me and I just could not get into it very much. Hopefully others will love it, but it’s just not for me.

Lovers of Olivetti may enjoy this one about dealing with loss. It begins with a couple of chapters that are narrated by the apartment building, the Odenburgh. The building starts telling about some of the tenants who live there. It becomes focused on Prue who has a quirky habit of sitting in the bathtub and talking into an old disconnected landline phone.

As the story unfolds, we discover that Prue is mourning the death of her sister and trying to deal with the anger she has over being abandoned. Other characters are brought into focus and their connections start to be revealed.

Soon the Odenburgh and then the residents realize that the building is being sold and will soon be torn down. The building begins helping Prue on her quest to rally her neighbors to save the building because it is where the memory of her sister lives. It is a touching and heartfelt story, and the quirkiness of the conscious building kept me interested.