The Ripple Effect

Zella is the class clown, and it’s a yearly tradition for the 6th graders to pull a prank. Zella enlists the help of her classmates when she comes up with an idea. What the others don’t know is that Zella has a bonus prank they don’t know about. When the bonus prank goes wrong, Zella is told it was dangerous. Because of the prank, the class now cannot go on their beach field trip. The principal tells Zella he will give her a second chance to redeem herself and leave the school better than she found it. How she does it is up to her. Does Zella come up with an idea that makes the principal happy?
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Ripple Effect is a sweet story featuring Zella, the ultimate prankster and class clown. It started out a bit slow for my taste, but by the second half, I could barely put the book down and finished it all in one sitting.

The story is told in a smattering of alternating perspectives, which I think will appeal to some of my students who want to be reading longer books even though they enjoy the bursts of short stories; you get a slightly different take on the plot with each chapter and can combine them in your head to get the complete story.

Zella and her friends seem like they would fit right in with the kids in my school. Though, thankfully, pranks aren’t a thing for us - hopefully my kids will be inspired by the end of the story rather than the beginning!

I’d recommend this book to middle school and upper elementary students who like realistic fiction, humor, and friendship.

Zella lives in Kettleby, a small New England town, with her mother and grandfather. Her grandmother, who started Trudi's Treats, the ice cream shop the family lives above, has passed away, and her grandfather is struggling with vascular dementia after a stroke. Zella is in 6th grade, and as the end of the year approaches, is obsessed with masterminding the greatest prank the school has ever known. It's a tradition, and while there are rules, the administration is okay with it. Zella walks to school with her friend Janae, who is interested in posting her fashion creations on ClicqueClok, and Bowiw, who is struggling a bit since his parents' divorce. The other students are as excited about the prank as they are about the class trip to Bayborough Beach, except for the new kid, Declan. Declan seems to be planning something, which irritates Zella, since he's also a social media sensation with his gaming and Zella is struggling to come up with ideas. We also meet Shelby, an aspiring investigative journalist a year younger than Zella, who wants the scoop on whatever goes on. The chapters are headed with the name of the person from whose perspective the story is told; we even get the views of the town sometimes! Things are rough at home for Zella, since the ice cream store isn't doing well financially, and her mother is very harried trying to run it while keeping the grandfather safe. Zella eventually figures out that the class prank could be a spin on yarn bombing after she meets a woman who is involved in Fiber Riot, and it's also a good way to use some of her grandmother's yarn. It also makes sense and is a little philosophical, because the school mascot is the spindle, since the town had been home to a sock factory. Zella manages to get a lot more supplies, including scarves and sweaters to use in the yarn installation in the school. She tries to follow the rules and stay safe, but does use the sculpture of a spindle, of which the principal is very proud, in the installation. The day of the prank starts off with the front door being inaccessible because a storm has felled a tree in front of it, but the prank goes well... until the principal pulls the rope that Zella added without her classmates knowing. A banner unfurls, but is unstable, and ends up damaging the spindle and a showcase, and one of the teachers is showered with a bucket of glitter. The principal says that the class trip to the beach will be canceled unless someone owns up to the damage. Zella does, and the principal makes her a deal; the prank tradition started as more of a community service project but has gone awry, and if Zella can pull off a service project, the class can go. After Zella's grandfather wanders off in the rain and Shelby helps her find him and bring him home, Zella gives Shelby two ice cream gift certificates. Shelby, in turn, gives them to two other people, giving Zella the idea of the "ripple effect" project that spreads joy around the town and even helps the family business.
Strengths: Zella is an exuberant but misguided middle school student who is concerned about her legacy and her reputation with her classmates, but doesn't pay attention to her friends as closely as she should. This is very realistic. Everyone in the book has problems of some sort; Declan's sister is in the hospital, Bowie has to travel between households, and even grocery store owner Ruby struggles with her store on delivery days. This makes the town ripe for Zella's plan, and even helps her mother's business by cleaning up a nearby abandoned lot. The yarn bombing was intriguing, and the link to the town's industrial past was informative. There are lots of good details about what it is like to run an ice cream shop, and good descriptions of the flavors!
Weaknesses: This was on the long side (400 pages) and had a lot going on. Also, I found it hard to believe that any school administration would condone a prank of any kind, or allow the trip to continue when the money clearly needed to be spent on replacing the showcase that was broken. (Even small ones would run $3,000.) I can't imagine the custodians were pleased with the clean up.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers want to make the world a better place and enjoyed Hurwitz's The Summer I Saved the World-- in 65 days or Shienmel's The Kindness Club series.

This was really cute! It started off a bit slow but once it picked up I was hooked. Zella is an endearing protagonist who I think a lot of kids will relate to. When her big end-of-the-year prank backfires, she’s given another chance and uses that opportunity to spread kindness in her small town.

The story is told from various alternating perspectives, so each chapter feels more like a short story featuring a different narrator. Set somewhere in New England, Kettleby is a charming small town with a vibrant cast of characters. I really enjoyed getting little snapshots into each character’s life, from Zella’s friends to the various residents of Kettleby. Connections are made as Zella’s challenge takes off, proving that a little kindness can go a long way.

Zella is a great character, but has an overactive imagination when trying to plan her class prank. I felt that this book was kind of long for a middle grade book. But I did like all the characters and the families. I liked learning about this small town and the descriptions of it. I felt like I was there with these characters. I liked the ice cream shop too and how hard Zella's grandparents had worked to open it and make it a town staple.
I really enjoyed the last few chapters, when the "ripple effect" comes into play. That made my heart so happy.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

A very cute story with a wonderful message of kindness. Perfect for young fans of the narration style of Linked, as the entire town gets to live through short snippets, but spearheaded by Zella, who has exuberance, spunk, and heart. Though she is often misguided, she will be very relatable to young readers in her desire to make people laugh.

Only note was that it was pretty long, so that might be off-putting to some readers. It took a while to get to the message of kindness and to get to the prank gone wrong, which was in the description and in a lot of the marketing for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Looking to settle down with a fun Children's Fiction read? Pick The Ripple Effect by Rebecca Caprara for unlimited fun that also tickles your little grey cells.

The story centers around Marzella Trudi, better known to us as Zella, and her antics that seem to have given her quite the reputation. At the cusp of heading to middle school, she wants to leave her mark before she leaves sixth grade. With the help of her two best friends, Bowie and Janea, she prepares to go out with a bang and ace the school-sanctioned prank.

What happens next? Is the prank a success? These questions form the remainder of the story.

The multiple perspectives of the children in the story make for lovely reading. There's also the town of Kettleby voicing its thoughts. From the struggles of a single parent (Zella's mom) to the issues faced by Alzheimer patients and a plethora of socially relevant themes, the book is a reminder of why the Ripple Effect matters, especially in today's times!