Chirp

Chirp
Kate Messner
Bloomsbury, 2020
227 pages
Grades 5-7
Realistic Fiction/Mystery

Mia has mixed feelings about moving to Vermont. She is happy to be back to a place with so many memories and closer to her Grandmother, but it is hard to make new friends in middle school. Her parents are insisting that Mia sign up for two summer camps: one for her body and one for her brain. She choses a STEM/entrepreneur option, as well as Warrior Camp. Mia, a former gymnast, is nervous about re-entering athletics after breaking her arm and is a reluctant warrior. To her surprise, Mia makes two new friends, who join her in the investigation involving Grandma's cricket farm, where she is attempting to raise crickets as an alternative food/protein source. Someone is sabotaging the business. Could it be Grandma's new employee or maybe the neighbor who keeps pushing Grandma to sell? As the summer ticks by, Mia and her friends design a project to help Grandma's business, as they seek to uncover the culprit, all while Mia becomes physically and emotionally stronger--and ready to confront the real reason why she quit gymnastics.

Prolific author, Messner, tackles many themes within the pages of this middle grade novel. Moving to a new town, the fear of an aging grandparent declining, environmentalism, STEM for girls, sexual harassment, and the importance for young women to learn to use their voices are all explored. Within the serious themes is a mystery holding it together and allowing the book to be read on different levels. The mystery involves some red herrings and madcap moments, resulting in a satisfying unveiling of the culprit. Underneath the main arc we see Mia trying to come back from something that the audience is sure is more than a broken arm, but is not revealed until later in the novel. A former gymnastic coach was inappropriate with Mia and she felt weird about it, but was scared to tell someone. After some meaningful conversations, she finally finds her voice to tell her mother, who listens and helps. My instinct is to move this book to YA, but the abuse happens to Mia as a child and other children will possibly find it helpful if they are in a simular situation. The #metoo agenda is both hard driven and yet not too graphic for the intended audience. On top of everything else going on, the reader learns about crickets as an alternative food source, which will attract readers. A mixed-bag of a book with an important message.