Hope in the Valley

Hope in the Valley

Mitali Perkins

FSG, 2023

297 pages

Grades 5-8

Realistic/Historical Fiction

Pandita's plans for a quiet summer are shattered when her bossy older sisters convince her widowed father to send her to theater camp. She is naturally shy and though she likes to sing, she is uncomfortable doing it publicly. Pandita would rather visit her elderly friend at the nursing home and hang out on the porch of the abandoned house across the street, remembering her deceased mother and writing her letters. The worst happens when the property is slated to be sold to developers and all of her mother's hidden letters disappear in the demolition of the house. Hope arrives in the form of a new friend at theater camp, reuniting with an old friend who moved on with a different bestie, and joining the preservation committee to fight change. Plans to save the property don't go as planned, but Pandita sees that change is not always a bad thing and maybe it is time to let go of some of the past to make way for the future. Meanwhile, Dad is bringing a new lady around. Are Pandita and her sisters ready to share their father with a new love?

Perkins' latest offering harkens back to the California of her youth, as the Silicon Valley transitions from farms to housing and tech. The place is well developed, but readers might not fully pick up on the time period. We know it's in the past because the kids don't have cell phones, but that is really the only major distinction. I enjoyed the battle for preservation, having experienced a bit of that myself. Pandita learns that progress is not always a bad thing, but it must be mindful and better the present. I also appreciated the transformative experience of theater camp. Through theater and participating in The Sound of Music, Pandita gains confidence, friends, and finds her voice. This is a book about standing up for what is right, finding your people, and learning to see the world through the eyes of others. Our hero grows up quite a bit within the summer of this novel and gains clarity, maturity, and empathy. A splashy town meeting scene at the end of the novel will get readers cheering and leave them feeling satisfied and happy. Tying the past to the future, Pandita finds her place within the history of her California community and makes her mark, while alerting the world to it's important past. Though not a book for everyone, thoughtful young readers will enjoy this novel and speed through it handily.