#MMGM: Chirp, by Kate Messner--audiobook review

I'm posting today with the fantastic Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays blog hop hosted by Greg Pattridge of Always in the Middle. Check out Greg's blog for a list of additional middle grade reviews.  

 

Title: Chirp

Author: Kate Messner

Publication Info: Audible Audio, 2020, 5 hours. Hardcover published by Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2020, 227 pages.

Source: Library

Publisher's Blurb (Goodreads): 
When Mia moves to Vermont the summer after seventh grade, she's recovering from the broken arm she got falling off a balance beam. And packed away in the moving boxes under her clothes and gymnastics trophies is a secret she'd rather forget.

Mia's change in scenery brings day camp, new friends, and time with her beloved grandmother. But Gram is convinced someone is trying to destroy her cricket farm. Is it sabotage or is Gram's thinking impaired from the stroke she suffered months ago? Mia and her friends set out to investigate, but can they uncover the truth in time to save Gram's farm? And will that discovery empower Mia to confront the secret she's been hiding--and find the courage she never knew she had?

In a compelling story rich with friendship, science, and summer fun, a girl finds her voice while navigating the joys and challenges of growing up.

My Review:

For once, I think the blurb did a good job of capturing what this book was about. There is a lot going on in this one, though at first I wasn't sure. The Mia we see in the opening chapter or so looks like a sulky brat at times, but it turns out she has reasons, and a giant secret she's carrying all alone, as no child should have to. Yes, it's what you think it is, with what was in the news about gymnastics when this book was written. It is handled in a sensitive way, and should not be an issue for young readers--some of whom, alas, may need the message: it's not your fault.

By the time I was 1/3 of the way in, I was hooked. This was a good kid's mystery, even without Mia's other problem. Roll the two together and you have a book that has some weight.

Content warning: deals with issues of sexual harassment of women and inappropriate touching of children.

My Recommendation:
This is a good read for any kids from about 8 or 9 up. Parents might want to be ready to talk about the issue Mia had at her gym. 

 

FTC Disclosure: I checked Chirp out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  



Rebecca M. Douglass, 2025
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