Glory Be

by Jamie Sumner

A girl searches for her lost dog and truths about her family in this heartwarming, poignant illustrated novel in verse from Jamie Sumner, the acclaimed author of Roll with It.

Disappeared. Vanished. Vamoosed.

Glory has the best dog in the world. Roux wags his tail so hard his whole round little body shakes. He touches his nose to hers like E.T. phoning home. Roux is always there for her—but now he’s gone. And Glory is worried her daddy had something to do with it.

Daddy’s been getting into trouble since the day Glory was born. Now it’s worse than worse. As she searches all over New Orleans for her lost pup, Glory discovers some things about her city and herself. Enough to make her How do you know when to hang on to the ones you love…and when to let go?

Genres: Middle Grade, Novel In Verse

208 pages, Hardcover

Published March 10, 2026

About the author

Jamie Sumner is the author of the critically-acclaimed middle-grade novels, Roll with It, Tune It Out, and One Kid's Trash. Her forth middle-grade novel The Summer of June hits shelves on May 31st, 2022 with Atheneum Books for Young Readers. She is also the author of the nonfiction parenting books, Eat, Sleep, Save the World and Unbound.

She has also written for the New York Times and the Washington Post as well as other publications. She loves stories that celebrate the grit and beauty in all kids. She and her family live in Nashville, Tennessee. Connect with her at Jamie-Sumner.com

Reviews

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jamie Sumner’s books for those in grades 4-7ish are really stacking up: the Roll With It trilogy, Maid for It, Schooled, Deep Water, One Kid’s Trash and others. Like her Deep Water, Glory Be is in the novel in verse format which tends to flow more lyrically and each word is carefully selected and generally produces a more emotional response. That certainly holds true for 9 year old Glory and her story of a lost dog, lost friend and a type of lost father. With the age of the main character and some of her school and friend interactions, the target audience for this one will skew a little younger and seems directed to strong 2nd grade readers through grade 4. However, the highly relatable scenarios of anguish over a missing pet and confusion over a dysfunctional parent may extend that range into grade 5, especially since her age is only mentioned once and the playtime activities between Mar and Glory that seem a little young are infrequent.

One of Sumner’s strengths as a writer is bringing together vivid characters with varied backgrounds. In this case, Glory lives in New Orleans in a working class neighborhood and money is always running short in her household and while Mar does receive an allowance that allows her to treat the two of them to a big bag of snack food and candy, neither family has much to spare. Even so, Mar’s large family of 7 presents as supportive and loving in direct contrast to Glory’s small family group of 3 with a father who disappears for lengths of time, spends more than he makes due to his gambling compulsion and is often drunk, loud and verbally abusive and whose physical violence towards Roux is responsible for his running off. Ernesto, who runs the tattoo parlor below Glory’s small apartment, plays a notable role in Glory’s search for her dog, Roux, and is a support to her mom when she finally chooses to have her drunken husband arrested and put a restraining order in place. Homeless and blind Seven has benefited from Glory’s mom and their trips to the community under the bridge with food drop offs and is someone Glory seeks out for help as she searches. Even a grumpy man living in angry isolation has an important part to play. Each are clearly developed and help form the sense of community that runs through the story.

A few things about Glory’s self-named “wild child” behavior did bother me a bit. Several times, she willfully disobeys her mother’s directives to stay home and ignores her grounding punishment. She slips out of her house in the middle of the night to go back to the overgrown and very isolated under the bridge area where Sal/Chef lives in squalor even though he has seemed a bit dangerous to her. Never mind he is more disheartened and sad than someone to be afraid of, what is a 9 year doing slipping out of her home and roaming the streets of New Orleans? And no consequences? Even if there was some punishment, it seems that Glory doesn’t pay much attention to any discipline that her principal, her obviously well-liked teacher Ms Roche or her mom inflict. Part of Glory’s conflicted thoughts about her father and his flaws and positives is her worry that she is destined to become like him since she looks so much like him and not so much her hard-working, loving and generous mother. Much of Glory’s behavior indicates she has little respect for rules and right behavior. A few indicators she is maturing and might be turning over a new leaf include her apology to the classmate she punched and a restored friendship with Mar a brief separation. Adults will be puzzled by the apparent disparity of Mom telling Glory she can’t go inside Ernesto’s tattoo parlor right below their apartment but doesn’t seem to be bothered by her going by herself to the homeless section of the city.

I highly recommended all of Sumner’s titles and for libraries with a fan following of her work, this one has a place on those shelves. If dog and owner type stories are in high demand, this one fills that bill, too. Text is free of profanity, sexual content and the only violence is Glory’s punch to the face of the classmate who deliberately flicks paint onto her poster of missing Roux. There is great diversity in characters-Glory and her parents are Caucasian, but best friend Mar plus Seven and Sal are illustrated as Black or at least dark-skinned. Certainly the location and economic level of the cast is different from most middle grade literature and may well represent many who do not feel recognized.

Thanks for the eARC, Edelweiss

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotions glide on every page as a girl not only searches for her dog but faces some harsh, family realities.

Glory has skipped school, but she has no choice. Her dog has gone missing, and she's determined to find him. She leaves no stone unturned and even uses her mother's ties to the homeless encampment to see if any of them have seen her favorite pet. Her search takes her all over town, but instead of finding her dog, she's learning more unpleasant things about her father...although he hasn't lived with her and her mother for awhile. When she returns home, her father arrives with the dog, but the joyous moment sours and carries harsh barbs, instead.

The prose format flows very well and lets emotions come across clearly the entire way through. The reader gets to dive deep into Glory and understand her concern and efforts. Not only is it easy to sympathize with her as she searches for her dog, but other issues soon come to light.

Glory is a very independent spirit, and her wanderings through the town (alone) give an extra edge. Thanks to her mother's kindness of handing out food and water to the homeless every now and then, Glory feels comfortable enough to enter an encampment...which adds an interesting touch. But then, it's clear from her search through the town, that she's accustom to being on her own while her mother works. Little by little, the reader is brought into the difficult family situation surrounding the father, and this aspect carries bite. While the author handles the entire thing well, it might be heavy for more sensitive, younger readers. I, personally, see this as a better fit for ages ten and up, than the lower end of the middle grade range. The themes will also be more understandable for this slightly older age group.

[Lauren Bayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!
I always adore a novel-in-verse, I always adore Jamie Sumner, and I always adore a Jamie Sumner novel-in-verse. Glory Be contrasts a typical Sumner book by following a younger heroine (age 9) as she searches for her missing dog, revealing her tumultuous relationship with her dad along the way. Glory skips school, wanders New Orleans at night, and interacts with the unhoused community all in her quest to find her beloved dog.

In some ways, this would be a GREAT introduction to the novel-in-verse format for third and fourth graders; it's not too long, the main character is around their age, and it includes some pictures. In classic Sumner format, Glory is a very dynamic character, and she does an incredible job portraying the setting as a character in and of itself. But there are also some grown themes; third and fourth graders may not understand the characters of Sal and Seven, and the super problematic ways Glory goes about solving her problem may get lost. I would recommend adults read this alongside their students to help answer questions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atheneum Books for Young Readers for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glory (9) and her little dog Roux were inseparable -- until Roux disappeared.🐶

Now Glory is on a mission to find her sweet friend somewhere in New Orleans (NOLA).👧

Here are four things I loved:

😍Jamie Sumner wrote this as she dealt with the death of her beloved dog and her heart shines through.

🙈As we search with Glory, bits of her past come into focus. What happened the last time she saw Roux? How does that affect her relationships with those around her?

🌆Glory lives in an urban setting near the river. She talks to neighbors, the tattoo artists in her building, homeless men by the river, and more. Not a stone is left unturned.

😻There is a happy ending for Glory and Roux, but much work will have to be done in other areas of her life. This book will help young readers appreciate books in verse and give them a window into kids like Roux who don't live in the suburbs like my kids did.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the verse in this novel, but I felt like I needed more. I wanted more information about what is happening with her dad and her mom. It kind of just ends and doesn't wrap everything up. I love how much she loves her dog and wants to find him. I like that Glory connects with some new people along the way of trying to find her dog. And I did like the little snippets of background we got about her memories with her parents.
This is a sweet book about a girl trying to make her way in the world, with her dog, while trying to connect with her parents along the way.
I felt that we learn some about her dad, and his struggles, but I think with more background about both of her parents it would give us a little more insight into her life at home.
There is some talk of abuse, and drinking that might be triggers for some.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this latest Jamie Sumner novel-in-verse, Glory’s dog, Roux, has disappeared. She skips school, talks to some homeless people asking if they’ve seen Roux, and hung up missing posters. Come to find out, dad, who drinks and gambles, kicked Roux after he bit her dad. When Glory comes home she sees dad has ripped up some missing posters. He’s mad because she offered a reward for money they don’t have. Glory is realizing dad has anger issues along with drinking and gambling problems. Will she find Roux?
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glory loses her dog and her best friend one after the other, but she's hopeful that with the help of some homeless guys at the park, she can get at least one of these things back. Meanwhile, the uncertain relationship with her father continues; Glory hopes she'll come home to a not-drunk Daddy, but that's not usually the case.

Glory is quite the character. A bit of a fighter, a bit of a queen, and a lot of determination. The voice definitely stands out in this story. It's very much about poverty and broken homes, but it also shines in the way Glory loves her dog no matter what.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

9yo Glory's dog Roux is missing. It is all she can think about. Her father has a drinking and gambling problem, and she is worried that he is somehow involved in Roux's disappearance.

This novel in verse is very dog forward. A child with a dog, or who has ever lost a dog, can easily relate to Glory's misguided plan to find Roux. Sumner's poetry is free verse, and at many times is visually expressive. I really enjoyed Glory Be.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Glory’s dog is missing, and nothing will stop her from searching around town to find him. Her family situation makes things harder because of her father’s problems, but she meets people during her search that push her thinking about love, friendship, and difficult relationships.

[Pam Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamie Sumner is a master at storytelling in verse and creating characters you feel you know. This one may be for the more mature middle grade reader with some heavy topics but Sumner knows the age group and how to write about sensitive topics. Lots of diversity in characters including race, economics, and living situations. With a New Orleans setting and a lost puppy, readers will have a hard time putting this down!

[Rae Sobers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a “no bookmark” book! I sat down to read it and just melted into the beauty of the prose. There were moments where I forgot I was reading an upper elementary level book because I was so engrossed in the words and language. Must have for upper elementary and middle school shelves.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it is about a 9-year-old, the topics under discussion (homelessness, substance abuse, parental irresponsibility, gambling addiction) are too serious for 9-year-olds in my community. So I am suggesting this for middle school students.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book by the time I got to the end, but it took me about 5 tries to really get into it. Definitely worth the effort.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

**Spoilers relevant to determining audience.**

Nine-year-old Glory Be lives in New Orleans with her mother, who would like to earn a living making jewelry but has just taken a more remunerative job at a bank, her father, who has trouble holding a job, and her rescue dog Roux. Unfortunately, Roux has run away from home, and Glory is determined to find him. When she leaves school early in order to visit a homeless encampment to ask if anyone, especially Seven, has seen him, her mother is not happy because the school has called her and she has had to take time away from work. Even though Glory's family isn't particularly well off, she and her mother have visited the encampment before to hand out food and water, but her mother is not a fan of Glory going there on her own, or of her hanging out at the tattoo parlor downstairs from their apartment. Glory continues to look for the dog around town, but as she continues this process, details come out about her father's actions. He is frequently drunk, has anger management issues, and is not very reliable. When he returns with Roux, having found the dog with a neighbor, tensions in the family escalate and the mother ends up calling the police. It might be hard being away from her father, but in his current state, he was not a good person to have around.
Strengths: Sumner does a great job at portraying children in tenuous family circumstances in books like her Maid for It. Glory's New Orleans neighborhood is almost another character, and she feels comfortable roaming around alone, even if her mother isn't wild about the idea. I liked the fact that even though her mother would rather make jewelry, she recognizes that this isn't the most stable source of income, and does get a different job. It's also good to see her finally deal with the problematic father. I'm sure there are many nine year olds who would go to great lengths to find their own missing dogs. This is a novel in verse, and there are some illustrations, which is always good to see.
Weaknesses: While Glory is nine, her living situation, and the fact that her father kicks Roux, which is why he leaves, might make this book best suited to a slightly older audience, depending on your library population. Are there real people named Glory Be? There are at least two literary ones: Glory Bea in Bustard's Blue Skies, and Scattergood's titular Glory Be. I suspect that it is a Southern thing that I don't understand. At least it's not Lois Lowry's Sweet Ho(sanna) from her 1987 Rabble Starkey.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like novels in verse about children living in less than optimal situations, like Fipps' And Then Boom or LeZotte's Deer Run Home.