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Chirp

Kate Messner (Goodreads Author)

4.42 · Rating details · 180 ratings · 77 reviews

From acclaimed author Kate Messner comes the powerful story of a young girl with the courage to make her voice heard, set against the backdrop of a summertime mystery.

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 ...more

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Hardcover, 240 pages

Published February 4th 2020 by Bloomsbury Children's Books

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· 180 ratings · 77 reviews

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May 27, 2019 Laurie Anderson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, feminism, middle-grade, sexual-violence

I love this book for its honesty, heart and tenderness. Keep your eye open for this one!

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Jul 09, 2019 Mandy Stallard rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bookposse

Mia has just moved back to Vermont from Boston. She and her parents want to be closer to her grandmother who suffered a stroke a few months ago. Mia is really excited to be able to help her grandmother with her cricket farm. Unfortunately, things seem to be going mysteriously wrong left and right at the farm. Mia's grandmother suspects that someone is trying to sabotage the farm so she will be forced to sell it, but so far, there is no way to prove her theory.

Per her mother, Mia has to pick two Mia has just moved back to Vermont from Boston. She and her parents want to be closer to her grandmother who suffered a stroke a few months ago. Mia is really excited to be able to help her grandmother with her cricket farm. Unfortunately, things seem to be going mysteriously wrong left and right at the farm. Mia's grandmother suspects that someone is trying to sabotage the farm so she will be forced to sell it, but so far, there is no way to prove her theory.

Per her mother, Mia has to pick two summer activities: one for her body and one for her brain. She decides to participate in Launch camp (a maker space for kids) and Warrior camp so she can learn the tricks behind one of her favorite tv shows. Warrior camp happens to be right beside a gymnastics facility. We learn that Mia was a great gymnast in Boston, but after breaking her arm and undergoing surgery, she hasn't wanted to compete again. It's obvious that something bad happened to her at her old gym other than breaking her arm, but it takes a while to learn that her former coach was very inappropriate with her.

After forming new friendships with girls and women who have also been the victims of sexual harassment or inappropriate touch, Mia finds her voice and finally confides in her mother. At the same time, these friends help her figure out who is the mysterious mishaps at the cricket farm. These friendships allow Mia to rediscover the joy in her life and regain a part of her old self.

When I first heard that Kate Messner's upcoming novel was about a cricket farm, I thought that was really strange. I have loved every book of hers that I've read, but I couldn't see myself feeling super enthusiastic about this one. We all know the old adage "don't judge a book by its cover;" my new philosophy is going to be don't judge a book based on its setting or plot. Messner uses female crickets as a symbol for women who are scared to be vocal when men are misogynistic or inappropriate with them. She delicately unravels Mia's suffering for the reader without making it too graphic for her intended middle-grade audience. This book is so important for young girls to read. I imagine that every woman has been the victim of some type of sexual harassment during her life. We would love to think that it doesn't happen to girls in elementary school, but it does. I can say that confidently from my first-hand experience. It happened to me in first grade; a few boys touched my butt on the playground. In fourth grade, a male classmate asked me if I was a virgin. I, of course, had no idea what that meant, but I knew that it was a question he shouldn't be asking me. Now, I don't think those boys were being sexual predators; looking back on it now, I think they were probably doing things that they had seen or heard older boys or men doing, but it made me feel dirty, even though I had done nothing wrong. It's important for young girls to know that they are not in the wrong in these situations. This book is also important for young boys because they need to know that there are lines that should never be crossed. Messner does an excellent job of sensitively teaching both those lessons.

Chirp needs to be in every elementary and middle school library, and I'm not just talking to librarians who have a robust budget. Buy this with your own money if you must; it's that important for our children to read.

*Review based on an ARC given to #BookPosse. ...more

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Aug 01, 2019 Gillian rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kids

This is a must-read for everyone who’s ever had their voice quieted, everyone who’s gotten an icky feeling from someone, everyone who’s struggled to speak up. Thank you Kate Messner for CHIRP. It’s going to inspire so many conversations! ...more

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Nov 30, 2019 Melanie Dulaney added it

Shelves: realistic-fiction, didn-t-finish, middle-grades

Due to a truly horrible digital ARC, I stopped trying to read this one. I think it will be a good middle grades choice for those that like a come back story with heart and a little mystery. With Kate Messner being the author, it’s a safe bet that it will be!

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Dec 14, 2019 Shari rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-mg-realistic-fiction, 2020-mystery

Kate Messner is a master at writing for tweens because, just as kids don’t have a single identity, neither do the books she writes for them. She can write about a heavy, important topic without it feeling burdensome, because that isn’t the book’s only identity. Chirp is an incredibly relevant, sensitive, courageous book that takes on the complex topic of sexual abuse and harassment. I absolutely love the gentle and appropriate way that she handles this topic - with respect for her readers, and ...more

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Oct 29, 2019 MrsDogood rated it liked it

The fact that male crickets chirp while female crickets are silent provides an intriguing basis for a book on the #MeToo movement. It’s disappointing, then, that this clever premise receives a one-note execution. I know I am daring to find fault with a book about #MeToo but before I’m drummed out librarianship, note that my comments are on a book, not a movement.

The writing is excellent; Mia’s voice rings true and her anguish is heartfelt and relateable enough to encourage young women to speak ...more

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Jan 28, 2020 Toni rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childrens

A story about speaking up- mostly when an older person does something that makes you feel "icky". This book does a great job of weaving a fun mystery with this serious topic together.

Mia used to be a gymnast, until the "accident". Now she doesn't even want to think about gymnastics and is instead focusing on helping at her grandmother's grasshopper farm. Strange things are happening that could ruin her grandmother's business.

Messner masterfully balances the plot of the mystery, Mia's struggles ...more

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Jul 18, 2019 Jen Petro-Roy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-grade, arc, ebook, 2019

I’m continually in awe of how Kate weaves together entertainment, education, and serious issues into a fabulous story.

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Aug 18, 2019 Bonnie Grover rated it really liked it

“Sometimes courage is quiet. Sometimes getting up in the morning and being you, is the bravest most defiant thing a woman can do.” I really wasn’t expecting this middle grade novel to be anything more than friends spending the summer having fun with a little bit of mystery mixed in. While it is friendship and family, it is much more. It is overcoming your own fears, getting back in the ring, and speaking up when things don’t feel quite right. I think this book is going to open up a lot of ...more

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Nov 16, 2019 Raven Black rated it really liked it

Age appropriate (10-14). Heavy subjects but presented respectfully and accessible to all readers. A few bumps in plot for me, but overall decent and what you expect from the author.

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Nov 05, 2019 Ms. Yingling rated it really liked it

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Mia's family moves from Boston back to Vermont, and she's happy to be back near her grandmother, who has a business raising crickets to sell for food. Her parents are both busy, so they make Mia go to two summer camps-- one is Launch camp, which she hopes will help with her grandmother's business, and the other is Warrior Camp, which Mia is glad is NOT gymnastics, since she had a troubling experience in Boston and is also recovering from a badly broken arm. Things E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Mia's family moves from Boston back to Vermont, and she's happy to be back near her grandmother, who has a business raising crickets to sell for food. Her parents are both busy, so they make Mia go to two summer camps-- one is Launch camp, which she hopes will help with her grandmother's business, and the other is Warrior Camp, which Mia is glad is NOT gymnastics, since she had a troubling experience in Boston and is also recovering from a badly broken arm. Things are not going well with the crickets, and she and her new friend Clover investigate why sea gulls are getting in, beetles show up in the feed, fruit flies infest the area, and the temperature controls are sabotaged. Through the Launch camp, Mia gets a lot of good ideas, and goes to businesses in the small town to try to get them interested in crickets as food, to some success-- even the mayor posts pictures of herself eating the crickets! Behind all of this activity, however, Mia is harboring a secret about uncomfortable experiences she had at gymnastics back in Boston; she manages to talk to a visiting women entrepreneur about them, and tells her parents when her young cousin is considering going to the same gym. The mystery of the sabotage is also uncovered, and her grandmother's business manages not only to survive but to thrive with the help of interested investors.

Strengths: Messner does two things very well-- strong, supportive and engaged families, and small town settings. Add to that interesting characters who are involved in doing things, and her books are the gold standard for middle grade fiction. This is an interesting mystery that has elements of friend drama, and will go over well with students. The inclusion of #metoo topics will be well received by adults in the book community.
Weaknesses: It was a bit hard to believe that an adult would go to such lengths to sabotage someone's business, but it makes for a compelling story.
What I really think: Will definitely purchase, as this author is popular in my library. ...more

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Oct 24, 2019 Pam Page rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-s-realistic-fiction

Kate Messner has an uncanny sense of what kids need and how to reach them through books. When a book ends, and I'm sad to say goodbye to the characters, I know it was a good one! This is true with Chirp, a book that includes a cricket farm, an aging parent, and a girl carrying a serious secret.

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Oct 06, 2019 Jacqueline rated it it was amazing

All around fun read I would recommend to any middle grade reader. In Chirp, Messner has done an excellent job of combining science, emotional growth, and mystery in the life of one very likable character named Mia.

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Oct 24, 2019 Maddie☾✶ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, books-on-my-shelf, 2019-5-star-reads

Chirp by Kate Messner
Never in my life have a read a middle-grade book as important as this one. Messner has made something so powerful and special to young readers in the #Metoo movement. Her writing is bold, courageous and the story is simply unforgettable.

Mia has been a gymnast for a long time but after breaking her arm by falling off the beam she finds it's the perfect excuse to pack away her leotards and trophies. It's the summer after seventh grade and Mia is recovering from her broken arm ...more

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Dec 01, 2019 Cassie Thomas rated it it was amazing

Honest and courageous. Kate has written a story that is timely in its nature, and something I am so grateful is out in the middle grade world. What a profound story wrapped up in good hearted friendship and fun mystery as well. I can’t wait to share with students.

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Jan 31, 2020 Kathryn Fletcher rated it it was amazing

This book has layers of plot lines, and I love it!

First, Mia and her family just moved to live near her grandmother, who owns a cricket farm. Yes, a cricket farm. To make food with them. Barbecue crickets. Maple crickets. and more! Mia and her grandmother are really close, so when she learns that Gram’s farm is in danger of closing down due to sabotage and lack of funding, Mia knows she has to do something.

Layer one: Who is sabotaging the farm? Mia and two friends go all Nancy Drew to ...more

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Jan 26, 2020 Emily rated it really liked it

After several years away, Mia and her family are moving back to her hometown to be closer to her grandmother as she recovers from a stroke and prepares to sell her business. At least, that's what they thought the plan was. In reality, Gram has no intention of selling her cricket farm, not if she can help it. Despite the fact that Mia would prefer to spend her summer just helping Gram at the farm, Mia's mother insists she join a couple camps to keep busy. Mia begrudgingly enrolls in Launch Camp, After several years away, Mia and her family are moving back to her hometown to be closer to her grandmother as she recovers from a stroke and prepares to sell her business. At least, that's what they thought the plan was. In reality, Gram has no intention of selling her cricket farm, not if she can help it. Despite the fact that Mia would prefer to spend her summer just helping Gram at the farm, Mia's mother insists she join a couple camps to keep busy. Mia begrudgingly enrolls in Launch Camp, where participants work on developing their own inventions or business plans like her favorite show Deal with the Sharks, and Warrior Camp, where kids get to work out at a special training gym for her other favorite show, American Warrior Challenge. Warrior Camp happens to be in the same warehouse as Gram's farm, so she'll be close by to help out. It also shares warehouse space with a gymnastics gym, a fact that makes Mia very uncomfortable when she discovers its proximity.

Until an accident last year that severely broke her arm, Mia was an avid gymnast with Olympic dreams. But all that changed when she fell off the beam. She tries to push down all memory of that day and what happened, but it becomes harder and harder as the summer goes on. Fortunately, she does make friends with a girl who happens to be at both her camps, and they decide to use their time at Launch Camp to come up with ways to save Gram's cricket farm. The problems seem stacked against her: even though she seems to be recovering well from her stroke, things keep happening at the farm that have Gram talking about sabotage. If one more thing goes wrong, she will be forced to sell... unless Mia and her friend can figure out who is behind it.

As their investigation picks up, Mia is forced to confront some secrets she's kept buried for the last year. Secrets that are very much connected to why she finds it difficult to trust and why she cringes passing the gymnastics gym.

The story here is fine - the mystery is fairly predictable, and the friendships seem a bit too easy from my experience of middle school girls. But where this book shines is in Messner's portrayal of Mia's real and complicated internal life. Mia has a lot pent up inside her and these feelings feel incredibly authentic - at times heartbreaking:

"Even though she was older and taller now, she felt smaller somehow. As if her body was growing like it was supposed to, but inside, the rest of her was shrinking."

Further, she has smart, strong, inspirational women around and behind her that give her the safety to express those feelings:

"'Sometimes courage is quiet,' Gram said. 'You were brave to speak up today, Mia. But you were brave before that, too. Sometimes getting up in the morning and being you, no matter what's happened to you and no matter what anybody says, is the bravest, most defiant thing a woman can do.'"

I think this book will touch many of its readers and will provide them with the courage to express things they've been burying. That's what literature is meant to do for its readers, and this does it so well.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Children's Books via NetGalley for the eGalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Feb 02, 2020 Carin rated it really liked it

Shelves: macmillan, women-authors, american, childrens

Mia has moved back to Vermont from Boston. It's the beginning of summer which is not the best time to make new friends but her grandmother lives in town, and her mother makes her sign up for a couple of summer camps. Everyone assumes she'll sign up for gymnastics camp. But she's's done with gymnastics. After breaking her arm badly last year, requiring surgery, she's finished. Plus, there was her creepy assistant coach she'd rather forget.

So instead she signs up for a Makers camp that's Mia has moved back to Vermont from Boston. It's the beginning of summer which is not the best time to make new friends but her grandmother lives in town, and her mother makes her sign up for a couple of summer camps. Everyone assumes she'll sign up for gymnastics camp. But she's's done with gymnastics. After breaking her arm badly last year, requiring surgery, she's finished. Plus, there was her creepy assistant coach she'd rather forget.

So instead she signs up for a Makers camp that's participating in a Shark Tank-type of entrepreneur competition at the end of summer, and on the spur of the moment, an American Gladiator camp that she immediately regrets. Plus she'll be helping her grandmother with her cricket farm! Mia will have plenty to keep her busy.

Everything soon ties together. The entrepreneur project she decides to work on is her grandmother's company. And at the gladiator camp, while she can't do most of the activities which she's either too weak for, or which remind her too much of gymnastics, she does work on strengthening her arm. Even if all she's doing is hanging from a bar for 10 seconds, she's still building muscle and growing stronger. Soon she figures out her grandmother's cricket farm is being vandalized and having too many weird problems to be coincidences--it must be sabotage! Inspired by old classic teen mystery novels, she and her new friends investigate.

There's a lot going on here, but it absolutely does all come together, and the constant action keeps the story moving forward briskly. The mystery element kept me guessing for a while. I liked her new friends. You can probably already guess that her old assistant coach in Boston is a Problem. He didn't abuse her, but he made her very uncomfortable, and he was inappropriate. There's also a boy in the Makers camp who's a creep and a future lech, but over the course of the novel, multiple people, mostly his peers, call him out on his behavior and put him in his place, and by the end he's started to see he can behave better and then the other kids will like him more. The other kids are very diverse (which, given this is set in Vermont, which is in actuality the whitest state in the country, isn't very realistic, but I still appreciate the effort). And the cricket farm was a fascinating thing I was unfamiliar with and really appreciated learning about, even if I'm never, ever going to eat a cricket. But good for others who do! It's a great protein source and really good for the environment. ...more

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Jan 20, 2020 Paul Warner rated it really liked it

This is a very VERY good book, and an important book, I recommend especially for kids in upper elementary and middle school, but really for all kids, and I wish this book was around when my daughter and son (now both in college) were I'd say in about the 4th-7th grade so we could read it together and discuss it.

The fun part of the book that all kids will love is the kids in the story coming up with great marketing ideas to promote the eating of crickets (Entomophagy is a real thing they'd love This is a very VERY good book, and an important book, I recommend especially for kids in upper elementary and middle school, but really for all kids, and I wish this book was around when my daughter and son (now both in college) were I'd say in about the 4th-7th grade so we could read it together and discuss it.

The fun part of the book that all kids will love is the kids in the story coming up with great marketing ideas to promote the eating of crickets (Entomophagy is a real thing they'd love to research too). Many kids will certainly identify with the positive relationship between grandchild and grandma, and also with the hardship of healing and recovering and growing strong again after an injury, plus the hardship of moving and trying to make new friends. For kids who like mystery stories, they will also enjoy the Nancy Drew-like quest to figure out who is trying to sabotage grandma's cricket farm, and for kids who like the challenges of projects, technology, and new ideas of entrepreneurship (like Shark Tank) there is some great stuff in here like that too.

But I think the most important aspect of this book is the sub-plot involving our protagonist Mia for some reason not feeling comfortable with gymnastics anymore, and little hints here and there that something happened to her that she hasn't talked about with anyone but needs to. Eventually, we learn that a creepy adult in gymnastics made Mia feel very uncomfortable with his unwanted texts and touching, and in this story she gathers the knowledge and strength she needs to speak out about it. There is nothing inappropriate in the reading that people should worry about; on the contrary, the simple discussion in the book of what is inappropriate is an important and essential one that kids of any age could and should read about and talk about with family, teachers, or counselors so they know when to recognize inappropriateness by adults and stand up for themselves against it. Mia's heroic journey to speak up is not the main plot of the story, but it is the powerful heart of the story, and you feel for her and root for her in this personal aspect of her life while you also cheer on her entrepreneurship and her sleuthing. In addition, it is what some of my students and my own daughter would positively refer to as a "great girl power book" (though the life lessons are certainly important to boys as well).

I highly recommend "Chirp" by Kate Messner.
...more

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Feb 03, 2020 Shaye Miller rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, netgalley

Mia’s family is moving to Vermont at the end of her 7th grade year where she'll be closer to her aging grandmother who runs a cricket farm. Once an accomplished gymnast, Mia isn’t sure where her new interests lie now that she is healing from a balance beam injury (which required surgery on her arm). So she agrees to attend two summer camp opportunities in her new city — launch camp (a maker space for kids) and Warrior camp. At the maker space camp she makes a new set of friends and builds a team Mia’s family is moving to Vermont at the end of her 7th grade year where she'll be closer to her aging grandmother who runs a cricket farm. Once an accomplished gymnast, Mia isn’t sure where her new interests lie now that she is healing from a balance beam injury (which required surgery on her arm). So she agrees to attend two summer camp opportunities in her new city — launch camp (a maker space for kids) and Warrior camp. At the maker space camp she makes a new set of friends and builds a team of people who rely on one another’s strengths. Mia’s big maker space project will hopefully boost her grandmother’s cricket farm by using robotic technology and social media hashtags. At the warrior camp, Mia must face her inner fears and take baby steps as she regains muscle strength and endurance.

As the maker space team works on their project, they soon discover someone is attempting to sabotage the cricket farm. This means a little dangerous undercover work for Mia in an attempt to uncover the culprit and prevent future damage. But as different people become potential suspects, it’s easy to jump to conclusions. In the meantime, Mia learns of the importance of opening up about uncomfortable experiences she’s had with an adult in her previous town. She learns that inappropriate touch and sexual harassment happen far more than we realize and that speaking out can be healing for yourself and helpful for others who may have experienced the same pain.

With the development of valuable friendships, learning how to communicate with parents, the inclusion of technology and social media, the mystery of sabotage, and deciding on whether to report an abuser, this book is very full and yet quite well-rounded. I was so pleased that it ended on a very happy and comforting note. And I just know it will be loved by so many middle graders who will relate to Mia’s arsenal of experiences, in one way or another. It would also make a wonderful read aloud, but be sure to order some edible crickets to share with listeners! My thanks to Netgalley and to Bloomsbury for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Chirp will be released tomorrow, so go out and pre-order your copy TODAY!

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo! ...more

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Dec 10, 2019 Kate Waggoner rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-read

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Bloomsbury Children's Books, for sharing an advance copy of Chirp by Kate Messner with me. All opinions are my own. This book will be released in February 2020.

During the summer after 7th grade, Mia moves back to Vermont so her parents can help her grandma with her cricket farm (though Mia's mom believes her grandma should sell the business, so she can relax). Mia's mom makes her choose two summer camps to enroll in, one for her mind and one for her Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Bloomsbury Children's Books, for sharing an advance copy of Chirp by Kate Messner with me. All opinions are my own. This book will be released in February 2020.

During the summer after 7th grade, Mia moves back to Vermont so her parents can help her grandma with her cricket farm (though Mia's mom believes her grandma should sell the business, so she can relax). Mia's mom makes her choose two summer camps to enroll in, one for her mind and one for her body. Mia chooses to go to Launch Camp and Warrior Camp. Between her camp sessions, Mia helps her grandma at the cricket farm and learns that things just don't seem to be going her grandma's way. They're having issues with temperature control, bugs in the feed, and more. Mia quickly realizes that someone is trying to sabotage her grandma's dream and makes it her project at Launch Camp to create a business plan and way to innovate and expand the cricket farm. Mia and her friends start to investigate the mysterious incidents occurring at the farm. Will their discoveries and friendship empower Mia to share the secrets she's been keeping?

I enjoyed this book for several reasons. To start, I love a mystery. This book has just enough of a mystery to pull you in. I became invested in the cricket farm and trying to figure out who was behind the sabotage. Additionally, I liked the message about empowerment and female entrepreneurs. I liked that the two camps that Mia chose might not be considered camps for girls, but both had multiple girls not only attending but excelling at what they were doing. The final thing I liked was Mia finding her voice and sharing with her mom about what happened to her at gymnastics. Mia knew something was wrong, but didn't believe that her voice would be heard or believed. I think it's incredibly important for young readers to know that if something is off or doesn't feel right to them, that they should share those feelings with a trusted adult. While I did enjoy this novel, my digital arc had several missing portions (random parts of sentences and paragraphs just weren't there) which did detract a little from my enjoyment as I wasn't getting the full picture and I had to infer several things. ...more

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Jan 24, 2020 Jennifer Hottinger rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-school

I am so grateful to have received an ARC of Chirp by Kate Messner from Netgalley. Kate Messner is one of the gurus of teaching ELA that I respect, follow, and incorporate her ideas into my lessons. Her summer writing camp for teachers encourages us as educators to explore our own writing and try new techniques.

Chirp is an amazing and touching story of Mia, who is struggling with secrets and hurt. Mia spends the summer in Vermont at her Gram’s cricket farm. She hopes to rest and snack her summer ...more

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Dec 26, 2019 Jaime rated it it was ok

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Description
From acclaimed author Kate Messner comes the powerful story of a young girl with the courage to make her voice heard, set against the backdrop of a summertime mystery.

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 Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Description
From acclaimed author Kate Messner comes the powerful story of a young girl with the courage to make her voice heard, set against the backdrop of a summertime mystery.

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.

Kate Messner is passionately curious and writes books that encourage kids to wonder, too. Her titles include award-winning picture books like Over and Under the Snow, Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, and How to Read a Story; novels like Capture the Flag, All the Answers, The Seventh Wish, and Breakout; the Fergus and Zeke easy reader series, and the Ranger in Time historical chapter book series. Kate lives on Lake Champlain with her family and is trying to summit all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks in between book deadlines.

There was a problem with the digital copy, but I soldiered through it. I'm not a huge one overly fond of folks jumping on the bandwagon of the #metoo thing. I also don't think it needs to be shoved in younger kids faces. I grew up in a different world than what we have today in terms of the social norms that are going around in all the social media that's killing the world as we know it. I didn't like that part of the book. It was, however, well written. ...more

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Feb 14, 2020 Jana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-kinds-of-families, middle-grade-fiction, middle-grade-mystery, middle-grade-realistic-fiction

I had the opportunity to read a NetGalley digital ARC of this middle grade novel in exchange for a review. Young readers will have a lot of fun accompanying Mia on her quest to help her grandmother’s cricket farm become successful. Mia and her family have moved back to Vermont because Mia’s entomologist grandmother has recently suffered a stroke and Mia’s parents want to help her recover. But there seems to be a lot of misfortune with the cricket farm and Mia’s grandmother believes that someone ...more

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Jan 29, 2020 Andrea Doyon rated it really liked it

Sometimes courage is quiet.

Kate Messner's newest novel follows Mia, a seventh grade girl who has recently moved back to Vermont after living in Boston. She is anxious about the new situation, understandably, being at such a crucial juncture in her life. Once a bit of a gymnastic phenom, she's recovering from a bad broken bone and is hesitant to get back into the sport. Forced into summer camps by her parents, she ends up meeting new friend, Clover. As the two girls become more comfortable with ...more

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Feb 06, 2020 Gabrielle Stoller rated it liked it

Shelves: feminism, children-s, chapter-book, realistic-fiction, sports, tough-topics, friendship

When this book showed up on my desk as a hold fulfillment, I was shocked. What was it about? I didn't even recall ordering it. However, when I saw who had endorsed it (Laurie Halse Anderson in particular) I knew I had to try it.

Admittedly, I skimmed elements I didn't care about too much. The story was about a girl named Mia whose family has moved--and now she lives really close to her grandmother and her cricket farm. Yes, a cricket farm. I have never read a book that takes place in a cricket ...more

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Nov 09, 2019 Lesley rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019

“All summer she’d been hoping she might find her way back to that girl in the picture, but she’d been thinking about it all wrong. It wasn’t about finding her way back.…She’d have to find her way forward.” (226-227)

Mia had been the type of girl that jumped off high rocks into the water, aiming for the Olympics in gymnastics, fearlessly trying new things. And then something happened that made her lose her voice, her confidence, her courage.

When her family moves back from Boston back to Vermont, ...more

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Jan 26, 2020 Denese Anderson rated it it was amazing

I was so excited to see a new book by Kate Messner! Chirp is about a girl named Mia who is excited to move back to Vermont to be closer to her grandmother. Upon arriving, her parents convince her to participate in a summer Launch Camp (for entrepreneurs) and a Warrior Camp. Mia meets new friends in the Launch Camp and decides to use it to help her grandma with the cricket farm that she owns. However, the Warrior Camp is more of a challenge for Mia because of a bad gymnastics fall she had ...more

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Dec 02, 2019 Alicia rated it really liked it

Shelves: family, stem-nature, politics-justice, amexperience, mystery-thriller, sports-hobbies, female, middle-grade, friendship

Give me more books about the new dawn of insects as protein-packed food of the future to save our planet and how appetizing they can truly be. Plus the feels of Vermont atmosphere that Messner does well and feels, well, close to home.

This is a tried-and-true middle grade novel in which the main character is helping on the grandmother's cricket farm, one meant to raise thousands if not millions of crickets to supply for eating. There includes a Shark Tank-like competition on business and ...more

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Feb 10, 2020 PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I still have tears in my eyes since finishing CHIRP.

Mia is thrilled to move home to Vermont and away from her creepy gymnastics coach in Boston. Back in Vermont, her grandmother suspects her cricket farm is being sabotaged and Mia is determined to find the culprit. Along with two new friends, she sets out to solve the mystery and help her grandmother grow the farm which grew crickets as sustainable protein.

CHIRP has all the components of a great Middle Grade book, strong characters, a good ...more

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About Kate Messner

Kate Messner

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Kate Messner is an award-winning author, TED 2012 speaker, and former middle school English teacher. Her books for kids include THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z.,SUGAR AND ICE, and EYE OF THE STORM (Walker/Bloomsbury Dec. 2010) the MARTY MCGUIRE series (Scholastic), SEA MONSTER'S FIRST DAY, and OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW (Chronicle, Books). Kate also wrote SPITFIRE and CHAMPLAIN AND THE SILENT ONE, ...more