Miss You, Mina

Candy Apple #26

by Denene Millner

This book is part of our first sweet and sassy Candy Apple summer vacation trilogy! Each book focuses on one girl from a trio, and follows her summer adventure away from her friends.

Three girls, three trips, one amazing summer!

Willhelmina "Mina" Chestnut loves spending time with her BFFs, Samantha and Liza, in their New Jersey suburb. But this summer, the girls are splitting up, and Mina is attending an art camp in New York City!

Mina is dazzled by all the Big Apple has to offer, and enjoys seeing the sights and meeting new people. But a snooty girl at the camp makes Mina miss the comfort of home. How can she survive the big city for a summer without her friends? Maybe by finding them the perfect souvenirs...

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Denene Millner is a six-time New York Times best-selling author, Emmy Award-nominated TV show host and award-winning journalist and book publisher who has written more than 30 books, among them: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, co-written with Steve Harvey; Around the Way Girl, a memoir with actress Taraji P. Henson; the Fresh Princess picture books, with Will Smith; and, The Vow, the novel on which the hit Lifetime movie, “With This Ring,” was based. The writer and editor is also the editorial director and publisher of Denene Millner Books, an award-winning imprint that publishes stories featuring Black children and families, by Black authors and illustrators. The DMB list includes two Caldecott Honor books, a Kirkus Prize for Children’s Literature, two Society for Illustrator honors, a Southern Book Award, an instant New York Times bestseller and three NAACP nominations. Denene also co-hosts the nationally syndicated PBS show, A Seat at the Table, and is the host of “Speakeasy with Denene,” a podcast exploring Black culture. Denene’s upcoming novel, One Blood, a multi-generational epic about motherhood, adoption and race, is slated to be published in eight countries when it debuts in 2023. A MacDowell fellow, Denene lives in Atlanta with her two daughters and their goldendoodle, Franklin.

Reviews

[Emily Y. · Rating 5 out of 5]

12/14/12
This is one of the best books I have ever read because I kind of experienced what the main charter is going through. She has to spend summer vacation without her best friends. It seems a long time to her although the summer is short. Just like me, I moved here from Michigan this summer. I lost my old friends and I do not have new friends yet. I felt a really long summer. However, I moved here, and never have my old friends back. The main character is going back and meet her friends again. Anyway, I can feel what she is feeling, so I can understand the book more. It makes the book more fun to read. I also like this book because it is about a girl that loves art. I love art too. The end is awesome too when she won this art contest. It is also shocking because in these kind of books the main charter never wins but she manages to beat a girl who is really good at art. It was amazing. I really love this book. I think you should read it too.

[Jia ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good! I got the whole Miss You series so I am just about to start See you Soon Samantha.

[Megan Xing]

if there’s one thing i’ve learned from this year it’s that books written for eleven year olds > ya in every sense

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com

Mina is spending the summer in New York City with her aunt while attending an art camp. Excited to be going to her first big camp, Mina's enthusiasm and love of art shine through.

When she gets to the camp, however, one of the snobby girls is jealous of her and tries to make her life as miserable as possible.

With a first-place prize on the line and her reputation as a great artist at stake, will Mina shine - or fall into the shadows?

This quick read is cheery and charming. Mina's enthusiasm is contagious; her friends are likable and funny. The plot is intriguing and holds the reader's interest. Those who like realistic fiction, friendship, and self-discovery stories will enjoy reading MISS YOU, MINA.

[Danie P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the Candy Apple series. Very age appropriate books for tweens about friendship, school and tough topics (ie. bullies, mean girls, first crushes, divorces etc) This particular one talks about Mina, one of three best friends who goes to NYC for summer to participate in an elite art camp. While she's there she stays with her Aunt who is a teacher at the camp, makes a new friend Gabriella, deals with a bully, gets over her fear of preforming in public and meets a boy that she might like. Very readable.

[Laurie]

The Candy Apple series (http://www.scholastic.com/candyapple/) is popular among the younger girls at my school, and this one caught my eye because the cover is different (an African-American girl in NYC) and it's written by Denene Millner. Mina spends the summer with her aunt in New York so she can go to art camp. Great details about art, artists, and New York City, including Mina's favorite artist and role model, Romare Bearden, are packed into this book.

[Diya · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.25 Stars!

I forgot how much I loved this book! I remember Mina's book being my favourite in the 'summer trilogy' because I just related to Mina's personality and her anxiety the most, but I have a better understanding and therefore greater appreciation for it now at 22. This is the only book in the Candy Apple series with a black main character and that experience is something that is talked about all throughout the book. I also think that it's one of the best-written books from this series, like, no Top 5 (dare I say, Top 3?) Candy Apple book ranking list is complete without it.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Reader, probably a middle-grade girl, who likes contemporary fiction, New York City, and Art would adore this book. It has potential to be mistaken as fluff (I was leery), but I was pleasantly surprised to find a smart middle-grade read.

http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/20...

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovable; I stepped back into my childhood when reading this. Preferrably the mean chick Paulette should just back off! But mystical Mina and her ambitions as a passionate maestro inspire me to pursue my writing career to greater heights.

[Brielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The summer series is great overall, however, this author didn't match up all the details with the other two. The inconsistency irked me and led to the 3 rating.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Mursal · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really liked this book. it was one of the best books i have read!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really hated the way this author overused words, to be specific "oversize" and "locs". But anyway, I liked this book. It was a teeny bit cliche, but it kept me reading.

[Cynthia Santenan]

the book is great