Dear Student by Elly Swartz

How I Heard About It:
*I received an email from a representative at Penguin Random House/Delacorte Press.  She was offering me an advanced reader copy (electronic) of Elly's upcoming novel.  I was thrilled because I had read her previous three novels and LOVED them all.  I read this story while on summer vacation in Lake Tahoe.


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:
*Autumn isn't having an easy time of it with her father joining the Peace Corps and her best friend moving across the country.

*She finds comfort in animals, her younger sister, and writing.  

*Each year, the school picks a student to be the anonymous "Dear Student" advice columnist.

*Taking her absent father's advice to pick "one thing", Autumn decides to apply for the position.

*Thinking this will be the ticket to happiness, she finds herself in more than one difficult situation that involve two new friends who couldn't be more different from each other.


What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
*I feel so lucky to have been able to read an ARC of Dear Student.  I have loved all Elly's stories and was not looking forward to the wait to get on my hands on her fourth book in early 2022.   

*Autumn was an authentic, sensitive, and engaging character to read about.  I cared about her, her family, and the situations she found herself in.

*Her two new friends added greatly to the plot having both a positive and negative impact on Autumn's life.

*Anytime a story is set in a school, I'm all in.  Elly did a phenomenal job of describing Autumn's school, staff, and the interactions of the students.

*As with all of Elly's stories, she presented many important life lessons and dealt with them in an honest and authentic way.  I know many great discussions will come from the story.


Who Should Read It:
*Upon the release in February 2022, I think Autumn's story could be shared in any and all third, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms.  In addition to these settings, middle-school readers would also be ideal for the novel.  Happy Reading!


Rating:  5 STARS out of 5 Stars