Dear Sweet Pea

Category: Book
By (author): Murphy, Julie
Subject:  JUVENILE FICTION / Age 10-14
  JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Marriage & Divorce
  JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Friendship
  JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
Audience: children/juvenile
Awards: Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Book
IndieBound Indie Next List Top Ten Pick
Texas Lone Star Reading List
Amazon.com Best Books of the Year
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: February 2021
Format: Book-paperback
Pages: 288
Size: 7.62in x 5.12in
List Price:
$ 12.50
Our Price:
$ 10.99
(12% Off)
Availability:
Available to order

Additional Notes

From The Publisher*

The first middle grade novel from Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin' (now a popular Netflix film), is a funny, heartwarming story perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead, Ali Benjamin, and Holly Goldberg Sloan. Four starred reviews!

Patricia "Sweet Pea" DiMarco wasn't sure what to expect when her parents announced they were getting a divorce. She never could have imagined that they would have the "brilliant" idea of living in nearly identical houses on the same street. In the one house between them lives their eccentric neighbor Miss Flora Mae, the famed local advice columnist behind "Miss Flora Mae I?"

Dividing her time between two homes is not easy. And it doesn't help that at school, Sweet Pea is now sitting right next to her ex–best friend, Kiera, a daily reminder of the friendship that once was. Things might be unbearable if Sweet Pea didn't have Oscar-her new best friend-and her fifteen-pound cat, Cheese.

Then one day Flora leaves for a trip and asks Sweet Pea to forward her the letters for the column. And Sweet Pea happens to recognize the handwriting on one of the envelopes.

What she decides to do with that letter sets off a chain of events that will forever change the lives of Sweet Pea DiMarco, her family, and many of the readers of "Miss Flora Mae I?"

Review Quote*"Murphy creates a wonderfully realistic portrait of tween life in her first middle-grade novel…. Sweet Pea is a treasure of a protagonist."  
Review Quote*"Endearing and funny… An excellent blend of eccentricity, humor, genuine sweetness, and mild drama."
Review Quote*"With gentle humor, ageless wisdom, and charming, genuine characters who represent a diversity of experiences, Murphy's novel offers all the emotional highs and lows of pitch-perfect middle grade."
Review Quote*"Murphy succeeds yet again at crafting a touching, quotable coming-of-age story, this time exploring divorce, shifting friendships, crushes, queerness, and much more." 
Review Quote*"Full of cringe-worthy but funny seventh grade moments… [there's also] plenty of room for more serious reflection about the people around her in her small Texas town, a cast diverse in ethnicity, sexual orientation, and body size as well as in attitudes."
Review Quote*"Successfully handles tough topics with humor."
Review Quote*"Dear Sweet Pea is a truly irresistible story about a family in flux, brimming with humor and heart."
Review Quote*Praise for PUDDIN': "Julie Murphy has created the platonic love story of a lifetime. I am wildly in love with Puddin'."
Review Quote*Praise for PUDDIN': "Murphy's plot brims with unlikely friendships, irresistible romance, fabulous fat acceptance, and a kick-ass ending. Buoying."