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CONFESSIONS OF A MANGO — Review & Giveaway

rosihollinbeck

Thought for the Day:

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”
~ Jack Kerouac ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

I wrote on here recently I didn’t see many posts about book endings, so, of course, there was one this week from K. M Weiland HERE called The Psychology of Story Endings (+5 Tips to Write a Truly Satisfying Ending). Enjoy!

Point of view is hard for a lot of writers, and, consequently, we see a lot of head-hopping going on. HERE Anne R. Allen has a great post called Writers, Does your WIP have a Genuinely Omniscient Point of View, or are you Head-Hopping?

Every now and then, I take up some form of art other than writing. Why I think, at my age, I will suddenly become accomplished at painting or needlework or collage is beyond me, but I keep taking up such hobbies. HERE is a good post from Kasey LeBlanc on Writer Unboxed entitled What Other Art Forms Taught Me About Writing. I’m not alone in this.

I won’t be here next week. I will be in San Diego putting the cherry on top of all my baseball travels. I will attend a game at Petco Park — the last park I need to visit to complete my goal of seeing a game in every major league park. When I announced my intention to my family a few years ago, I wasn’t sure I would be able to accomplish it, but it’s looking good for me now. Both my daughters and my granddaughter will be joining me to celebrate. We’re having a girls’ day. My beloved Giants will be visiting the San Diego Padres, and there is always a chance, albeit a long shot of a chance, but a chance nonetheless, that my Giants will pull out a win. Hope springs eternal.

I have a little dog named Mango, so when I saw a book on the San Francisco Book Review list called CONFESSIONS OF A MANGO by Kate Lumsden and Nate Pieplow, it caught my eye. I checked a synopsis online, and it really sounded good, so I ordered it. I think this is really an important book that will not only be of interest to young readers, but will help a lot of them as well. Here is the review I wrote for SFBR.

Ruby and her twin brother, Bryce, are starting sixth grade at Benton Academy, a school for gifted children. Bryce is a real brainiac, but Ruby has been diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia, and she feels completely out of place. She knows being at Benton is important to Bryce, and she wants it for him. The pressure on Ruby is terrible, and she doesn’t feel supported. When her new friend, Thea, tells her about an anonymous website, Ruby chooses a secret identity and posts about her frustrations at Benton. Little does she know what a hornet’s nest she has disturbed. Many other students post about their frustrations, but Bryce is furious, and so are many parents.

Nate Pieplow & Kate Lumsden Photo by Evan Wang Photography

Authors Kate Lumsden and Nate Pieplow have written a very compelling story of a young girl who processes learning differently from most children, but they also weave in a good portrayal of the day-to-day pressures of school for almost everyone. The characters are all believable, the dialogue is pitch-perfect for the ages of the characters, and the problems faced by the characters are things readers will easily relate to. This book deserves readership far beyond its intended middle-grade audience.

I have a gently-read hardback to give to one of you. All you need to do is be a follower (it’s free and easy — see the top, right corner of the post) with a US Address, and leave a comment. If you share the link to this post on social media, please let me know in your comment, and you will get an extra chance. And please don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.

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Published by rosihollinbeck

25 thoughts on “CONFESSIONS OF A MANGO — Review & Giveaway”

  1. Seeing the cover immediately made me think of James and the Giant Peach. Thank you for the tip on Gary Schmidt. I’m just wrapping up Okay for Now, which was a wonderful read. Do you have any other favorites of his that you recommend?

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      1. Thanks for jumping in and recommending a book for Pete. I hope he reads them all. And thanks for the good wishes for San Diego and the comment. Good luck in the drawing.

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    2. I’m so glad you enjoyed Okay for Now. It’s such a good book. For you, I would recommend Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. It’s historical fiction and and I think it’s right up your alley. That said, I have loved everything of his I’ve read and I think you will too. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.

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  2. This sounds like an excellent book for my disabilities unit. I call it an advocacy unit because I’m trying to teach students about various disabilities to educate them and build empathy. Student read a fictional book about a student with a condition, disease, or disability, and then do a research project on the issue to share with the class.

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    1. I think this will be a perfect book for you advocacy unit. I’m sure you and your students will really like this book. Thanks for reading and commenting. Good luck in the drawing.

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  3. Pingback: Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (7/27/2026) | Always in the Middle…

  4. Thank you for the review–this book sounds so emotional and I like that you found it authentic to middle grade. I’m excited to read it too and see the world and it’s challenges through Ruby’s POV. I shared this post on X, Facebook, Pinterest, and tumblr.

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  5. Congrats on reaching your goal next week! Enjoy the game. This one caught my eye too. I’ll let someone else win it and check it out at my library if I get to it on my TBR list.

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  6. As always, thank you for a great post, full of juicy links and good books to read. I am passing along your link about endings to a friend. I’d read about this book on my library’s website and it sounded interesting. Don’t put me in the drawing because I’m a bit further behind on my TBR than I care to admit. If you want, you can give my chance to Destiny because I love that she has an advocacy unit! I’m so excited for you that you’re getting to San Diego (Petco) with your girls! Yay!!!

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  7. This sounds like a book that could resonate with a lot of kids. I would probably enjoy reading it, but please give my chance to one the educators who comments (I guess at this point that’s Destiny, but you never know).

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  8. This sounds so good! I have spent a lot of time working with students with dyslexia, and the struggle to fit in is very real. It was also a struggle for me as a teacher to show to other teachers and parents that struggles with the 3Rs doesn’t mean that someone doesn’t have other talents and gifts. We definitely need more books like this!

    I will check out the article about how other hobbies influence your writing. I have found that to be true as well!

    Enjoy your trip! Kudos to you on visiting all the stadiums!

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  10. Congratulations on your major league accomplishment. You are way ahead of me as Petco Park is the only place I’ve seen my home team play when they were visiting. Confessions of a Mango sounds like a must read for me given the background of the characters and their challenges. I’ve known similar kids in my work as an educator. And… as usual great links…not so usual is that I got to them all today. Thanks for finding these gems.

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  11. Agreed this does sound like an important and interesting book! Thank you for your review and for the chance to read it.

    Shared on X: x.com/craftychicky58/status/2082207478964531273

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