Chloe on the bright side

Courtney Sheinmel

Book - 2016

Rejected by the cool girls club, fifth-grader Chloe Silver, new in town after her parents' divorce, forms a different type of club, with offbeat Lucy Tanaka and nerdy Leo Barish, that tests out different acts of kindness on classmates.

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Subjects
Published
New York : Bloomsbury [2016]
Language
English
Main Author
Courtney Sheinmel (-)
Physical Description
206 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN
9781681190914
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Imagine that Pollyanna's parents divorced, and she moved to a new school. Would she embrace the chance to join the popular girls or befriend the social misfits? How would she navigate her now-torn loyalties? Chloe is a modern-day Pollyanna, spreading kindness everywhere she goes. She soon catches the eye of archetypal queen-bee Monroe, who makes her a probationary member of the It Girls. But then a wise teacher pairs Chloe with artistic Lucy and nerdy Theo for a science project, and the team creates an experiment to see if kindness elevates serotonin levels and affects behavior. Monroe demands that Chloe choose between the Kindness Club and the It Girls. At the same time, Chloe must confront feelings of jealousy and betrayal around her father's new girlfriend and her seemingly perfect daughter. The writing and dialogue are smooth, but the plot never deviates from its predictable trajectory, and the characters fail to transcend their stock personalities. Add to your collection if you face an insatiable demand for books about friendship drama.--Harold, Suzanne Copyright 2017 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-Sheinmel (Stella Batts) introduces a new series for middle grade readers with a warm and charming first installment. Fifth grader Chloe Silver is probably the most caring person you'll ever meet, but even Chloe finds it difficult to be kind sometimes. Chloe's parents have recently divorced, forcing Chloe away from her best friend and into a new school. Chloe's new circumstances have her torn between two groups of friends-"The It Girls" with sassy Monroe and "The Kindness Club" with her science partners Lucy and Theo-as well as between her two very different families. While this is ultimately a book about altruism and understanding, Sheinmel deftly recalls the difficult days of fifth grade. Chloe has many tough decisions to make and has to live with the positive and negative consequences. The dialogue is candied but avoids becoming altogether cloying. The characters are well-developed and relatable. The true strength of the tale is in Sheinmel's presentation of tween politics and Chloe's inner struggles. Readers will be rewarded with a satisfying read and, hopefully, a little inspiration to be considerate in their own lives. A publisher's note reveals the new series was inspired by various kindness and antibullying projects across the United States. Libraries will benefit from having this title in their arsenal against cliques and bullies. VERDICT Ideal for elementary and middle school shelves, this is a light and easy read for tweens. Recommended as a general purchase.-Taylor Worley, Springfield Public Library, OR © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

At a new school after her parents' divorce, fifth grader Chloe is unsure whether to ally herself with the popular girls or with her quirky science partners. What starts as an experiment on the effects of kindness spreads into all areas of Chloe's life, including her father's new relationship. Chloe's dilemmas feel authentic and the characters are well developed in this warmhearted series-starter. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Determined to find new best friends in her new school, fifth-grader Chloe Silver makes mistakes, but her essential kindness helps her out.Torn between the overtures of popular, pale-skinned mean-girl Monroe Reeser and the company of oddball science-table mates Lucy Tanaka and Theo Barnes, Chloe struggles to find a balance. She'd love to join a club, and Monroe offers the "It Girls," while Lucy and Theo propose "The Kindness Club," named for their science project to raise serotonin levels by doing acts of kindness. (Their special focus is Lucy's cranky neighbor, Mrs. Gallagher). Chloe also faces changes in her family. Now she sees her father only on Wednesday nights and alternating weekends, and she has to share that time with his new girlfriend and her accomplished daughter. Though naturally a positive thinker, Chloe is having a hard time. Readers may, too, as they watch her get sucked into a series of deceptions and absorb the lessons that seem to propel this well-meant series opener. As depicted on the cover, Lucy is Asian while Chloe and Theo are white. The first-person narrative is awkward in places, with unconvincing dialogue and incidents that dont propel the story. Both Mrs. Gallagher and Chloe change their ways surprisingly suddenly. On the bright side, maybe things will get better for Chloe and her readers in the next installment. (Fiction. 8-11) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.