I picked up this title off the top of my TBR stack and one thought came to mind… Didn’t I read this already? 
I checked my reviews for the past year and sure enough I reviewed a book called SOAR by Joan Bauer. It’s an inspirational story about a baseball loving boy who can’t play because of a heart condition.
But this new SOAR has a different cover because it’s a different story. Strange that publishers doubled up on this title especially since they were both released the same year. I did discover names of books are not copyrighted in this helpful article.
Now that this confusion rests, I’ll get on with telling you about the heartfelt tale of Eddie. He’s a birder like his father who recently passed away. After not reading any books where the main character has birding as a hobby, I’ve read two this summer (THE DRAKE EQUATION is the other).
As a new seventh grader, Eddie’s voice rings true. He misses his dad, there’s a new girl in the neighborhood he likes, and his personal bully is after him again. This bully is different than most because Mouton has Tourette’s. He shouts out what seem like random phrases (Eddie-Shovel-Truck) and continually repeats them.
Eddie’s quest to find a Golden Eagle in his neighborhood and to win a blue ribbon at the science symposium is what he wants the most. All of his problems and goals collide to provide a winning conclusion. Eddie is a character you won’t long forget.
PUBLICATION DATE: 2016 PAGE COUNT: 288
FULL PLOT (From Simon & Schuster) Eddie learned everything there is to know about birding from his dad, including the legend of the Golden Eagle, which Dad claimed he saw once down near Miss Dorothy’s pond. According to his dad, the Golden Eagle had wings wider than a creek and talons the size of bulldozer claws. But when Eddie was in sixth grade, Dad “flew away” for good, leaving Eddie on his own to await the return of the elusive raptor.
Now Eddie is starting seventh grade and trying to impress Gabriella, the new girl in town. The annual seventh grade Science Symposium (which Dad famously won) is looming, and Eddie is determined to claim the blue ribbon for himself. With Mr. Dover, the science teacher who was Dad’s birding rival, seemingly against him, and with Mouton, the class bully, making his life miserable on all fronts, Eddie is determined to overcome everything and live up to Dad’s memory. Can Eddie soar and make his dream take flight?
FIVE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: SOAR by Tracy Edward Wymer
- When Eddie sees a bird he draws it and adds the information in his journal. He also adds a comment and question to his dad. They tell the underlying story of the hurt inside Eddie.
- Two themes common to middle grade kids are friendship and loyalty. They are both put to the test here in a fulfilling way.
- Included in the back of the book are Eddie’s Bird Log and a nice bibliography on where to go for more information on birds.
- The character of Eddie is spot on for a seventh grade boy. He knows the difference between right and wrong, but sometimes the wrong rears its ugly head and leads him to trouble. Eddie also is sensitive to the happenings around him and deals with the sometimes hurtful facts in a typical way for this age group.
- The chapters are short and usually end with a perfect kicker to make you read another.
FAVORITE LINE: There’s something else to know about Mouton. He has Tourette’s syndrome, a brain disorder that makes him blurt out words, even if it’s at inappropriate times. The worst part is when he gets stuck on a word or phrase and then repeats until you can’t take it anymore. My mom says they’re called vocal tics. Mouton has the same one all the time (Yip!), which gets worse when he’s nervous. I know I’m supposed to ignore his outbursts, but it’s hard to do that when he makes my life miserable on purpose.
AUTHOR QUOTE: School was not kind to me. Or should I say, I was not kind to school. I was a class clown and never made outstanding grades. The funny thing is, I really enjoyed reading, just not the books teachers wanted me to read. When I wasn’t outside playing baseball, you could usually find me on the couch with a book–probably Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (by Roald Dahl) or something similar. (Read more at Tracy’s Author Web Site)
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Make a comment if you have time. I enjoy reading all of them. Click on the comments link below.
Check the links to other Middle Grade novels over at Shannon Messenger’s Marvelous Middle Grade Monday post.
He’s come back from the war but hasn’t returned home where Macy longs to have him by her side again.
Middle Grade Monday
sy adventure Lightning Road series, JOSHUA AND THE ARROW REALM, arriving August 30th. The Midwest Book Review calls book one, JOSHUA AND THE LIGHTNING ROAD, “a heart-pounding thrill ride full of unexpected twists and turns from start to finish.” 
Donna Galanti is the author of The Element Trilogy (Imajin Books) and The LightningRoad series (Month9Books). She attended an English school housed in a magical castle, where her wild imagination was held back only by her itchy uniform (bowler hat and tie included!). There she fell in love with the worlds of C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl, and wrote her first fantasy about Dodo birds, wizards, and a flying ship. She’s lived in other exotic locations, including Hawaii where she served as a U.S. Navy photographer. She lives with her family and two crazy cats in an old farmhouse, and dreams of returning one day to a castle. Donna is a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers the 
laundry per WEEK, or that a table tennis ball broke the sound barrier, or the Olympic torch has been to space? Weird But True Sports, the newest installment in the wildly popular Weird But True series, contains 300 wacky sports stats, facts and stories — all coupled with big, bright, bold photos and graphics. From a national marbles tournament to the record for the most dogs on a surfboard, Weird But True Sports not only reveals the craziest info about football, baseball, hockey and soccer, but also delves into the more obscure sporting events out there (like the Rabbit Grand National in North Yorkshire England!). WBT Sports is also a bit of a cultural trip, as it features sporting events from around the world like the Asian sport of Sepaktakraw, the Japanese sport of Bo-taoshi and the Indian game of Kabaddi. The book is also packed with lots of fun Olympics trivia as well — like the fact that olympic gold medals aren’t actually made of gold — they are mostly silver! 
with facts and splashy, colorful photos that put you smack in the middle of the action. Many span two full pages. There are four chapter categories to organize the action: SPECTACULAR SPORTS; DRIBBLE, DRIVE, HUSTLE; A WORLD OF SPORTS; and SPORTS FUN. In the back is an interactive glossary with a test to check on your sports smarts, where to find out more, and an alphabetical index.
creepiness to a whole new level. Life as you know it is pretty much over once he moves into a neighborhood and casts his weird spell over the residents. This is so you can’t comprehend what he’s really up to with the little ones or urchins as he calls them.
Always in the Middle... 