★ 08/05/2019
Seventh grader Patricia “Sweet Pea” DiMarco contends with her parents’ divorce, shifting friendships, and newfound self-awareness in this praiseworthy middle grade debut from YA author Murphy (Dumplin’ ). Along with Cheese, her “fifteen-pound orange tabby,” Sweet Pea shuttles between her family’s original house in Valentine, Tex., where her mother still lives, and the nearly identical home two doors down, where her father now resides, unsettled and frustrated by her parents’ split and her dad’s recent coming out. Recruited by her neighbor, eccentric local advice columnist Miss Flora Mae, to manage her mail while she’s out of town, Sweet Pea recognizes the handwriting on one letter and can’t stop herself from opening—and responding to—some of the others, throwing her friendships into disarray as she navigates the line between right and wrong. As with her books for older readers, Murphy creates a richly imagined protagonist who shines in her strength, humor, and self-confidence; Sweet Pea is also plus-size by today’s standards and is accepting and unashamed of her body. 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. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)
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.
Murphy creates a wonderfully realistic portrait of tween life in her first middle-grade novel…. Sweet Pea is a treasure of a protagonist.”
ALA Booklist (starred review)
Praise for RAMONA BLUE: “Julie Murphy knows a thing or two about navigating the worlds of girls on the brink of self-discovery.
Booklist (starred review)
Successfully handles tough topics with humor.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “It’s equal parts fun, cringe-worthy, and totally fearless!
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “A tale of unlikely romance, impossible obstacles, and mortality, this book is a must-read.
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “A funny and touching novel about a strong-willed heroine who finds facing death simple, but facing life heart-wrenchingly complicated. A real original.
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “Julie Murphy’s Side Effects May Vary is a funny, heartfelt, honest look at the beauty and the risk of getting a second chance. An inspiring novel about all the things worth living for. I adored this debut!
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Dumplin’ made me want to high-five everyone in the world. If there’s any justice on this godforsaken earth, Julie Murphy will become the next household name synonymous with YA.
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “Julie Murphy weaves together a tender and funny tale of love, friendship, heartache, and redemption. Side Effects May Vary explodes with brutal honesty, brilliant wit, and unflinching heart.
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “I’m obsessed with this book. Wickedly funny, heartbreakingly real, full of characters to love and cheer for. DUMPLIN’ is such a star.
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Genuine, romantic, and with a dash of Texan charm, this is a novel that celebrates being who you are while also acknowledging that it’s incredibly difficult to do.
Praise for RAMONA BLUE: “Ramona Blue is Julie Murphy’s best book yet. It’s hilarious, it’s heartfelt, and it’s so, so real. I just wish I’d had this book to read during my own teen years!
Praise for RAMONA BLUE: “Julie Murphy delivers a fresh and glorious love story that addresses all the complexities of one’s heart. Ramona Blue’s discovery of limitless love is total beauty.
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “Alice and Harvey’s relationship is raw, honest, moving, and unapologetic in its depiction of their individual, and collective, pain.
Praise for PUDDIN’: “Julie Murphy has created the platonic love story of a lifetime. I am wildly in love with Puddin’.
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “[A] richly enjoyable novel...a clever and funny book to please lovers of thoughtful romance and secret pageant fans.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
★ 11/01/2019
Gr 3–7— Thirteen-year-old Patricia, aka "Sweet Pea," is still adjusting to life after her parents' divorce. She doesn't know how to feel about her new normal; her mom and dad are basically pretending nothing has changed, and are living on the same block in almost identical houses. Their shared neighbor is the esoteric Flora Mae, the elderly advice columnist behind "Miss Flora Mae I?" and all-around institution in Valentine, TX. Miss Flora goes out of town and entrusts her young neighbor with sending along her letters. When Sweet Pea finds a letter in familiar handwriting, she is compelled to answer and becomes embroiled in a well-intentioned scheme of moonlighting as Miss Flora whenever inspiration strikes. But some letters hit too close to home for Sweet Pea, leading to advice that's not always based in the sender's best interest. Murphy, (Dumplin' , 2015), succeeds yet again at crafting a touching, quotable coming-of-age story, this time exploring divorce, shifting friendships, crushes, queerness, and much more. Sweet Pea is a delightfully astute young teenager; sometimes the novel's charm hits high on the saccharine scale, but the girl's gentle fumbles as she maneuvers big changes at home and school bring the text back down to earth. VERDICT A first purchase for collections seeking warm realistic fiction that centers divorce, friendship, and self-reflection.—Ashleigh Williams, School Library Journal
★ 2019-07-24
Sweet Pea lives in Valentine, Texas. Her therapist mother and housepainter father are divorcing—so amicably that Dad moves only two houses away, into a house almost identical in both structure and décor. This "twinning-parent-freak-show" is meant to keep Sweet Pea's life stable, but it doesn't. An ex-best-friend reenters Sweet Pea's life; a current best friend feels (justifiably) unappreciated; and Sweet Pea's job facilitating paperwork for a newspaper advice columnist—the peculiar old woman living between Sweet Pea's two "mirror" houses—gives Sweet Pea unfettered access to the incoming letters and the columnist's typewriter. What's a girl to do? Sweet Pea's first-person narration is endearing and funny while her oblivious self-absorption on certain topics lets readers figure out connections first. Murphy's portrayal of a fat protagonist whose body is neither symbolic nor problematic is cheerworthy; a scene about the juniors' section carrying only sizes too small for Sweet Pea is the only one that shows discrimination, and her parents and community support her. Sweet Pea, her parents, and the advice columnist are white (refreshingly, specified rather than assumed); one best friend is Mexican, the other mixed-race (black/white). A few characters are gay.
An excellent blend of eccentricity, humor, genuine sweetness, and mild drama. (Fiction. 8-12)
“Murphy creates a wonderfully realistic portrait of tween life in her first middle-grade novel…. Sweet Pea is a treasure of a protagonist.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)
“Endearing and funny… An excellent blend of eccentricity, humor, genuine sweetness, and mild drama.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“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.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Murphy succeeds yet again at crafting a touching, quotable coming-of-age story, this time exploring divorce, shifting friendships, crushes, queerness, and much more." — School Library Journal (starred review)
“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.” — Horn Book Magazine
“Successfully handles tough topics with humor.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Dear Sweet Pea is a truly irresistible story about a family in flux, brimming with humor and heart.” — Rebecca Stead, Newbery Award-winning author of When You Reach Me
Praise for PUDDIN’: “Julie Murphy has created the platonic love story of a lifetime. I am wildly in love with Puddin’.” — Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Leah on the Offbeat and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Praise for PUDDIN’: “Murphy’s plot brims with unlikely friendships, irresistible romance, fabulous fat acceptance, and a kick-ass ending. Buoying.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Praise for RAMONA BLUE: “An exquisite, thoughtful exploration of the ties that bind and the fluidity of relationships, sexuality, and life.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Praise for RAMONA BLUE: “Julie Murphy knows a thing or two about navigating the worlds of girls on the brink of self-discovery.” — Booklist (starred review)
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Will’s singular voice compels readers to think about all that goes into building-and destroying-self-esteem...Splendid” — Booklist (starred review)
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Murphy...successfully makes every piece of the story—Dolly Parton superfans, first love, best-friend problems, an unlikely group of pageant entrants, female solidarity, self-acceptance, and Willowdean’s complicated relationship with the mother...-count, weaving them together to create a harmonious, humorous, and thought-provoking whole.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Dear Sweet Pea is a truly irresistible story about a family in flux, brimming with humor and heart.
Successfully handles tough topics with humor.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Phoebe Strole’s youthful, upbeat voice conveys the cheerful spirit of seventh grader Sweet Pea as she narrates YA author Murphy’s humorous story for younger listeners. Sweet Pea takes her parents’ divorce in stride, accepts her imperfect body and her father’s gayness, and recovers from the mortification of having vomited all over her classmates at a trampoline party. Strole expresses both her normalcy and her uncertainty, creating a relatable, engaging character. Gradually, however, Strole shows Sweet Pea’s good humor eroding by her lack of success at juggling friendships and her growing awareness that her father is keeping secrets and her mother is dating. While Strole’s Texas accent can sometimes be distracting, she offers a marvelous portrayal of Sweet Pea when she assumes the identity of the eccentric secret advice columnist Miss Flora Mae. S.W. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Phoebe Strole’s youthful, upbeat voice conveys the cheerful spirit of seventh grader Sweet Pea as she narrates YA author Murphy’s humorous story for younger listeners. Sweet Pea takes her parents’ divorce in stride, accepts her imperfect body and her father’s gayness, and recovers from the mortification of having vomited all over her classmates at a trampoline party. Strole expresses both her normalcy and her uncertainty, creating a relatable, engaging character. Gradually, however, Strole shows Sweet Pea’s good humor eroding by her lack of success at juggling friendships and her growing awareness that her father is keeping secrets and her mother is dating. While Strole’s Texas accent can sometimes be distracting, she offers a marvelous portrayal of Sweet Pea when she assumes the identity of the eccentric secret advice columnist Miss Flora Mae. S.W. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
