11/07/2022
A large Jewish family’s personal relationships are put to the test when a natural disaster forces them into close proximity in this bustling tale by Feldman (Wishing upon the Same Stars). Star pitcher Matty Putterman and his twin sister Sammy, the solitary girl in their amateur league, credit their baseball-diamond domination and their family’s love of the Houston Astros as the only things keeping the twins’ father and their uncle Mike on good terms. Meanwhile, their cousin Becky resents the family’s sports obsession, believing it’s outshining her upcoming bat mitzvah. When Matty walks off the field mid-game without explanation, Sammy worries that their unshakable siblinghood is on the rocks. Soon thereafter, Hurricane Harvey hits Texas, flooding the twins’ home and necessitating that they move in with Uncle Mike, Aunt Deb, and Becky. Past wounds jump to the fore as the family’s clashing personalities and contentious relationships collide. Via the three tweens’ earnest alternating perspectives, which are studded with baseball jargon, Feldman discerningly highlights one family’s struggles navigating loss and learning to accept one another in this uplifting tale. Main characters read as white. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)
02/01/2023
Gr 5 Up—Sammy and Matty Putterman are twin baseball legends and Houston Astros superfans. When Hurricane Harvey devastates their home and they are forced to move in with their extended family, their twin relationship fractures even more than it had been before. As Matty grows closer with his cousin Becky and Sammy struggles to find her place as a baseball player and an individual separate from her brother, the whole family works to decide how to move forward in the wake of the destruction from the hurricane. Themes of grief, fitting in, family relationships, and sexual identity shine in this baseball-focused book, making it more a story of growing up than a sports tale. The characters are authentic and well developed. Becky's excitement over finally getting a social media account, Matty's struggles with his emotions surrounding his first and second kiss, and Sammy's overwhelming grief about all their losses ring very true and young readers will relate to their trials and tribulations. While the story is character driven, there are enough plot elements to keep readers interested in what happens next, and the narration by each of the tweens brings unique perspectives to each chapter. VERDICT This resonant story of hope, family, and finding yourself will be a hit. Recommend this to readers who enjoyed Joan Bauer's Soar, and fans of heartfelt realistic fiction.—Ellen Conlin
2022-10-11
A big family comes together.
When Hurricane Harvey blows into town, the Puttermans are already dealing with a lot. Twelve-year-old twins Sammy and Matty were stars of their local baseball team, but when Matty leaves the field in the middle of a game, refusing to talk about why he’s quitting baseball, it shakes Sammy’s confidence as the only girl on the team and ruptures their close relationship. Their slightly older cousin, Becky, is half-heartedly preparing for her bat mitzvah but wishes her family would take her feline-inspired art projects more seriously. When the twins’ house floods, their family—along with their grandparents and elderly neighbor—move in with the other Puttermans since Becky and her parents have plenty of room (if less patience). Personalities, egos, and interests collide and cohere as the extended Putterman family learns how to navigate each other and their developing needs in this smaller space. Houston’s baseball team, the Astros, plays a large role in the story, and at least a passing interest in the sport will help maintain interest; the plot starts to drag halfway through, as the Astros’ trajectory stands in for more character- or plot-driven conflict. All main characters are Jewish and implied Ashkenazi, making the African American Vernacular English–derived title (a quote from the book’s only Black character) an unfortunate choice.
A busy blend of baseball, natural disasters, and coming-of-age. (Fiction. 9-13)
Feldman discerningly highlights one family’s struggles navigating loss and learning to accept one another in this uplifting tale. — Publishers Weekly
“This sweet, thoughtful novel is a home run for readers learning to develop empathy and resilience with their loved ones and communities.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Creating a large cast of believable characters, Feldman does a particularly good job of balancing the three cousins’ interwoven stories. The first-person narrative shifts from Sammy, adrift without her brother, to Matty, hiding a secret he’s reluctant to share, and Becky, trying to change her resentful attitude. An involving novel in which individuals reach out to help one another and find unexpected rewards. — Booklist
Themes of grief, fitting in, family relationships, and sexual identity shine in this baseball-focused book, making it more a story of growing up than a sports tale. This resonant story of hope, family, and finding yourself will be a hit. Recommend this to readers who enjoyed Joan Bauer’s Soar, and fans of heartfelt realistic fiction. — School Library Journal
A heartfelt home run for hope and healing, THE PUTTERMANS ARE IN THE HOUSE is a dynamic story that proves when families come together, they can truly weather any storm. Readers will be cheering in the stands for twins Sammy and Matty and their cousin Becky as they navigate first crushes, changing relationships, and a hurricane. Jacquetta Nammar Feldman's sophomore novel is out-of-this-park good. — Michael Leali, author of The Civil War of Amos Abernathy
A sad and sweet novel that takes a hurricane and turns it on its head: instead of leaving only destruction, this one becomes the crucible for restoration, when all the members of one family are forced to live together to survive the effects of Houston's Hurricane Harvey. Faced with past resentments, present insecurities, and future disappointments, these characters come together by helping each other find what they most truly love—and the surprising wholeness that results is a story worth telling — Gary D. Schmidt, bestselling author of National Book Award finalist Okay for Now and the Newbery Honor Books Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and The Wednesday Wars
After Hurricane Harvey destroys their house, twins Sammy and Matty move in with their cousin Becky, and the suddenly large family must negotiate new challenges with each other, their city, and their beloved Astros, who finally have a chance at the World Series. The three narrators are so engaging and inhabit their characters so fully that each convinces you their character is the heart of the story. Jesse Vilinsky's Sammy is heartbroken that her "twin telepathy" seems fractured, but she's convinced that if she cheers enthusiastically enough, it will all come out right. Michael Crouch's Matty feels lost and uses his art to figure out how to reveal his big secret. And Hope Newhouse's Becky is envious of the twins and wants to be the center of attention just this once. A.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
After Hurricane Harvey destroys their house, twins Sammy and Matty move in with their cousin Becky, and the suddenly large family must negotiate new challenges with each other, their city, and their beloved Astros, who finally have a chance at the World Series. The three narrators are so engaging and inhabit their characters so fully that each convinces you their character is the heart of the story. Jesse Vilinsky's Sammy is heartbroken that her "twin telepathy" seems fractured, but she's convinced that if she cheers enthusiastically enough, it will all come out right. Michael Crouch's Matty feels lost and uses his art to figure out how to reveal his big secret. And Hope Newhouse's Becky is envious of the twins and wants to be the center of attention just this once. A.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
