A Month of Mondays

by Joelle Anthony

This can’t be good! Suddenly Suze’s mom wants back into her life, and her teacher wants her to “try harder”?!

As if middle school wasn’t hard enough, Suze Tamaki's life gets turned upside down when her mother reappears after a ten-year absence. Once Suze gets over her shock, she thinks it might be cool to get to know her mom. But her older sister Tracie is determined not to let her back into their lives.

At school things aren’t much better. One of her teachers decides the way to cure Suze’s lack of motivation is to move her into Honors English – a development Suze finds both inspiring and distressing. When she's paired with straight-A student Amanda on an English assignment, she finds herself caring about people’s expectations like she’s never done before.

Genres: Young Adult, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Grief, Family, Canada

344 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2017

About the author

I was born in Portland, Oregon and went to school with the same kids from kindergarten through high school. I always wondered why kids in books were depressed about having to move. That sounded so exciting to me. So as an adult, I packed up my husband and cats and moved all the way to a new country! I now live on a small island in BC, Canada. It was definitely an adventure to love.
I'm the author of four published novels and have taught writing at conferences, festivals, and in schools across the US and Canada. I'm also a regular contributor to The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrator's bulletin, and a member of the Canadian Writer's Union. Speed of Life is my most recent YA (writing as J. M. Kelly). It's a 2018 White Pine nominee and a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award shortlisted book. I'm also the author of the Violet Downey Award nominated and Voya Top Shelf Award winning MG, A Month of Mondays, along with the YAs Restoring Harmony and The Right & the Real. Currently, I'm working on an historical novel for adults set in 1962 Vancouver during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In addition to writing, I am a freelance editor/story development and professional writing mentor at www.thewritepotential.com

Reviews

[Joelle Anthony]

Well, I'm the author, so it's not really fair for me to rate this book...but I love it and I hope you do too! And I can say the cover is AWESOME since I didn't do that part myself!

[Jeimy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not know what to expect when I started reading this book, but this seventh grader's life and struggles--both in and out of the classroom--made me reflect a lot as an educator. It is sad that there is so much we assume about our students.

[Lindsey Roath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed A Month of Mondays, a big thanks to Net Galley for the free preview. As a middle school teacher, I saw so much of my students in this book. The struggles of hair dye, boys and where to sit at lunch are the daily struggle around here. Watching Suze navigate family changes and getting into trouble were a joy that I will surely be recommending to my realistic fiction readers.

[Camryn]

The theme of this book is happiness. The main character has a dad and she has an idea of who her mom is but she is not sure.Her dad tells her that it is her mom and she was not surprised at all.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a slice of life middle school story. Set in Victoria, BC, Suze is just coasting through school. And then her mother who abandoned her and her sister ten years before shows up and tries to get back into her life.

The story is well written and the voice of Suze feels natural too. The second plot, of the project she does to try to save the custodians' jobs is kind of cool but that is the only tension in the book.

I do like that Suze is half Japanese, third generation. I like her family and aunt and uncle.

Then why only three stars? Well other than wonder why her sister Tracie hates her mother and won't say why mystery and why her mother went away in the first place there isn't much of the story to make you race to finish it.

This would be a good story for its intended audience of middle school and perhaps for kids that think that they are responsible for what their parent does such as divorce, separation or abandonment.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Month of Mondays

by Joëlle Anthony

Second Story Press
Middle Grade, Teens & YA

Pub Date 07 Mar 2017
Thirteen year old Suze Tamaski has three people who think they are her Mother, her older Sister Tracie who has been Mothering her since she was three, when their Mother left, her Aunt Jenny when an Authority figure is needed, and her birth Mother Caroline who sends the checks.

Suze has spent a lot of time in the principals office. After a ten year abscence her Mother just shows up, Suze comes home to find her Mother in her living room.

Will Suze be able to build a relationship with her Mother, after a decade long abscence?

Will she get a new appreciation for the older sister who was more like a Mother too her, and to the Father who stayed and raised her?

Find out in A Month of Monday's.

Five out of five stars.

Happy Reading.

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed A MONTH OF MONDAYS. Great voice, realistic family and school challenges, and an awesome main character. I'll definitely recommend this to the MG kids in my life!

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast read that was quite funny at times. There were a few grammatical errors I came across, but overall it was good enough that I will be searching out more books by this author.

[Storytime With Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Month of Mondays by Joelle Anthony and published by Second Story Press is an incredible middle grade novel. Perfect for your tween and teen filled with all of the conflict and drama that our young adults face while navigating middle school.
The story centres on Suze, a grade seven student with an older sister, who is being raised by a single father. Suze isn't your typical student and often finds herself in trouble. She's rebellious but so smart she doesn't know it. When she is thrust into an Honours English class at the same time her estranged mother all of a sudden pops back into her life, Suze's world is turned on its head.
Anthony has given us a very real character in Suze. Suze is far from perfect, doesn't realize her potential, and is fierce in her friendships and her love for her family. You just can't help but root for her. A fun and layered read that's perfect for your back to school reading list. Set in Victoria, BC, Anthony was not afraid to write a story set in a Canadian city with universal appeal. Great for tweens, teens, young adults, and the young at heart.

[Patricia Tilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joëlle Anthony’s has written a heartwarming story that focuses on the impact of parental abandonment, complicated family relationships and healing. No one in Suze's family talks about her mother Caroline. Not even her father. There is a great cast of quirky characters, who are believable. Suze is an engaging and edgy narrator, who perceives herself as an underdog at school. But she is smart, curious, and determined character who takes risks that often land her in detention. Her older sister, Tracie, is protective and makes Suze sign a contract to never have contact with their mother.

The plot is realistic, the tension is palpable, and the solutions flow organically.  Suze wants to get to know her mother, and their first contacts are awkward. Caroline is late, leaves to make phone calls, or has to work late. She sends gifts that aren’t appropriate. But they work at their relationship and Suze begins to find answers to her questions. The ending is unexpected and very satisfying.

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

In A Month of Mondays, Suze is doing poorly at school, hates her life and is constantly fighting with her older sister Tracie . Abandoned by her mother when she was 2, Suze is shocked to find her standing in her living room one afternoon, asking to be part of her life again. This sets off everyone around her; her Aunt Jenny thinks she should avoid her mother, her Uncle Bill thinks she should decide for herself and Dad is too busy working to provide much guidance. Tracie is vehemently opposed to the reunion and produces a pact they wrote (in crayon) when they were small, vowing to never have anything to do with their mother.
Suze's interior struggle is very well portrayed, Joelle Anthony has a gift for writing from the point of view of teens. The way Suze speaks and behaves will be instantly recognizable to young readers and adds realism to a story that is ultimately about growing up and deciding things for yourself.

[Janie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was gifted this ebook via Netgalley.
I started off enjoying this book quite a bit and then it sort of dragged on and I began to lose interest. I can only imagine that if my preteens were reading this, they would also get bored with it. Suze is a 13 year old who lives with her father and older sister. Her mother walked out on her family when she was too young to remember and now her mother is back. In addition to that storyline, you also follow her time at school where Suze is constantly in trouble, but a well-meaning teacher puts her on a project with her friend, Amanda.

I felt that it would have been nice to have the focus more on Suze's mother and her past. I felt that was rushed. I felt that Suze was quite immature for her age and I would have guessed her to be around 11. I do really appreciate the spotlight on school custodians, as my mom is a custodian.

[Michelle (MichellesBookishLife)]

Suze Tamaki hasn’t seen her biological mother in 10 years, and suddenly she wants to be back in her life. Suze lives with her father and older sister, and is being raised with the help of her aunt Jenny, also known as AJ. Suze’s sister Tracie is determined not to let her become close to their mother who abandoned them all those years ago. As if dealing with all this isn’t enough, Suze’s English teacher wants her to try harder in his class, and has just given her an extra assignment. Will she be able to handle it all?

Thanks to Netgalley.com for a review copy of this book.

[Lisa Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I spent a lot of time bookmarking passages that I wanted to remember to mention in a review - from what a vegetarian really is to a laugh-out-loud passage involving a phone call and the RCMP. That scene still makes me laugh. I loved the main character, Suze Tamaki, as well as Mr. Baker, who sees more in Suze then any other teacher before him as well as Suze herself. I also have a book recommendation from Suze herself - the Night Gardener, which is on my to-be-read list.

[Kkharvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 Stars
A cute middle school read. Some middle school fiction reads a little juvenile, but this had a more authentic voice to it. That being said, there were a few places where it seemed like the characters were a bit older than what the author had written them to be. Definitely an improvement on the childish portrayals, but not always believable.

[Jadyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn't my favorite. I didn't really feel like I was injoying it, kinda like when you eat a food you don't like. This book was boring not alot of action and suspense I got bored really quick when reading this book.

[Jake Donovan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good but i wouldn't recommend it. The books theme is friendship, because they always stick together.

[Maddy W.]

I loved this book! It was not very action packed but definetley a nice easy read. You see throughout the book how much Suze and her family friends traits and personality's shift and change throughout the story. I would definitley reccomend!

[Sheri Radford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Believable characters and a compelling plot make this a fantastic novel for young readers.

[Ishret · Rating 4 out of 5]

its okay i didnt really like it

[Shana · Rating 3 out of 5]

* I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for my honest and fair review. *
In a heartwarming way, this book explores Suze's changes in her world. A seventh grader, Suze is battling how to be a good student, good sister, and good daughter to her estranged mother.
To be honest, this book is ,ore 3.5 stars then 3. I liked it a lot and it kept my attention throughout. I think that the author did a good job capturing what it meant to be a middle schooler. This book was a little too realistic for me - it read more like her personal journal than a story. Plot was cute and loved the hair backstory.
Certainly some middle school girls will love this and others won't.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suze is content to slide through life being average, but her life seems to be full of Mondays when her estranged mother comes back into her life, older sister Tracie is pressuring her to ignore her mother, and Suze is moved into Honors English for an assignment that she must ace to stay. Suze must decide what she wants from her family, her life, and her education.

Suze, her friends, and her family really resonated with me. They were realistically portrayed. I liked that even though Caroline returns to Suze's life that not everyone finds that easy transition. Each person has his/her own distinct emotional journey as they deal with complex life events.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic junior novel about divorce, abandonment, being biracial in the absence of one parent, yet none of this is dealt with didactically. It's a well written narrative of a young teen struggling with the usual young teen struggles: low self esteem, longing for acceptance, burgeoning independence, and power/control issues with siblings and authority. Yet for all the usual struggles, there is nothing usual about Joelle Anthony's story. She presents a fresh voice in young YA CanLit. Thank you to Second Story Press for the ARC. I look forward to passing this book on to my daughter who, I believe, will see much of herself mirrored in the character of Suze Tamaki.

Only item of note: the info about the book says it is 200 pages. It is 340. Every page worth reading but when updating my progress on Goodreads it appeared as if I had finished when I still had almost half of the book to read.

*A note that the time it appears to have taken me to read the book is misleading. I was away for 10 days and didn't take paper books (this old body has learned its lesson in regards to what it can carry!) and I was sick, then in the hospital on my return. It is actually a fairly quick read.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirteen-year-old Suze Tamaki is finding middle school extremely boring and barely worth waking up for. But when her English teacher realizes her potential and moves her into his Honors English class to work on a special project with her friend, Amanda, who is academically successful, Suze isn't sure she can handle the pressure or the embarrassment of failure. The two friends often have conflicts, but they are dedicated to their project, which investigates the importance of school custodians in a school community. Since the School Board plans to replace these workers with cheaper labor through subcontractors, Amanda and Suze are determined to make a strong case against that movement. Additionally, Suze is engaged in an emotional war with her sister, Tracie, after their mother, Caroline, who abandoned them a decade ago when Suze was three, unexpectedly wants to get to know them better. Now that Caroline has moved back to Victoria, British Columbia, from Vancouver, she seems determined to erase all those years of absences. Against her will, Suze is curious about the woman and eventually responds to her efforts, while her sister does not. Although the book tackles several serious issues, it does so with humor and a very real awareness of what middle grade life is like, and there are several humorous passages concerning hair mistakes, and missteps at school that will have readers howling. Sadly, Principal Farbinger, with whom Suze often seems at odds, never seems to realize that she lives with her father and not her mother, a fact that annoys Suze to no end. This well-written and engaging story challenges many assumptions others make about students like Suze and their home life as well as Suze's own assumptions about Caroline's reasons for staying away. The complexity of the family dynamics and the things that prompt various actions are worth considering even while smiling at Caroline's cluelessness when it comes to dealing with the tastes and lifestyle of a teenager.