Team Gravy

by Niki Lenz

Grace + her dad, Davy = Team Gravy. No way is a new stepmom going to break up this team. . . .Filled with reverse Parent Trap-like pranks, The Stepmom Shake-Up is a hilarious and heartfelt look at what it means to be a family.Grace + Dad = the perfect teamAfter Grace's mom died, she and her dad grew extra close. They have special nicknames and are always busy with new projects--like building a puppy condo for their dog, Potus--and they love learning random facts about the US presidents. Grace thinks her little family of two is perfect.Then some committee members at church suggest it's time for Dad to start dating again. And Dad agrees! Grace knows that adding a new member to the team will end in disaster.No problem! She and her best friend have a Stepmom Shake-UpBut what if a little shake-up is exactly what Grace's family needs?

Genres: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Childrens, Fiction

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 16, 2020

About the author

Niki Lenz lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with her husband and children. She studied elementary education at Southwest Baptist University and taught kindergarten for six years. She enjoys reading, travel, glamping, polka dots, red lipstick, and oldies music. Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen is her first novel. Follow her on Twitter at @NikiRLenz or visit nikilenz.com.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace and her dad (Davy) have been Team Gravy since the tragic loss of her mother. Her dad is the pastor of their Baptist church and the mother hens at church have been clucking about a new wife for the pastor. Does her dad really want to date or is he just humoring the church ladies? If there is to be a stepmom, what will that mean for Team Gravy? Could they become team Groovy (Grace + Olivia - the beloved history teacher + Davy)? Like Bernice Buttman, Grace is a regular girl who makes mistakes and has to face consequences. Her friend Bea is a saint and sticks with Grace to help to protect her from some of the more outlandish schemes that are concocted in the "stepmom shake-up." Love, love, love the characters and all the presidential facts throughout. Such a fun idea to add in cosplay for Team Gravy and have them dress up as Teddy & Alice Roosevelt. BTW, this local author will be featured in the Mid-Continent Public Library Speaker Center Series on Wednesday, June 17. Sign up for this virtual event here: https://www.mymcpl.org/events/67932/s...

[Mid-Continent Public Library]

Grace and her dad (Davy) have been Team Gravy since the tragic loss of her mother. Her dad is the pastor of their Baptist church and the mother hens at church have been clucking about a new wife for the pastor. Does her dad really want to date or is he just humoring the church ladies? If there is to be a stepmom, what will that mean for Team Gravy? Could they become team Groovy (Grace + Olivia - the beloved history teacher + Davy)? Like Bernice Buttman, Grace is a regular girl who makes mistakes and has to face consequences. Her friend Bea is a saint and sticks with Grace to help to protect her from some of the more outlandish schemes that are concocted in the "stepmom shake-up. "Love, love, love the characters and all the presidential facts throughout. Such a fun idea to add in cosplay for Team Gravy and have them dress up as Teddy & Alice Roosevelt. BTW, this local author will be featured in the Mid-Continent Public Library Speaker Center Series on Wednesday, June 17. You can sign up for a Virtual Event, sponsored by the MCPL Story Center Speaker Series event on Wednesday, June 17, featuring the author Niki Lenz using this link: https://www.mymcpl.org/events/67932/s...
*Reviewed by Darla from Red Bridge*

[Anitalia Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Team Gravy to Team Groovy”

I absolutely LOVED this book. An uplifting story between father and daughter (Davy and Grace), where two of them wanted to have a complete family again and moved on from their life since the mother passed away. It such an honest feeling of a sixth grader point of view where Grace didn’t want another woman to entered their perfect life as a team. Grace knew she couldn’t do anything except sabotaged the father’s dating moments. Not to mention the daughter’s best friend, who actually the best partner of her to make up some plans. Family, friendships, sacrifices, all valuable elements mixed up together with sweet, joy “Shake-up” kind of story.

I also admired how the author write how smart and intelligent Grace is for learning the history of Teddy Roosevelt and his families. This part also one of the factor where Grace being inspired to always be brave, be strong and more positive quotes that she can adopted for her life. I personally had my eyes more open for history lesson from this book. Thank you Niki Lenz for putting special part of more inspirational quotes from some of the early United States Presidents in this book.

I recommend this book for everyone, not just middle grade readers, but everyone! Let’s enjoy the honest, smart and sweet journey of Grace to find her Team Groovy in this book.

Grace, sixth grader girl who loves her father very much, part of a Team Gravy with her father, who suddenly just realized there were those people were paying attention at her father’s loves life. And those people were the one who attended the First Baptist Church where her father worked as a pastor there. Grace then found out by herself that her father’s was actually “really lonely” and she wanted to make him happy too. Unfortunately some of her father’s dating wasn’t what Grace expecting, and she was afraid that her life and time will soon be gone as soon as her father’s find the right one. Since then, along with Bea’s helped, she planned some sabotaged plan for her father’s dating moment. What will happen after that, did Grace succeed to shake-up the feature stepmom?

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC of this book.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Grace and her pastor dad Davy have adjusted to life without her mom and make a great team--Team Gravy. However, when two meddling gossips from his church tell Pastor Davy that he needs to begin dating again, Grace decides that she will make sure that the team stays in tact, without any additions to it--or one that she chooses herself.

Readers are likely to enjoy Grace's antics, but that may be all. The characters in this book feel like two-dimensional, flat stereotypes, and the plot feels forced and contrived. While the reader may understand that Grace's father is lonely, it is hard to believe that he would transition from not dating at all to suddenly becoming a dating machine just because two gossipy church ladies mention to him that he needs to begin going out again. The plot does not feel as though it has a natural, realistic progression, and the entire book suffers because of it.

All in all, not a recommended purchase.

***I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for providing an Advanced Readers' Copy (ARC) in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.***

[Cassie Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace and her dad have since become Team Gravy since losing her mom. Grace starts to realize the talk of the small town church life is now finding her dad a new wife and Grace sets out to sabotage (Operation Stepmom Shake Up) any of those opportunities. Through the story Grace’s quirkiness and love for history (presidents to be more specific) lead her AND her dad exactly in the direction they should go. Such a feel good story for those kiddos looking for a happy ending; specifically after either a divorce or loss of a parent.

[Leah Lambart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and yet emotionally compelling story. Bringing a new person into your family is a huge challenge. This story explores what that means and what family means to people.

[Arianne Costner · Rating 5 out of 5]

CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS. I read it all in one day, smiling and cackling throughout the whole thing. Perfect mood-lifter

Grace’s mom died three years earlier, and she and her dad (who is also a preacher) are extremely close. When her dad starts dating again (egged on by some elderly women from church,) Grace starts sabotaging his dates (Squawking robochicken. Gas-inducing picnics. etc.) Halfway through, it turns more into a parent trap situation where Grace is trying to engineer romance (in equally hilarious ways) between her dad and her history teacher.

You just LOVE Grace and her dad. You feel so deeply for them and their situation. This is the type of book that can be enjoyed by kids and adults--kids will focus more on the pranks, but teens and adults will also appreciate the cute, dorky romance that blossoms with the dad (I felt like i was watching a hallmark-esque romcom, but told through the eyes of the preteen daughter of our dashing bachelor—it was so heartwarming)

Something cool/original about this book is that Grace's church/faith play a big role in the plot. I've noticed that religion is rarely mentioned in current youth fiction, and when it is, it is often a negative force in the plot. But Grace describes church as a place she loves, a place she belongs. She has a great community surrounding her there. I really resonated with that. Her faith comes into play in ways that are natural and uplifting, never preachy. It was perfectly done in a way that appeals to all and is great representation.

Something else that was super fun--Grace and her dad are huge history buffs, and especially love learning about the U.S. presidents. We get tons of cool/wacky facts and inspirational tidbits throughout

To sum it up, an absolute breath of fresh air. I don't usually write a whole spiel about books like this but totally brightened my day yesterday and I wanted to share

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to Beta read an early copy of this delightful MG contemporary by Niki Lenz and then again later, in the form of an arc from NetGalley.
The Stepmom Shake-Up is a charming, funny, and wonderfully heartwarming story showcasing the unbeatable relationship of Grace and her pastor-father, Davy. Despite Grace and Davy's strong Team-Gravy partnership, a committee at church decides to intervene and start setting up their pastor with dates. Desperate to keep her life exactly as it is, Grace and her best bud, Bea, launch Operation Stepmom Shake-Up into full effect thus trying to ruin and thwart as many of Pastor Davy's dates as possible. As their covert operation gets a bit out of hand, however, Grace realizes that the perfect woman for her widower father may have been under their noses the entire time.
What stands out to me the most about this MG is its ability to confront grief, questions with faith, and the coming-of-age for a young girl so seamlessly. Add in hilarious dashes of laugh-out-loud humorous scenes and dialogue, and this story is an absolute knock-out of an MG.
The Stepmom Shake-Up will appeal to fans of Judy Blume, Kate Messner, and Karen Rivers.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another solid win thanks to Netgalley and Random House!!! I originally requested this book because I thought if it was good I would share it with my daughter as well. It definitely did not disappoint. Here are some of the things that I really loved:
-Dad jokes and puns (These are a favorite for me)
-A single dad and daughter duo with a strong relationship (I don't often read books with this perspective)
-Faith being prominently featured (For some this may not be as important, but I love putting books in my children's hands that feature our faith)
This isn't just a book I will pass on to my daughter, but a book I really enjoyed reading. It was quirky, fun, and heartwarming. Although she wouldn't admit it herself, my daughter has that sass that Grace showed throughout the book. Her sabotage attempts were something I could see her undertaking easily.

[Caitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Major parent trap vibes

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, um, this book has some really problematic content. The main character’s father is minister at a church. He decides to start dating and dates (and rejects, apparently) multiple women from his church. Fun fact: that is wildly unethical!

I got to see this sort of thing play out in my own church. It is pastoral misconduct to have a minister mining his own congregation to fulfill his own romantic and sexual needs. And yes, I am going to rant about it. It’s bad, folks. Really bad. It can, in fact, tear a congregation apart. Which is why many denominations have strict policies against it. I don't understand how a writer and team of editors let this one pass. Why did no one say, hmmm... we need a ‘lovable dad character.' Maybe we shouldn't portray him as someone who’s willing to troll his own congregation for women with no regard for how being rejected by their minister would affect their spiritual life?

I’m not going to recommend impressionable young people read a book which leaves them with the idea that this sort of self-serving behavior in a religious leader is acceptable. And I’m flabbergasted that no one caught this huge a blunder. Because kids learn things from books. And sometimes the things they learn aren't the big messages we intend, but more subtle things. And in no way should children be learning - hey, it's okay for my religious leader to be interested in me sexually or romantically. And I'm not suggesting this book depicts relationships with minors, but we carry these messages from childhood into our adult lives, and even relationships between consenting adults can be problematic if there are huge power differentials, like there are with ministers and congregants. Would the editors have been okay if this were a boss and his subordinate? No, probably not. Well, this is just as bad. And we need to stop selling kids the idea that these types of relationships are romantic. They're not. They're creepy and inappropriate and abusive.

Okay, onward. Even without this element, I'd also say that this book doesn't fulfill its potential. The religious setting is just window dressing. At no time does this child -- the daughter of a minister, whose mother died in a tragic accident years before -- ever think about faith or God or her place in the universe. It's odd, really. Why bother creating a character of this sort, and feature church as a big part of the plot, and then not use those elements to make the story richer? It's just all very bland and expected and sterile and pointless, really. You've got a kid who misbehaves a lot, who does some pretty crappy things to her father and others, and she never once stops to think... hmmm... what would my dad say about this? Does this mesh with what I learned in Sunday school?

Also, mom's death is never explored in full, but it's clear that she died in an accident. We're led to believe it was a traffic accident, in fact. And at the end of the book, the kid steals a vehicle and drives it and actually hits a deer and kills it. And at no point does it seem to occur to her that she could be injured or killed LIKE HER MOM?!? What? How is that possible? And then she kills the deer and only has a momentary, 'oh, too bad' reaction. So she killed a living creature, in a car accident... ya know, like the one her own mother died in, and it doesn't trigger any sort of recognition for her, or trauma, or memory of her mom? It really felt like the author kinda forgot that she had created a character who would likely have trauma around vehicles and traffic accidents and death related to accidents. Just so weird and disconnected from reality.

So, anyway, I could go on, but that's probably enough. For many, many reasons, I do not recommend this book. And I recommend that others think twice about it, particularly if they're looking for a story to help a child deal with grief or trauma, because it does not deal appropriately with those topics and could in fact be harmful in the flippant, dismissive way it approaches kids suffering from traumatic death of a loved one.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a sweet book. I always appreciate authors who write about characters who grow up attending church. Church going kids want to see themselves in books too. However, that plays no part in whether the book is actually compelling. I didn’t find this story to be all that exciting. The characters, especially the pastor/father, don’t have much depth.

Grace and her father have been very close, since her mother died. She’s perfectly happy for it to remain just the two of them. But some older women in her father’s congregation think otherwise. And just like that the book goes south. Pastor Davey, acting like he has no brain of his own, begins dating. Grace ropes in her friend Bea to help sabotage the dates. Again, the pastor acts clueless about what’s going on. Then, on a dime, Grace changes her mind and begins helping her dad. Sort of. Because through all of this, she realizes it’s her history teacher, Miss O’Connor, who would be the perfect mom/wife. Her father resists this pairing because he already knows Miss O’Connor quite well and thinks it would be awkward. So he resists the obvious through the entire book, then sees the light.

This book would have faired much better as a shorter book for younger children. Lower elementary, not upper. The characters just don’t have enough personality, and believability to keep the target audience interested. And the depiction of church with these older women advising the pastor and coordinating silly church functions is quite outdated. You have to go back to the 1980s for this to be the norm and be somewhat relatable.

[Kate Waggoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to #NetGalley and Random House Children's Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of The Stepmom Shake-Up by Niki Lenz. This middle grades contemporary novel will be released in June 2020.

Grace and her dad, Davy, have been a team (Team Gravy) since her mother passed away. Grace is more than happy with their life together. They geek out out over presidential trivia, have nicknames for each other, are always working on a project together, and plan and take road trips to fun historical sites. That all changes when Grace's dad starts dating again. At first, Grace is not happy and she pairs up with her best friend, Bea, to sabotage her dad's dates. Then she realizes that her dad is actually lonely and the perfect woman is already in his life, so she uses her mastermind for pranks to try to bring them together.

This was a super fun middle grades novel that really reminded me of the movie "The Parent Trap." I loved that Grace, her dad, and Miss O'Conner are all fans of history. Though this book has funny moments full of pranks and hi-jinks, it also deals with the topics of parenting, the child/parent relationship, and changing family dynamics. Through trial and error, Bea's family, and delving deeper into Theodore Roosevelt's (Grace's favorite president) history, Grace is able to see that a stepmom and a change in her family might not actually mean disaster. This book made me laugh and I think many middle grade readers will enjoy it.

[Hope Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the initial shock and grief from her mother's death, Grace and her dad, Davy, (aka "Team Gravy") have taken care of themselves rather well. All that changes when Grace overhears to old busybodies from church confront her dad to encourage him to start dating again. Grace is hurt and offended to think that anyone else thinks they need help from a new mother, and even more hurt when her dad gently tells her he is lonely and would like to start dating again. As Davy begins dating, Grace and her best friend plot and scheme to ruin the dates and make Davy realize he doesn't need anyone outside of Team Gravy. Then Grace realizes there is a perfect woman out there for her dad, and it is someone she can also love and welcome into her family.

Very sweet story with lots of opportunities to giggle throughout! This book gently reveals that changes in family composition can be difficult at first, but after the initial "shake-up," can be exactly what was needed after all. Grace reminds me a little of K.D. McCrite's April Grace or Meg Cabot's Allie Finkle.

[Jennifer Hottinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stepmom Shake-up is an entertaining middle grade read. Grace and her father have grown close, as mom passed away. Dad is the pastor of their church and busybodies begin to think the pastor needs to start dating. Grace and Bea work together to sabotage every date in hilarious ways. Grace is quite a character and had me laughing at her daring approach to avoid a stepmom. I have to say I loved the silliness between father and daughter as Team Gravy and, of course the puns. As you are reading, think about Grace and her father’s connection. Could it be better with someone who loves what they do?
Is dad really ready to date? Will Grace accept anyone for her dad to make him happy?

As it is Friday and that means Punny Friday, I need to share one of my favs from the book: “Hey, what do they call the guy who invented denim pants? A jean-ius.” (54)
Thank you for sharing your humor with the reader Niki Lens. I foresee many middle schoolers checking this one out!!

[Rosie Rizk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grace and her father make the perfect team and an even better two-person family. So, when her father starts to date again, with bright hopes of a future marriage, Grace will do anything to prevent that from happening. From thinking up pranks to sabotaging her father's efforts, Grace is hard pressed to keep herself safe from potential stepmothers.

Grace is a young, but very self confident girl. She and her dad are history nerds, sharing a love of history facts and everything presidential. They fit perfectly together, and Grace knows that a third wheel will ruin it. When her dad starts going out and tries dating potential stepmothers, Grace, with the help of her best friend, implement pranks to sabotage her father's chances.

This book had some good themes about life changes and family relationships. Grace went through a nice learning curve throughout the story.

[Emily Roselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since Grave's mom has passed, her father Davy and her have become close. So lose that they are known as Team Gravy. But hen members of the church convince Davy to start dating again, Grace is reading for sabotage. Not wanting to lose her father, Grace with the help of her bff Bea work hard to make sure the dates fail. That is until Grace finds someone she would love to have as a stepmom even if her father doesn't know it yet.

As an adult reading this book, I found it totally predictable. However, if a child was reading this book I think they would love it. The antics that Grace gets caught up in are 100% kid created and doable. I think kids will be able to relate to Grace and want to join in on help her ruin her father's dates. A quick fun read for all ages.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun cover, and what a fun premise, but this book does leave me a little bit uneasy. A pastor is dating lots of people who go to his church, which felt a little strange. And then his daughter is continually trying to determine who he should date despite his consistent pleas asking her to step out of it.

She does get herself into some trouble, and it could’ve been funny, but I actually just felt incredibly worried about the shenanigans… some are a bit over the top.

It’s super fun, and I love this book for kids who are in a situation in which one of their parents are dating. I just felt a little uneasy about some of the situations and the perfectly-perfect ending of the book (despite how much I truly do feel that the three of them are adorable together.)

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because it’s a perfect recommendation for those families who are looking for Christian middle grade fiction and it’s overall fairly sweet. But BOY HOWDY did I have problems with the uneven range of crappiness in the hijinks this kid pulls. On one hand, it’s very Parent Trap type stuff. On the other, she does some real underhanded (and illegal!) stuff that a *checks notes* three day punishment of no TV doesn’t feel appropriate enough discipline for. Anyway, it’s fine. 😑

[CR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great little story that reminded me of the Parent Trap. I loved the fun loving story and the cover. The use of a parent being a minister worked well. I didn't feel like the book preached at the kids so I would feel comfortable recommending this one to everyone. The story would make a great movie and I think kids will have a fun time reading it. I know my 9 year old did.

[LibraryLaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet middle-grade story about finding love after loss. Bonus points for its portrayal of Grace and her dad's faith.

[SashReads 🗾🎑🏞🌅🌄🌠🎇🎆🌇🌆🏙🌃🌌🌉🌁 · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

[Breelynd Huntley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very wholesome read. It felt so much like the Parent Trap.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was I don't know grate I just loved it

[Elizabeth Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute, light read! ♥️

[ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was kind of boring, and easy for me to walk away from. It’s a good concept and overall an okay book!

[Denise DeNunzio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute book. Perfect for middle schoolers.

[Gem · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was overall an okay book, but it definitely had a basic plot.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up from the library after one of my students read it for her book talk. Super cheesy and cute and funny. It was full of all of the tropes I enjoy in a good Hallmark movie. I really enjoyed it!