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Almost There and Almost Not
From acclaimed author Linda Urban comes the funny, bittersweet story of a girl and her ghosts—and the welcoming home they find where they least expect it.
California Poppy has been dropped off, yet again, with an unsuspecting relative. This time it’s her eccentric Great-Aunt Monica, a woman she’s never even met. Aunt Monica has no idea what to do with an eleven-year-old, so she puts California to work researching their ancestor, the once-famous etiquette expert Eleanor Fontaine.
California soon discovers that Great-Great-Great Aunt Eleanor is...not exactly alive and well, but a ghost—and a super sensitive one at that. The grand dame bursts into clouds of dust whenever she loses her composure, which happens quite often. Still, an unexpected four-legged friend and some old-fashioned letter writing make this decidedly strange situation one that California can handle.
Just as California’s starting to feel like she’s found a place for herself, life turns upside-down yet again. Thankfully, this time she has some friends almost by her side...
California Poppy has been dropped off, yet again, with an unsuspecting relative. This time it’s her eccentric Great-Aunt Monica, a woman she’s never even met. Aunt Monica has no idea what to do with an eleven-year-old, so she puts California to work researching their ancestor, the once-famous etiquette expert Eleanor Fontaine.
California soon discovers that Great-Great-Great Aunt Eleanor is...not exactly alive and well, but a ghost—and a super sensitive one at that. The grand dame bursts into clouds of dust whenever she loses her composure, which happens quite often. Still, an unexpected four-legged friend and some old-fashioned letter writing make this decidedly strange situation one that California can handle.
Just as California’s starting to feel like she’s found a place for herself, life turns upside-down yet again. Thankfully, this time she has some friends almost by her side...
224 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2021
13 people are currently reading
813 people want to read
About the author
Linda Urban
18 books199 followersThis was from the About Me section at Linda Urban's website.
I was born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in a suburban house that looked like all the others on my street. Sometimes I liked that sameness. It made me feel normal, when I worried I wasn’t.
Other times, though, I wanted to be different — to shine, to have people see me as special. I tried ballet dancing and singing and playing musical instruments, but I wasn’t very good at any of those things. But writing stories was fun! And often people liked what I wrote.
At Oakbrook Elementary, I wrote lots of poems and stories. One story, SUPERBOX, was about a crime-fighting shoe box. That story won me a prize. Even better? I got to read it out loud to my classmates, who laughed at the funny parts and cheered when Superbox fought off the evil potato chip can that was his mortal enemy. Nothing made me feel more special than hearing an audience cheer for a character I had written.
So, I kept writing. All through elementary school and junior high I wrote short stories and plays and poems.
But then I learned something.
Not everyone will like every story you write. And sometimes, that will make you feel very bad.
I remember once, I wrote a story about how I felt on Christmas Eve. I described my excitement, that tingling sensation I got anticipating the presents I knew would be under the tree the next morning. A boy in my class thought one of the words I used was “weird” and that I was weird as a result. He laughed at my story and his laughter stung.
I began to write more nonfiction, mostly articles for my high school yearbook and newspaper. These pieces took thought and hard work, but unlike my stories, I felt like I didn’t have to put my secret heart into them. I could hide behind the words and no one would make fun of me or the things I wrote about.
I also started to worry that maybe I was not as good a writer as I had imagined myself to be. I started comparing my writing to that in the books I read. No way was I as good as that! (More about that sort of thing here.)
By college, I had turned my writing toward advertising and marketing, using my creativity to sell the creative work of others.
Which wasn’t such a bad thing.
Why not, you ask?
It landed me at Vroman’s Bookstore, a large independent in Southern California, where I served as marketing director for about ten years.
What a great job! I was surrounded every day by books and authors and artists and readers. One of my responsibilities was to organize author events. I met thousands of writers and learned that most of them have their own fears. Even the most successful worry that readers won’t like their books. Even the most talented sometimes think they aren’t as good at writing as they ought to be.
Hearing this gave me courage.
While I was at Vroman’s, I also ran a summer writer’s workshop series. Every Saturday a writer, illustrator, or editor would come talk to aspiring writers about writing. Secretly, I took notes. Their talks gave me tools for writing better stories.
Finally, when my daughter turned two and I turned 37, I got the guts to try writing fiction again. Having a child brought me back to reading the kinds of books that I most loved, books for kids. As much as I enjoy reading grown-up books, it is kids’ books that grab my heart and make me think and spin my imagination.
Reading those books gave me inspiration.
I was born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in a suburban house that looked like all the others on my street. Sometimes I liked that sameness. It made me feel normal, when I worried I wasn’t.
Other times, though, I wanted to be different — to shine, to have people see me as special. I tried ballet dancing and singing and playing musical instruments, but I wasn’t very good at any of those things. But writing stories was fun! And often people liked what I wrote.
At Oakbrook Elementary, I wrote lots of poems and stories. One story, SUPERBOX, was about a crime-fighting shoe box. That story won me a prize. Even better? I got to read it out loud to my classmates, who laughed at the funny parts and cheered when Superbox fought off the evil potato chip can that was his mortal enemy. Nothing made me feel more special than hearing an audience cheer for a character I had written.
So, I kept writing. All through elementary school and junior high I wrote short stories and plays and poems.
But then I learned something.
Not everyone will like every story you write. And sometimes, that will make you feel very bad.
I remember once, I wrote a story about how I felt on Christmas Eve. I described my excitement, that tingling sensation I got anticipating the presents I knew would be under the tree the next morning. A boy in my class thought one of the words I used was “weird” and that I was weird as a result. He laughed at my story and his laughter stung.
I began to write more nonfiction, mostly articles for my high school yearbook and newspaper. These pieces took thought and hard work, but unlike my stories, I felt like I didn’t have to put my secret heart into them. I could hide behind the words and no one would make fun of me or the things I wrote about.
I also started to worry that maybe I was not as good a writer as I had imagined myself to be. I started comparing my writing to that in the books I read. No way was I as good as that! (More about that sort of thing here.)
By college, I had turned my writing toward advertising and marketing, using my creativity to sell the creative work of others.
Which wasn’t such a bad thing.
Why not, you ask?
It landed me at Vroman’s Bookstore, a large independent in Southern California, where I served as marketing director for about ten years.
What a great job! I was surrounded every day by books and authors and artists and readers. One of my responsibilities was to organize author events. I met thousands of writers and learned that most of them have their own fears. Even the most successful worry that readers won’t like their books. Even the most talented sometimes think they aren’t as good at writing as they ought to be.
Hearing this gave me courage.
While I was at Vroman’s, I also ran a summer writer’s workshop series. Every Saturday a writer, illustrator, or editor would come talk to aspiring writers about writing. Secretly, I took notes. Their talks gave me tools for writing better stories.
Finally, when my daughter turned two and I turned 37, I got the guts to try writing fiction again. Having a child brought me back to reading the kinds of books that I most loved, books for kids. As much as I enjoy reading grown-up books, it is kids’ books that grab my heart and make me think and spin my imagination.
Reading those books gave me inspiration.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
May 6, 2021
I knew this would be funny and clever and kind and beautifully written, because it's a Linda Urban book. I didn't know just HOW funny and beautiful it would be, how much I would love the magical/ghostly elements, and also just how sneakily heartwrenching it would become by the end - when I teared up for the very best possible reasons. I love California Poppy and her wonderful ghostly visitors, her fabulous letters, and her huge heart, and I really, really loved this book.
January 25, 2022
Mediocre, I think, and not particularly memorable.
Maybe it’s because the book is vague to the point of indefiniteness, and it’s hard to hold onto something which simply isn’t there… There are moments where I can see real potential, but they're usually left untouched; this makes them less powerful, not more.
Maybe it’s because the voice feels unrealistic for an eleven year old, even a smart one - or particularly a smart one, who questions only some things and not the central conceit of the story. I wonder if, genre-wise, it’s meant to be magical realism? That tends not to work for me, but also: I’m not sure this book is specific enough to be categorized as magical realism.
Maybe it’s because the book switches between past and present tense in the beginning, to the point where I had to read it twice to understand it. (“Where is your editor”, my constant refrain.)
I’m not sure I could tell you the plot of this book, frankly. (I read it a week ago.) I remember the ending - that works - but the rest of it is a blur of meetings and potential friends and letters and ghosts and dogs and the shadowy adult that is Aunt Monica.
Shadowy might be the right word here. I like a lot more sunlight; it throws things into vivid relief.
Maybe it’s because the book is vague to the point of indefiniteness, and it’s hard to hold onto something which simply isn’t there… There are moments where I can see real potential, but they're usually left untouched; this makes them less powerful, not more.
Maybe it’s because the voice feels unrealistic for an eleven year old, even a smart one - or particularly a smart one, who questions only some things and not the central conceit of the story. I wonder if, genre-wise, it’s meant to be magical realism? That tends not to work for me, but also: I’m not sure this book is specific enough to be categorized as magical realism.
Maybe it’s because the book switches between past and present tense in the beginning, to the point where I had to read it twice to understand it. (“Where is your editor”, my constant refrain.)
I’m not sure I could tell you the plot of this book, frankly. (I read it a week ago.) I remember the ending - that works - but the rest of it is a blur of meetings and potential friends and letters and ghosts and dogs and the shadowy adult that is Aunt Monica.
Shadowy might be the right word here. I like a lot more sunlight; it throws things into vivid relief.
December 3, 2024
ترجمهش کمی مشکل داشت اما داستانش فوقالعاده زیبا بود.
تا چند دقیقه بعد از تموم شد کتاب، مشغول گریه بودم🥲 داستان دربارهی دختری به نام کالیفرنیاست که بنابه دلایلی بعد از فوت مادرش، مجبوره پیش خالهاش زندگی کنه. پدرش اونو پیش خالهش میذاره و به بهونهای ترکش میکنه.
کالیفرنیا فک میکنه مقصر همه چیزه و بابت این موضوع مدام احساس عذاب وجدان داره. در صورتی که واقعا اینطور نیست و نقشی توی دائمالخمر بودن پدرش یا اینکه به خاطر بیمسئولیتیش نزدیک بود مورد آزار قرار بگیره نداره.
انتهای داستان خیلی زیباست و دو قسمتش رو خیلی دوست داشتم. یکی نامهی پدرش در انتها که میفهمیم بخاطر دخترش توی یه مرکز بستری شده تا بهبود پیدا کنه و یکی محو شدن السی و آقاسگه توی افق که در نهایت بهم رسیدن🥹
تا چند دقیقه بعد از تموم شد کتاب، مشغول گریه بودم🥲 داستان دربارهی دختری به نام کالیفرنیاست که بنابه دلایلی بعد از فوت مادرش، مجبوره پیش خالهاش زندگی کنه. پدرش اونو پیش خالهش میذاره و به بهونهای ترکش میکنه.
کالیفرنیا فک میکنه مقصر همه چیزه و بابت این موضوع مدام احساس عذاب وجدان داره. در صورتی که واقعا اینطور نیست و نقشی توی دائمالخمر بودن پدرش یا اینکه به خاطر بیمسئولیتیش نزدیک بود مورد آزار قرار بگیره نداره.
انتهای داستان خیلی زیباست و دو قسمتش رو خیلی دوست داشتم. یکی نامهی پدرش در انتها که میفهمیم بخاطر دخترش توی یه مرکز بستری شده تا بهبود پیدا کنه و یکی محو شدن السی و آقاسگه توی افق که در نهایت بهم رسیدن🥹
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2025
California Poppy, 11-year-old, not horticulture, is having a hard time finding her footing in any sort of home. She has been dumped at her aunt’s aunt’s house, after her own father dumped her a the first aunt’s house to take off after Salmon in Alaska. The second aunt’s home seems to be infested with the ghost of the aunt’s dead husband’s aunt. So many aunts, I know. Wanting to keep some sort of home beneath her feet California sets out to make herself useful, both to the flesh and blood aunt and the ethereal one.
I appreciate Urban’s ability to have children’s POV sound like their age rather than a mouthpiece for the author’s message. (I’m still feeling jaded for the last middle-grade book I read) For a young life, that has certainly held betrayal, Callie guileless belief that she is at fault is heart-breaking and genuine. I would have liked to see the bond between her and Aunt Monica portrayed a bit more. Her own eager thoughts to ‘do good’ rarely show the signs of the disruptive behavior she hints at. I kind liked that she does not walk around with rage in her soul, just panicked explosions. (The most disruptive students I have don’t seem to see themselves as angry - just unsettled) The ghost of Eleanor was well crafted, and I loved how her backstory unfolded in reverse.
This year I’ve set a goal to read one backlisted novel from each of my library’s fiction genres. Ones I didn’t get to when it was released. With this book I find I’m at odds which genre it should fit in. I had it in Scary Stories, but I’m going to need to recatalog it as it is zero percent scary. It deals with issues like a contemporary novel but there is that pesky ghost. I feel like the paranormal portions were almost more historical fiction. I’m going to need to give it more thought. I throughly endorse genrefying our books, but his book proves the exception to the rule that most 📚 find their proper place to find the right readers.
I appreciate Urban’s ability to have children’s POV sound like their age rather than a mouthpiece for the author’s message. (I’m still feeling jaded for the last middle-grade book I read) For a young life, that has certainly held betrayal, Callie guileless belief that she is at fault is heart-breaking and genuine. I would have liked to see the bond between her and Aunt Monica portrayed a bit more. Her own eager thoughts to ‘do good’ rarely show the signs of the disruptive behavior she hints at. I kind liked that she does not walk around with rage in her soul, just panicked explosions. (The most disruptive students I have don’t seem to see themselves as angry - just unsettled) The ghost of Eleanor was well crafted, and I loved how her backstory unfolded in reverse.
This year I’ve set a goal to read one backlisted novel from each of my library’s fiction genres. Ones I didn’t get to when it was released. With this book I find I’m at odds which genre it should fit in. I had it in Scary Stories, but I’m going to need to recatalog it as it is zero percent scary. It deals with issues like a contemporary novel but there is that pesky ghost. I feel like the paranormal portions were almost more historical fiction. I’m going to need to give it more thought. I throughly endorse genrefying our books, but his book proves the exception to the rule that most 📚 find their proper place to find the right readers.
April 15, 2021
I almost fell into the trap of giving this 4* because of its modesty. There are topics and themes and devices here that are in many other recent books, books that get lauded for being "unflinching" or some such. But I actually think it must be much easier to write those kinds of books (because there are rather a lot of them) than what Linda Urban does here (and in the Max books and in general) which is kind of unique - to flinch out of sensitivity and compassion, then find your own, often luminous, way to tell this story, seems to me more courageous than books that seem to make a point of being raw.
February 6, 2021
This book was accidentally left on my desk before a snowstorm and school closed. Today, I ventured back to school to get it! I just adore California’s ability to see ghosts, use writing to cope/heal during changes to her home life after losing Mom, Dad’s absence, and moving from aunt to aunt! Her letters incorporated correct writing etiquette and bring laughter, empathy, and heart to her story!
A book that speaks to your heart about family, resilience, understanding and finding your place! Loved it!❤️
A book that speaks to your heart about family, resilience, understanding and finding your place! Loved it!❤️
March 9, 2021
If I could give this book 10🌟🌟, I would! I read this book on a plane from Minneapolis to Denver and the time just flew! As I closed the book, tears were streaming down my face. So many need to read this book 🏡 uncertainty, family issues, friendship question and more.👀Thanks for sharing an ARC with #bookposse @HopewellLibrary This ones a winner! @lindaurbanbooks @SimonKIDS
June 8, 2021
This is everything I love in a kids' book. It's heartfelt and funny and gentle. It touches on hard and important things in a way that feels genuine, but without intensity. Plus, who doesn't love a ghost dog? Very highly recommend, especially for fans of Kate DiCamillo, Wendy Mass, and Patricia MacLachlan.
October 16, 2021
Although she's only eleven, California Poppy has had a hard life. Her mother died in a car accident; her dad drinks a lot; and, now, he's left her with a distant aunt to go fishing in Alaska. She's actually now staying with a second aunt. And this house feels different--mostly because there's a pesky ghost who shows up every so often to see what she's doing. California starts to figure out exactly who this ghost might be and that they have some things in common. Oh, and there's a dog! Well, almost. Technically, California "pretends" to pet him. He's a ghost, too. Great for middle readers, especially girls, struggling with all the emotion that comes with being eleven.
November 13, 2021
A sweet premise for a book about a young girl going through some life shit, but I feel like this book only glosses over briefly on too many different issues. California is going though puberty, has an alcoholic father, being put from home to home with people she doesn't know and can see ghosts. I wish the author explored these themes a bit more, instead of having repeat sentences that only state these facts and that California is confused and lonely. I think this book has a very fitting title. It was almost good and almost bad.
September 7, 2021
I absolutely LOVED this one!! Loved the main character, loved her humor. I feel like I will re-read this at some point.
July 26, 2021
Such a good story.
February 4, 2021
Oh, how I loved this book! California is an amazing young girl living with her aunt, researching another aunt who is a ghost, trying to find where she fits in. Readers will laugh, cry, and fall in love with California Poppy. This book left me with such warm feelings.
February 27, 2021
A magical tale, but not too much fantasy, about a girl looking to belong. Suddenly left by her father and moved from family to family, she finally finds a place - a place she's belonged, for quite a while. Sweet story, fast and engaging read! I will share this with my students! #bookposse
April 14, 2021
This is the story of a young girl who is shipped off to live with an older Aunt that she doesn't know. You don't really know why she was dropped off, and she starts to see ghosts. I thought the book was excellent and had trouble putting it down.
April 12, 2021
A tender, intelligent and haunting story.
April 16, 2021
This book is perfect. Linda Urban has done it again. Her books make me laugh and cry and I hope young readers get as much out of California’s quirky story as I did.
June 26, 2021
Absolutely charming, heartwarming, dear, sweet, and satisfying. Love Linda Urban.
June 28, 2021
California learns about herself and her family with the help of two unlikely ghosts.
April 5, 2021
Author Linda Urban has a knack for creating characters that slowly steal into readers' hearts and make them root for them to succeed. In this middle grade novel eleven-year-old California Poppy is looking for stability and a place to call home. It seems that her father has gone off the skids after her mother's death. There are hints that things weren't all that stable before her death, but now California's father has become less than reliable. While he's off salmon fishing in Alaska, he places California in the hands of Aunt Isabelle in Minnesota. Preoccupied with her impending meatloaf competition, she in turn foists California off on Great-Aunt Monica. The elderly woman has injured her arm so she could use a little help around the house. Monica enlists California's services in her writing project concerning Eleanor Fontaine, a relative once known for her books on etiquette. As California tries to settle in, unsure about how long her visit will last, she finds comfort in Dog, a spirit canine who frolics in the backyard and brings California scraps of paper that turn out to be Eleanor's correspondence. Eleanor herself, who hasn't quite passed over, visits California at various points, turning to dust when certain subjects are mentioned, and growing younger in her spirit form as Elsie Cooper, whose father had hired her out as a hotel maid when she was very young. Over the decades, Elsie has reinvented herself to become the arbiter of manners and proper behavior. But it's clear that her secrets have been costly. At the behest of Monica, California begins writing thank you notes to her aunt Isabella. These notes go unanswered, and eventually they serve as a sort of confessional or diary revealing California's feelings. Except for the first ones, California has no intention of sending them since they are filled with so much truth and she's poured her heart out in them. But they eventually are mailed, and California is sure that the place that she has started to consider her home will no longer be hers. Upon first starting this book, I was unsure about how the supernatural element would work, but it is blended into the main narrative quite nicely, and I finished the book wishing that more of Eleanor's history had been told since both California and Eleanor (Elsie) were just looking for places to belong. Maybe the author will decide to flesh out her story in a companion novel. The scenes in which California says farewell to Eleanor and then to Dog are sure to bring tears to readers' eyes.
July 16, 2022
California is eleven years old and her father is planning on going to Alaska but not taking her with him. Instead, he tells her to pack her things and drops her off with his sister, Isabelle, who doesn't have the time nor inclination to take care of California - so Isabelle takes her to her aunt, California's great aunt, Monica, who's recently broken her arm and might need some help.
Monica is recovering from that accident as well as the loss of her husband, Milton, who'd died recently. But she has a guest bedroom that's nicer than a lot of places California has stayed before. Not only that, but Monica has a purpose - Milton had always wanted to write a biography about an ancestor of his, Eleanor Fontaine, who would've been Milton's great-great-great aunt, and who wrote books on manners back in the day.
But she's not just a person who wrote books, Eleanor is also a ghost haunting the house and specifically California, who isn't scared and more interested in Eleanor's stories about her family. But what California really likes is the back yard and the dog - another ghost - who comes tearing through with new scraps of papers every once in a while. The dog is a happy little guy and smart and makes California feel like she has a place too.
And then there's Salma, who could possibly be a new friend, and her Mom, who runs a pottery store, and this book Eleanor wrote, Proper Letters for Proper Ladies, which Aunt Monica wants California to read, and there's this thing that happened in California's past and stuff that happened in Eleanor's past that's a big secret.
And California is writing letters to people who may never read them but maybe she has some good ideas, too...at least until Aunt Isabelle calls complaining about the letters and did Monica know? And Elsie, Eleanor's little girl ghost, might have some problems of her own.
A sweet, bittersweet book about being eleven and not really wanted until someone shows you how much you really are.
Monica is recovering from that accident as well as the loss of her husband, Milton, who'd died recently. But she has a guest bedroom that's nicer than a lot of places California has stayed before. Not only that, but Monica has a purpose - Milton had always wanted to write a biography about an ancestor of his, Eleanor Fontaine, who would've been Milton's great-great-great aunt, and who wrote books on manners back in the day.
But she's not just a person who wrote books, Eleanor is also a ghost haunting the house and specifically California, who isn't scared and more interested in Eleanor's stories about her family. But what California really likes is the back yard and the dog - another ghost - who comes tearing through with new scraps of papers every once in a while. The dog is a happy little guy and smart and makes California feel like she has a place too.
And then there's Salma, who could possibly be a new friend, and her Mom, who runs a pottery store, and this book Eleanor wrote, Proper Letters for Proper Ladies, which Aunt Monica wants California to read, and there's this thing that happened in California's past and stuff that happened in Eleanor's past that's a big secret.
And California is writing letters to people who may never read them but maybe she has some good ideas, too...at least until Aunt Isabelle calls complaining about the letters and did Monica know? And Elsie, Eleanor's little girl ghost, might have some problems of her own.
A sweet, bittersweet book about being eleven and not really wanted until someone shows you how much you really are.
November 18, 2021
For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle
This one took me a bit to get into. It deals with so many heavy topics: puberty, looking older than one's age, sexual harassment, parental neglect, addiction, death of a parent, and being shuttled from one "home" to the next. But once I dove into the narration and story, I was swept up in the main character's desire to find her "purpose" and where she belongs.
The story is told from eleven-year-old California Poppy's perspective and Urban nicely captured her innocence regarding the events going on in her life. The adults around her don't always recognize her as a child and aren't always honest about what's happening. California does the best she can to navigate situations no eleven-year-old (or anyone for that matter) should have to deal with. She often feels powerless as events happen to her, which I think many readers can relate to.
Told in short chapters and letters, California's journey to a new house brings with it some interesting elements, from the promise of a new friend to the ghosts the pop up here and there. Through these elements, she starts to come into herself and find her place.
Overall, a sweet tale that offers new beginnings, new connections, and the push to do the right thing even if it is unpleasant.
This one took me a bit to get into. It deals with so many heavy topics: puberty, looking older than one's age, sexual harassment, parental neglect, addiction, death of a parent, and being shuttled from one "home" to the next. But once I dove into the narration and story, I was swept up in the main character's desire to find her "purpose" and where she belongs.
The story is told from eleven-year-old California Poppy's perspective and Urban nicely captured her innocence regarding the events going on in her life. The adults around her don't always recognize her as a child and aren't always honest about what's happening. California does the best she can to navigate situations no eleven-year-old (or anyone for that matter) should have to deal with. She often feels powerless as events happen to her, which I think many readers can relate to.
Told in short chapters and letters, California's journey to a new house brings with it some interesting elements, from the promise of a new friend to the ghosts the pop up here and there. Through these elements, she starts to come into herself and find her place.
Overall, a sweet tale that offers new beginnings, new connections, and the push to do the right thing even if it is unpleasant.
April 5, 2021
California Poppy is 11-years-old, but not everyone “sees the 11 in [her].” After an Official Meeting, her dad decides to drop her off with her Aunt Isabelle, who he believes will be better suited to help raise her as she enters her teen years. However, Aunt Isabelle is elbows deep in meat loaf prep and sends her to Aunt Monica who may find California more helpful since breaking her arm and will need help with day-to-day things as well as working on a biography for distant relative Eleanor Fontaine. When at Aunt Monica’s, California meets a host of new friends: some there and some almost-there.
This was a quick read about a lonely kid who was having to grow up too quickly while her father dealt with alcohol addiction, the death of his wife, and trying to raise his pre-teen daughter. Told from California’s perspective, the story includes letters California writes as an additional narrative tool. The only critique I have is wanting to have known more about the Official Meeting (but I’m also nosy) and more about California and her life with her dad before moving to Minnesota. This was definitely written for middle-grade where larger concepts are explained by the MC. A very sweet, heart-wrenching story with a hopeful ending.
This was a quick read about a lonely kid who was having to grow up too quickly while her father dealt with alcohol addiction, the death of his wife, and trying to raise his pre-teen daughter. Told from California’s perspective, the story includes letters California writes as an additional narrative tool. The only critique I have is wanting to have known more about the Official Meeting (but I’m also nosy) and more about California and her life with her dad before moving to Minnesota. This was definitely written for middle-grade where larger concepts are explained by the MC. A very sweet, heart-wrenching story with a hopeful ending.
July 13, 2021
California Poppy has been unceremoniously dumped at a distant relative's house after her mom tragically died and her father seeks a lucrative job in Alaska, which he claims is no place for an 11-year-old girl. At Great Aunt Monica's house, California quietly seeks to make herself useful to the woman, who is dealing with an injury and her own grief, when surprise, some ghosts appear. One is a woman, the author of etiquette guidebooks, a subject Monica is exploring for a biography project. The long-dead Eleanor Fontaine is snooty and irritable and disappears into dust every time you point out she's a ghost. The other paranormal companion, much more companionable, is a scruffy white dog who delivers scraps of paper most mysterious to California. So while California slowly comes around to her potential future here at Monica's, and the tragic circumstances of her past, she also starts seeking to help Eleanor find the closure she needs to move on from this world.
Linda Urban's writing is always both clever and accessible. Both California's and Eleanor's back stories unfold slowly and satisfyingly for the reader. A great choice for middle grade kids who like some sadness and quirk in their stories.
Linda Urban's writing is always both clever and accessible. Both California's and Eleanor's back stories unfold slowly and satisfyingly for the reader. A great choice for middle grade kids who like some sadness and quirk in their stories.
November 15, 2022
California Poppy is a girl who has lived with a multitude of relatives. Eleanor Fontaine is a former famous and now deceased etiquette expert. Why are these two relatives (one living and one deceased) able to talk to each other? Can the two help each other to find their true homes and futures?
Give this one to fans of stories with helpful spirits (The Turnkey of Highgate Cemetery, magical realism All the Impossible Things or cute dogs (Stay, Almost Home, Brave Like That).
Give this one to fans of stories with helpful spirits (The Turnkey of Highgate Cemetery, magical realism All the Impossible Things or cute dogs (Stay, Almost Home, Brave Like That).
September 7, 2023
I picked this up on a whim from a local used book store, and I'm so glad I did. There's so much to like about the story, the characters, and the writing. I don't spend a lot of time with kids, and I don't know many 11-year-olds, but I'm certain I've never met one with California's wit, maturity, or self-awareness. I suppose that happens when you've endured all that she did?
Having lost my own special dog a couple of years ago, my eyes leaked a couple of times when she talked about the great feelings we get from dogs. In particular, when they rest on you. 😭
The approach to ghosts was intriguing and thought-provoking. I've not seen them handled quite like this ("dusting," for example). It's been a while since I've read a book that asked me to read between lines and connect my own dots; I appreciated the showing rather than telling, and believe it added to my investment in the story. Much like a slice of real life, not everything was answered or explained. In my opinion, that's okay. Refreshing, even. Life is messy and confusing and there aren't always answers or resolution to our satisfaction. It doesn't mean the stories aren't worth telling.
Having lost my own special dog a couple of years ago, my eyes leaked a couple of times when she talked about the great feelings we get from dogs. In particular, when they rest on you. 😭
The approach to ghosts was intriguing and thought-provoking. I've not seen them handled quite like this ("dusting," for example). It's been a while since I've read a book that asked me to read between lines and connect my own dots; I appreciated the showing rather than telling, and believe it added to my investment in the story. Much like a slice of real life, not everything was answered or explained. In my opinion, that's okay. Refreshing, even. Life is messy and confusing and there aren't always answers or resolution to our satisfaction. It doesn't mean the stories aren't worth telling.
April 20, 2021
I received an electronic ARC from Atheneum Books for Young Readers through Edelweiss+.
California has had challenges in her young life and readers get hints of them from the beginning chapter. Her dad takes her to an aunt who takes her to a great-aunt and no one lets California know these moves are happening. Not only that but she sees a dead dog and her dead great-great-great aunt - both of whom are important in this story. Loved seeing the emphasis on letter writing as a way to communicate so many emotions. It is obvious from some of what is said and much that is not that California has issues in her past. She is afraid to believe that anyone wants her for herself and doesn't feel secure Monica's home. It is not until the final chapters that readers see the entire situation and feel the love that surrounds California.
I appreciated Urban's style but am not sure that younger readers will follow the nuances. The gaps and hints were frustrating for me at time and that's why this is a 3 not a 4 star book.
California has had challenges in her young life and readers get hints of them from the beginning chapter. Her dad takes her to an aunt who takes her to a great-aunt and no one lets California know these moves are happening. Not only that but she sees a dead dog and her dead great-great-great aunt - both of whom are important in this story. Loved seeing the emphasis on letter writing as a way to communicate so many emotions. It is obvious from some of what is said and much that is not that California has issues in her past. She is afraid to believe that anyone wants her for herself and doesn't feel secure Monica's home. It is not until the final chapters that readers see the entire situation and feel the love that surrounds California.
I appreciated Urban's style but am not sure that younger readers will follow the nuances. The gaps and hints were frustrating for me at time and that's why this is a 3 not a 4 star book.
June 27, 2021
California is 11 when her dad abruptly leaves her with a distant aunt for the summer, who then takes California to stay with another aunt. During this time California is walking on eggshells trying not to get moved again, while also trying to figure out why her dad couldn't take her salmon fishing in Alaska with him. At the aunt's house, she discovers two ghosts that only she can see (but curiously, those ghosts can't see each other). During the summer, she's trying to work out what happened to her dad, how to make new friends, and how to have a steady life after upheaval.
I read this one with Alice. Maybe 3.5 stars? Maybe 4? I found the ghosts intriguing, especially the relationship between California and Eleanor. I am not sure why Eleanor moved back in age every time? And I am not sure whether California is even related to this second aunt that she is given to live with? But the ending is heartwarming and I loved the letters that California writes as she's figuring out her life during the summer.
I read this one with Alice. Maybe 3.5 stars? Maybe 4? I found the ghosts intriguing, especially the relationship between California and Eleanor. I am not sure why Eleanor moved back in age every time? And I am not sure whether California is even related to this second aunt that she is given to live with? But the ending is heartwarming and I loved the letters that California writes as she's figuring out her life during the summer.
April 1, 2022
Almost There and Almost Not is a captivating book that follows a story unlike any other. The story is about an 11-year-old girl named California Poppy after she is dropped off at her Great-Aunt Monica's house. California's great-aunt is unsure of what to do with her, so she gives California the idea of researching her relative Eleanor. Poppy discovers the truth about Eleanor, and realizes Eleanor is technically alive, and technically not. The theme of this book was that you can push through life even when things go wrong. The reason why this is the theme is because California's life goes a little sideways, but she realizes that she has some friends by her side. A dynamic character is California because her life events change her personality. A static character is Great-Aunt Monica because she is the same at the beginning and the end of the book. I gave this book 4 stars because I believed this was a very well-written book, but it didn't fully keep my attention. In all, I recommend Almost There and Almost Not if you are looking for a good book.
August 26, 2022
Read for the Mother Daughter Book Club.
My overall sense of this book was of sadness. I was so sad for this little girl, who has so little, who lost her mom, was left behind by her dad, rejected by an aunt - who had to leave a favorite teacher, and didn't have any friends after all this moving around.
She's plucky, and meets ghosts and finds happiness in a new friend and a (small) family - but I couldn't quite get past the sadness for everything she had lost.
I also had some questions that I thought would be addressed over time in the story, but never were. Why did her mother name her California Poppy? Why did the ghosts appear to her, and no one else? Why did they appear when they did, and why did they leave when they did? Why did one ghost start as an older woman, and get younger as the story progressed?
The story told through letters was a nice angle, and I liked her letter writing to big corporations (and how at least one of those letters turned out.)
Overall a good read, albeit a bit sad and occasionally slow.
My overall sense of this book was of sadness. I was so sad for this little girl, who has so little, who lost her mom, was left behind by her dad, rejected by an aunt - who had to leave a favorite teacher, and didn't have any friends after all this moving around.
She's plucky, and meets ghosts and finds happiness in a new friend and a (small) family - but I couldn't quite get past the sadness for everything she had lost.
I also had some questions that I thought would be addressed over time in the story, but never were. Why did her mother name her California Poppy? Why did the ghosts appear to her, and no one else? Why did they appear when they did, and why did they leave when they did? Why did one ghost start as an older woman, and get younger as the story progressed?
The story told through letters was a nice angle, and I liked her letter writing to big corporations (and how at least one of those letters turned out.)
Overall a good read, albeit a bit sad and occasionally slow.
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