Twelve-year-old Esme’s life changes when she discovers dinosaur bones on her family’s peach farm in Texas.Fans of Wendy Maas and Lynda Mullaly Hunt will love this perfectly pitched story about friendship, family, and loss from Suzanne Crowley, the acclaimed author of The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous.After her grandfather died from a heart attack while driving his tractor on Solace … a heart attack while driving his tractor on Solace Hill, twelve-year-old Esme’s been inextricably drawn to that spot, although her grandmother warns her to stay away. But when she follows her little brother, Bo, and her dog, Old Jack, up the hill while chasing fireflies, she makes an incredible discovery—dinosaur bones peeking out from underneath the abandoned tractor.
The bones must be a message from her grandfather, a connection from beyond the grave. But when word gets out that the farm is hiding something valuable, reporters, researchers, and neighbors arrive in droves. Esme struggles to understand who has her best interests at heart, especially as the memory of her grandfather begins to slip away.
Full of friendship and adventure, and featuring a palpable Texas setting, Finding Esme is a moving and heartfelt story about family, friendship, and learning to deal with loss.
From acclaimed author Suzanne Crowley, this engaging adventure set on a Texas peach farm is just right for fans of Rebecca Stead and Ann M. Martin.
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I love reading middle grade fiction, so when the chance to read and review Finding Esme by Suzanne Crowley came up, I jumped at the chance! I was really glad I got a chance to read Finding Esme because it was such an amazing book!
Esme is a 12 year old girl growing up in the 1970’s. Her home life isn’t very traditional. Her dad is out somewhere being a wanderer, and her mom is too busy worrying about her dad to look after Esme. The only person that really looks after Esme is her grandma Bee. When Esme finds dinosaur bones (which she’d like to keep secret) on a hill by her house, things start changing for Esme.
I really loved the plot of Finding Esme. There is a touch of magical realism within this book that written very well. Esme and her grandmother have certain gifts. They can find lost things and/or people usually. There’s also sightings of ghosts although not spooky ghostly sightings. Suzanne Crowley does such a fantastic job of making the magical realism element seem like it’s an every day happening in real life. She also does a fantastic job with Esme’s dealing of loss and just with the whole plot overall. Although Finding Esme does start out a bit slow, as well as a bit confusing with a bunch of different names, it quickly picks up the pacing. Also, it because clear which character is which quickly. The wording may be confusing for some as it’s written in semi-heavy Texas twang and slang throughout. However, context clues help. It was easyish for me to understand being as I was born and raised in Texas.
I must gush now on the characters found in Finding Esme! They were all so fleshed out and felt like they were actual people I was reading about instead of just being fictitious characters. Bee, Esme’s grandmother, was probably my favorite character because I loved her no-nonsense approach to things. June Rain was always in la la land since her husband was always up and missing. My heart ached for her, but at the same time, I was angry with her for not paying more attention to her children, Esme and Bo. Sweetmaw was another great character, and I loved her for watching out for Esme when Esme felt she had no one. Finch, Esme’s best friend, cared for Esme very much, and it was obvious throughout the novel. He only wanted what was best for Esme even if she had a hard time figuring that out. I loved little Bo, Esme’s younger brother. I can’t remember if Bo’s age is ever mentioned in Finding Esme. I guessed Bo to be around 7 or so based on how he acted. Esme was a fantastically written main character. I could relate to her on so many levels especially when it came to not feeling loved or wanted. I’m sure we’ve all felt like this at some point in our lives. Esme was wanting to keep her dinosaur bones (which she endearingly refers to as Louella Goodbones) secret just so she could have at least one thing that was just hers. I was angered when her secret bones were no longer her secret (not a spoiler). I just wanted to hug Esme to let her know that she wasn’t alone. She seemed like such a sweet girl who had already had to put up with more things than most children her age.
One main thing I feel that I must mention is this is Finding Esme is listed as being a middle grade book. I guess this is because the main character is 12 years old. I felt like this wasn’t a typical middle grade read as it lacks a middle grade feel. The wording and narrative seemed to be written towards more of an older audience especially with mentions of things that happened in the past that a middle grade audience may not know about or understand. I feel like Finding Esme would probably go over most middle grader’s head with the language and events that happened. Even though Esme is only 12, I feel like adults would enjoy this more or at least a young adult audience.
Trigger warnings for Finding Esme include death, depression, gun violence (although not graphic), an absent father, and profanity (although it was just the word damnation used once).
Overall, Finding Esme is a fantastical read which will tug at your heartstrings and leave you breathless. It’s a quick read that you won’t want to put down. At least, I didn’t! I never wanted it to end if I’m being honest. I would definitely recommend Finding Esme by Suzanne Crowley to those aged 15+. Yes, it’s supposed to be a middle grade read, but as I mentioned before, I really think adults and possibly teens would enjoy it more.
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(A special thank you to Suzanne Crowley for sending me a hardcover of Finding Esme in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
Finding Esme is a family saga, mystery, and coming of age story spun from pure gold by author Suzanne Crowley. The fact it’s written for children doesn’t detract from the fact this is a brilliantly crafted story. Rich in language and voice, this book has everything you hope to find in a Southern Gothic novel. Bold colors and a taste for peaches and adventure flavor the cover design and immediately pull the reader in. A book is always judged by its cover, and in the case of Finding Esme, the inside matched the power of the cover’s imagery in every way.
Twelve-year-old Esme and her little brother aren’t orphans, but their parents checked out long ago. Instead, they have their grandmother Bee, a force of nature in her own right as their guardian. There’s also Finch, Esme’s best and only friend, who while poor, may be the smartest boy she knows. Bee does the best she can to run the peach farm and teach Esme the business of “finding.” But there are some things Bee can’t find, like Esme’s missing father, or a way to keep from losing their home to the bank. Esme only wishes her paps were still alive. She wishes so hard, she follows his ghost to discover the mysterious bones waiting at the top of a hill.
Finding Esme is full of characters who seemed almost ethereal, lost between the past and unwillingness to face the ugly present. Each person has a place and purpose in Esme’s story, as they help her find who she is and who she could become. Personal favorites include the loveable brainy Finch, and their old neighbor Miss Lilah, who might have once loved Esme’s grandfather. Here is a coming of age story of a girl caught in the crux between childhood and adulthood. Between whispered rumors from the townsfolk and her family, Esme can almost piece the puzzle together. But it isn’t until she finds the courage to give voice to and ask the difficult questions that the secrets surrounding Esme unravel.
While this is written for middle-grade, there are so many nuanced layers woven in such a way as to pull the reader in and let them slip on Esme’s shoes. I could almost feel the Texas summer heat as Esme chased fireflies, tasted the honey from the hives, and smelled the fun candy flavors that always hovered around Finch. The setting feels timeless, and the many minuscule details simply another aspect of Esme’s world and just as natural. It allows Finding Esme to be something more than a period piece or a gothic mystery. This is Esme’s story but in a magical way, the author allows it to be our story too for a time.
Well, my goodness, y’all! Here I am, again, with a review that’s sure to knock your socks off!
“How do you know it’ll knock my socks off?” you ask, whilst reading the above sentence.
“Because this book knocked my socks all the way into last month, that’s how, you sassy thang!” I reply, as I continue to type this here review.
Oh, this book … y’all … this book took me all the way back to my childhood in a way that only a well written book can. It all started with the delicious (dust) cover of this hardback book. Yes, I’m here to tell y’all that a book can, indeed, be judged by its cover. The intriguingly artistic cover of FINDING ESME by Suzanne Crowley is as sweet and delicious as a sun ripened peach from Esme’s grandmother’s farm.
And guess what? Ms. Crowley sent me an AUTOGRAPHED copy of this book!
*Le Sigh*
Y’all know I shoot straight from the hip when it comes to books and reviews. I don’t know whether or not it’s the fact that I studied English Literature or the fact that I, myself, am an author (of the best sci-fi books in Texas), but I kinda get a little picky with the books I read, yo!
Just ask Kristine.
Oh, yes, you know of whom I speak … the Lone Star Literary Life Book Siren, herself. She knows just how to lure me in with a gorgeous cover and an intriguing blurb. But I digress.
What I loved most about FINDING ESME by Suzanne Crowley was the constant tension in her prose. Her writing is sprinkled with a … je ne sais quoi … if you know what I mean. The reader is continually aware that something is off, not quite right. Something is coming, and it may or may not be good.
Only time will tell (once the reader finishes the book, of course!)
FINDING ESME by Suzanne Crowley took me all the way back to the magic of childhood summers before cellphones and computers … before technology distracted kids from the wonders of summer nights, chasing fireflies, the true value of friendship and how ones actions towards peers can affect others deeply.
Long gone are the days of dealing with others face-to-face, making amends in person or by slipping secret gifts of apology where the offended party will find them. Most of today’s kids are conditioned to social media and the ease it brings of forgetting the person on the other side of the screen is a living, breathing human with feelings.
I find this enormously saddening.
Speaking of sadness. Without giving away any spoilers (‘cause y’all keep asking, and y’all know I ain’t gonna!), this book strikes a tender nerve in anyone who’s lived through those angsty pre-teen years. Not only that, but this book deals with actual real world issues such as: depression, absentee parenting (both in person and flat out abandonment), grandparents who must step back into parenting shoes, deep loss, the value of true friends, and knowing when to tune in to one’s intuition.
Oh, this book has it all! Magic. Ghosts. Mystery. Witching Sticks. Pie Made of Sun Ripened Peaches. A trusty ole horned toad (who may or may not really be a ghost). And, of course, a faithful ole dog. It’s a story as sweet as Bee’s honey. As bewitching as a witching stick. As mysterious as a ghost who leads the way to long-buried bones.
But I’ve gone too far here! Y’all’ve almost tricked me into spoilers, y’all sassy thangs!
Look …
Crowley’s writing is honey sweet … her writing voice as mesmerizing as a misty spirit in the night calling to the reader from betwixt the covers of FINDING ESME. I simply could not rest until I finished the book!
And that’s why I grant
FINDING ESME
By Suzanne Crowley
5 Peachy Sweet Magical Brooms!
“It’s the art of finding a heartbeat in the darkness a mile away, a dragonfly wing at the bottom of a river.”
Finding Esme by Suzanne Crowley is a delightful yet mournful coming-of-age story about a young girl carrying far too much weight on her small shoulders. Esme has recently lost the one person she feels loved her best, her grandfather, Paps. Esme’s father, Harlan, has run off again, and her mother, June Rain, is lost in her own world filled with longing and sadness. Esme’s little brother, Bo, is carefree, but there may be more lurking under the surface.
While Esme is naturally the protagonist in Finding Esme, her grandmother, Bee, is a strong force in her life and throughout the book, linked to Esme through blood and the gift of finding things. For both, finding things is a blessing and a curse, and refusing to answer the call of this talent is not an option for either of them. Some things are never meant to be discovered, and their finding often has dire consequences, but some found things create a ripple effect of goodness, reward, and healing.
Paps’s rusting tractor marks the spot on Solace Hill where he breathed his last, and Esme finds her own solace lying under the tractor, accompanied by a horned toad she calls Bump. Rain has a way of making things easier to find that have long remained buried, and when Esme stumbles over a dinosaur bone emerging from the mud on Solace Hill, life becomes even more complicated, mysterious, and magical.
Suzanne Crowley presents a sweet Southern story about loss, abandonment, and the residual effects of leaving, either through death or by just walking away. Esme is an enigma because she seemed all grown up at her premature birth and even now when her twelve-year-old body is reluctant to mature. But Esme is still a child, and the author gives her character a tender heart and all the development and potential she needs to shine, to love, and to grow into her ability to find things, her large ears, and her training bra.
Friendship plays a big part in this story, especially between Esme and her friend Finch, who has his own set of problems but finds solace and sanctuary in Esme’s friendship. With the characterization of these two, I periodically felt a gossamer connection to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The pace, tone, and writing are quite smooth in Finding Esme, floating along on the wings of honeybees and fireflies. The magical realism here is heavy on the realism because while Esme’s and Bee’s gifts for finding things have a supernatural aspect, they are still plausible and believable, even as they are wondrous and full of mystery.
The ending is a mix of heartache, melancholy, closure, and hope. Both finding things and letting go are big parts of this beautiful story and add to the heartbeat and purpose of Finding Esme, leaving the reader with the satisfaction and joy in knowing that good people and good things are still out there just waiting to be found.
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Finding Esme is one of those books that you will want to take your time to enjoy and not rush through like a house on fire.
Esme is wise for her 12 years, and apparently, she was born this way. She definitely has not grown into her body yet, or maybe rather her body hasn’t quite caught up with her intellect yet. She has big eyes, pale (translucent even) skin, a small mouth, and skinny legs. She calls herself unflattering names based on these attributes. This is heartbreaking, but realistic for most girls her age. But what she lacks in looks, she makes up for in family and friends.
The variety of characters is a treat because I felt like they were not just shallow place holders, but thought out characters with depth and added dimension to the story. I think my favorite character, after Esme, was Fitch, Esme’s best friend. They truly watched out for each other and are two peas in a pod. Esme’s grandmother Bee is a strong woman that really holds the family together. Esme’s mother, June Rain, is something of a disappointment because she doesn’t seem to be invested in her children’s life. I don’t know if she is not all there, misses her husband, or a combination of the two.
I enjoyed the timeframe of when the book is set, and while not defined specifically, I am assuming it is somewhere in the 1950s-1970s. There is the mention of party lines (where everyone knows your business), a five and dime type store, and a few other hints that lead me to believe this is when the book is set. I always enjoy reading a book where the characters are reliant on technology as they have to think on their feet and find other resources than a device held in their hand.
This book does touch on life and the loss of family and friends. It is evident that Esme misses her grandfather. I think they had a special relationship from some of the various passages. It is hard for Esme to go on at times, but she does with the help of Fitch, Bo, and Bee. Esme is inquisitive and when she discovers the dinosaur, she becomes invested in learning more about what she has found.
The mystical realism comes into play as Esme starts having flashes of lost objects and where they can be found. This delights a few people because the items that were believed to be forever lost were found. Esme takes after Bee in this regard and she can see it as a gift or as a curse, but hopefully, she considers it a gift.
This book is aimed at middle-grade readers but can be enjoyed by readers of nearly any age. There are some topics that might be too heavy for a younger reader unless read together with a parent to discuss some of those topics.
Overall we give this 4 1/2 paws. You will find many nuggets to savor peppered throughout the book, so take your time and enjoy the characters, imagery, and innocence of children.