In Your Shoes by Donna Gephart

In Your Shoes 
by Donna Gephart
Expected publication
October 30, 2018
Delacourte Books for Your Readers
336 pages
Realistic fiction
Review ebook obtained through Netgalley

Goodreads Summary
The critically acclaimed author of Lily and Dunkin delivers another heartfelt story that will remind readers you never know who needs a friend the most, about two imaginative tweens who help each other find new beginnings.
Miles is an anxious boy who loves his family's bowling center even if though he could be killed by a bolt of lightning or a wild animal that escaped from the Philadelphia Zoo on the way there.
Amy is the new girl at school who wishes she didn't have to live above her uncle's funeral home and tries to write her way to her own happily-ever-after.
Then Miles and Amy meet in the most unexpected way . . . and that's when it all begins. . . .

My Thoughts

In this middle grade novel, middle schoolers Miles and Amy are both dealing with many feelings of loss, grief, guilt, regret and fear. Amy, who has lost her mother, moves to a new town away from her best friend and her dog. She lives in a funeral home (the family business) and stays with her uncle during the week while her father is away studying at mortuary school. 

Miles has lost his grandmother who loved the family bowling alley as much as Miles. He also goes through more difficult times later in the book. Miles has a lot of anxiety and feels that if he worries about enough, then maybe he can prevent bad things from happening. He has a couple of great friends, Randall, his best friend suffers with asthma and loves to bowl, even if he just ends up losing money in bets against Miles. Then there is his friend Tate who is also Randall's girlfriend. Tate is a likable, spunky character who befriends Amy and makes her start to feel a bit more comfortable. 

Miles and Amy develop a cute and perfectly awkward tween relationship with shy smiles, blushing and even a game of spin the bottle. 

Since Amy likes to write, the reader is treated to the fictional story Amy is writing about a girl locked in a castle tower and a prince who struggles to feel accepted. 

I think many students will enjoy this story. Kids in grades 5-8 will especially appreciate the angst of being a preteen and navigating the challenges of friendships,  family dynamics, and romantic crushes. 

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