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Gertie's Leap to Greatness
Gertie's Leap to Greatness | Kate Beasley
44 posts | 28 read | 26 to read
For fans of Three Times Lucky and The Penderwicks, this endearing new classic spins together sparkling humor, sizzle-pop writing, and a main character with Ramona Quimby's sass and smarts.Gertie Reece Foy is 100% Not-From-Concentrate awesome. She has a daddy who works on an oil rig, a great-aunt who always finds the lowest prices at the Piggly Wiggly, and two loyal best friends. So when her absent mother decides to move away from their small town, Gertie sets out on her greatest mission yet: becoming the best fifth grader in the universe to show her mother exactly what she'll be leaving behind.There's just one problem: Seat-stealing new girl Mary Sue Spivey wants to be the best fifth grader, too. And there is simply not enough room at the top for the two of them.
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Eggs
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It‘s tough enough if your mom has #abandoned you as a child, but it‘s exacerbated when your mom dotes lovingly on her stepkids and ignores you completely 💔💔

#aboutaugust @Eggs

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Eggs
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Pickpick

Gertie is hilarious and heart breaking! She lives with her daddy and her auntie after her Mom ran off. Gertie tries to be magnificent so her mom will realize her mistake and come back...

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks You're making great progress!!! 4y
Eggs @Fantasy_bookworm It definitely is! 4y
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Eggs Thanks @TheAromaofBooks I have a few books left to read to finish my bingo card—saved the longest ones for last 🤪 4y
TheAromaofBooks That way you've built up some momentum!! 😁 4y
Eggs @TheAromaofBooks True❣️ 4y
50 likes6 comments
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Branwen
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Picked up these younger fic books from the library at the recommendation of the other children's librarians! Anyone read any of these? #librarylove #bookhaul

MaureenMc Echo is wonderful! 6y
Alicia @Branwen I just got your Mrs. Dalloway back from April when I tried to send it back! 😱😱😱 the label says you moved? Can you send me your address and I‘ll send it along tomorrow! amerschen.perez@gmail.com! I‘m so sorry if you sent it and I somehow lost it?! I‘d love to get your book back home! 💓📚🙏🏽🏡 (edited) 6y
Branwen @Alicia WOW! Thank you sososo much! I will be so happy to get it! I just emailed you my new address! Thank you! You're the best! 💕😊 6y
Alicia @Branwen awesome! Of course!!!! I know how much you love the book! And I sent some extras too you hopefully haven‘t read! 😁😁 6y
Branwen @alicia Awwww! I'm even more excited now! You are seriously an angel! 😄💕 I can't wait! 6y
29 likes5 comments
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Lmstraubie
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Pickpick

This is between a "Pick" & a "So-So". I enjoyed Gertie's spunk, but left with an important question unanswered. I get the sense the author left room for a sequel. We'll see...

41 likes2 stack adds
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Lmstraubie
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Thank you for participating in our #mgbuddyread. Remember to join in when you can!

merelybookish Thanks for hosting. 7y
Lmstraubie @merelybookish @amie @Smangela Thank you for your thoughts and insights. I always enjoy our discussions. ☺️ Check back tomorrow in case we get any late comers. 7y
Smangela @Lmstraubie agreed! Love this #mgbuddyread club and the discussions :) 7y
Lmstraubie @Peddler410 Thank you for joining in! 7y
Lmstraubie Thank you @MrsGreen and @Mdargusch for joining in the conversation! 7y
35 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Lmstraubie
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Question #9 #mgbuddyread

Smangela I liked it more than I thought I would. It was a good look into how children think and a good reminder that trivial things are bigger deals to children! Touched on bullying and how blurry the line can be between right and wrong (ie oil rig jobs); not my favorite MG read but definitely still entertaining and thought provoking 7y
merelybookish I was so-so on this one. I found Gertie kind of annoying and felt the central issue (the absent mom) was introduced but never explored. But as @Smangela said, it does show that kids' lives are complicated, that they navigate complex social worlds. 7y
Amie Overall I liked it and found Gertie amusing. As an adult I wanted to know more about why her mom was absent while also living so close. I thought it portrayed the kids and their concerns and choices authentically. 7y
See All 8 Comments
Lmstraubie @Smangela @merelybookish @amie I think the three of you together summed up my thoughts. I liked Gertie's realness even though she wasn't nice at times. The lack of explanation about the money almost annoyed me as much as Orphan Island!! 7y
MrsGreen Like @Smangela I liked it more than I thought I would. I also thought the cover needs to be way different to get kids to pick it up though. I put it off for a long time because of that. 7y
Mdargusch It is my first MG read and I did enjoy it as well as Gertie. I had a very hard time with all the bullying going on and no adults stepping in. 7y
Lmstraubie @MrsGreen I thought the cover made Gertie seem younger than she was. 7y
Lmstraubie @Mdargusch It definitely seemed to get carried away especially with the protesting. Those kids couldn't wait to put everything in Gertie's face. 7y
21 likes8 comments
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Lmstraubie
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Question #8 #mgbuddyread

Smangela Nope! But that‘s okay :) 7y
Amie I agree with @Smangela . They might learn to get along and treat each other politely but probably won't be friends. 7y
Lmstraubie @Smangela @amie I feel like the author set up the ending to possibly lead into another book. If that's the case I see a "frienimies" relationship developing. 7y
20 likes3 comments
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Lmstraubie
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Question #7 #mgbuddyread

Smangela I think trying to impress someone can give you drive and motivation as long as you don‘t lose sight of yourself and being a good person in the process 7y
merelybookish I think generally people pleasing is not the best route. It suggests you are not internally motivated but doing it to gain praise, acceptance, love. 7y
Lmstraubie @Smangela @merelybookish Agreed. Self motivation is the most important factor. I think Gertie was self-motivated to a degree, but possibly for the wrong reasons. 7y
Peddler410 @Smangela @merelybookish @Lmstraubie I totally agree! If you need to act a certain way in order to be around someone, maybe that person/group isn‘t worth being around. 7y
Lmstraubie @Peddler410 Well said! 7y
19 likes5 comments
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Lmstraubie
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Question #6 #mgbuddyread

Smangela I can‘t even begin to understand this. I really cannot 😥 7y
Amie @Smangela I couldn't understand this either! I really wanted to know more about this situation. 7y
merelybookish This seemed to me the core issue of the book but like the writer chickened out to deal with it. We don't know why she left and opted for no relationship. And I felt the resolution at the end was too easy. A major missed opportunity to explore an interesting story, I think. 7y
See All 11 Comments
Smangela @amie @merelybookish I guess if anything it left the reader as clueless about it as Gertie was? 7y
Amie @Smangela @merelybookish I feel like any explanation regarding Gertie's mom would end up being too "grown up" for a kids book - like she realized she couldn't handle/didn't want to be a mother or some serious problem with Gertie's dad. 7y
Lmstraubie @Smangela @amie @merelybookish I was so disappointed this was never addressed. How does a mother live in the same town and never see her kid??? I'm disappointed this wasn't addressed. 7y
merelybookish @Lmstraubie And a small town. It seems like a scandal in a town where everyone knew each other. 7y
Lmstraubie @merelybookish Exactly! How did they not run into each other more often?!?! 7y
MrsGreen This part bothered me because I kept expecting it to happen but it never did. I thought it would be a big event in the story and I was left unfulfilled. 7y
Mdargusch I thought this part was so sad and I‘m disappointed it wasn‘t resolved. 7y
Lmstraubie @MrsGreen @Mdargusch I thought there was a big hole in that storyline. 7y
16 likes11 comments
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Lmstraubie
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Question #5 #mgbuddyread

Smangela I feel she was overreacting - perhaps normal for a child - but it‘s unfortunate to see that more adults didn‘t step in. Unless they didn‘t see it/weren‘t aware but I would think my parents would have noticed if I just stopped hanging out with one of my best friends and tried to discuss what was happening. 7y
Lmstraubie @Smangela They also went to church together. I'm glad Junior stood by her. Gertie is far from perfect, but she seems more loyal & determined. 7y
17 likes2 comments
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Lmstraubie
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Question #4 #mgbuddyread

Smangela If she would have Brainstormed with Jean I‘m sure that would have helped; however Jean really irritated me. If Gertie was doing better than her in school, it could have been a drive to try harder. Not just say “I‘m supposed to be the smartest. You shouldn‘t try to be.” Someone will always been better than us and it‘s a good lesson to learn. Plus her joining Mary Sue‘s club broke my heart. 7y
Lmstraubie @Smangela I agree. It annoyed me that she thought she was the only one allowed to be smart. They could have studied together & been a team. But I guess 5th graders don't think that way lol 7y
MrsGreen I really don‘t get why Jean didn‘t try harder. She must have been that kid that things always came easy for but all of a sudden there was someone else there showing her up. Jean had no idea how to handle that. 7y
Lmstraubie @MrsGreen She really did handle it poorly. 7y
16 likes4 comments
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Lmstraubie
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Question #3 #mgbuddyread

Smangela Not sure, I know the two boys who put a bandaid in Gertie‘s food were bullies. Gertie herself sometimes buffaloed her friends into doing things they may not have wanted to. Mary Sue was probably doing the same - unfortunately at that age a lot of kids can act “mean” or selfishly. I believe it‘s natural as their still learning right from wrong and to balance being selfish and selfless 7y
Amie I feel like she was more of a snob than a bully. 7y
Smangela @amie good point! I agree 7y
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Lmstraubie @Smangela @amie I think it was a mix of both. Her own insecurities (which we learn about at the end) lead her to have to make herself look good which sometimes comes at the expense of others. 7y
MrsGreen I definitely think she was making herself feel better at the expense of others, like @Lmstraubie said. Total snob. 7y
Mdargusch I thought this book was full of bullies and no adults to step in. Gertie was absolutely tormented. 7y
18 likes6 comments
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Lmstraubie
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Question #2 #mgbuddyread

Smangela Ms. Simms has her faults, like any person, but I love that she tried to address the bullying that Gertie was enduring. Albeit I didn‘t think the way she went about that was at all productive & could have only caused further bullying. I also really enjoyed her conversation with Gertie at the end of the story. Adults make mistakes too and she took Gertie‘s criticism and said she would make a change - that certainly makes a child feel heard! 7y
Amie @Smangela I also really liked their conversation and how she admitted her mistakes and how she just didn't realize that certain things were a really big deal to the kids. 7y
Lmstraubie @Smangela @amie I did like the way her character was developed. At first I thought she was being depicted as an uninterested adult, but then you got to see her thought process and I understood her better. 7y
See All 6 Comments
Mdargusch I thought she was really out of line when she agreed with the class that the world would be better off without any oil rigs and oil rig workers. 7y
Smangela @Mdargusch good point! I forgot about that! 7y
Lmstraubie @Mdargusch Even if she thought that I think a more responsible answer would have been to take a more neutral stance. 7y
14 likes6 comments
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Lmstraubie
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Question #1 #mgbuddyread

Smangela It‘s so hard to say, reading this as an adult, you KNOW it‘s one side of a story; however at the end when she acknowledges that she‘s jealous of Gertie it does seem like Mary Sue may have had it out for her. 7y
Lmstraubie @Smangela I don't know if the intention was there at first but I think as soon as Gertie didn't fawn all over her she got her back up. 7y
MrsGreen @Lmstraubie I agree. Once Gertie wasn‘t falling at her heels, Mary Sue got defensive. 7y
Mdargusch I don‘t think it started as intentional but I agree, the way Gertie was not willing to fall in line just infuriated Mary Sue. 7y
13 likes4 comments
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Lmstraubie
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Good morning all! It's time for the #mgbuddyread. I will be posting questions over the next hour or so. Please jump in when you can. Remember to tag anyone you are responding to when you comment. I'm looking forward to our discussion!

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Lmstraubie
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Just a reminder - the #mgbuddyread is tomorrow starting around 10:00. Questions will be posted. Join in when you can!

MrsGreen Fun! I read this over summer. 7y
Lmstraubie @MrsGreen I hope you join us for the discussion today! ☺️ 7y
50 likes2 comments
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Lmstraubie
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My first Thanksgiving meal is in the books. We all pitched in here and there, but got the job done. Although I missed being with extended family, it was nice to have my boys all to myself. Time to finish this book! #grateful #mgbuddyread

Tamra I‘ve heard good things about this one. 7y
48 likes1 comment
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Lmstraubie
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A week from today will be our #mgbuddyread of this story. Note that we'll be discussing on a Sunday instead of a Saturday this time. Join in when you can! Please repost with the hashtag to spread the word!

Smangela Almost finished! 7y
Lmstraubie @Smangela Yay! 🙆 7y
44 likes2 comments
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Lmstraubie
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Don't forget - Our #mgbuddyread discussion will be next Sunday. Have you gotten your copy yet???

JaclynW Yes! I just need to find time to read it! 7y
Lmstraubie @JaclynW 🙆🙆🙆 7y
38 likes2 comments
review
Mdargusch
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Pickpick

This is the first middle grade book I‘ve read in years and I️t was actually pretty good. Gertie is a spunky girl that wants to be the best fifth grader ever to try to entice her mother to stay in town. Of course she runs into bumps in the road and learning lessons, some touching and some very painful. I️ was a little surprised with all the bullying going on and no one stopping it in this day and age of anti-bullying. #mgbuddyread

emilyhaldi Is that Gertie in the picture too?! 😻 7y
Lcsmcat Beautiful kitty! 7y
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Mdargusch Thank you @Lcsmcat 7y
Reviewsbylola Wow she is warming up! 7y
Mdargusch She was on top of me !!! @Reviewsbylola 7y
Lmstraubie So glad you liked it. I'm looking forward to our discussion. ☺️ 7y
100 likes8 comments
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Amie
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Pickpick

Already finished this month's #mgbuddyread looking forward to our discussion at the end of the month.

merelybookish Waiting on my hold from the library! ☺️ 7y
Mdargusch I‘m 1/4 the way in and really enjoying a light book. I️ read it at night before I️ go to bed. This is my first mgbuddyread! 7y
Amie @Mdargusch glad you're joining us! Gertie is an amusing character. 7y
Lmstraubie Glad you enjoyed it! I'm looking forward to our discussion also. ☺️ 7y
37 likes4 comments
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Lmstraubie
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Hey #mgbuddyread here is our book for November. Our discussion will be on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26th. Can't wait to chat with you!

syasutake I‘m sorry I missed the October read. I‘ll try to join you all again this month! 7y
Lmstraubie @syasutake We missed you! Hope you make it this month ☺️ 7y
JaclynW I'm going to try to join. I just put the book on hold at my library. Yay! They have a book on your list! ☺ 7y
39 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Campbrarian
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Pickpick

A good wholesome book with a quirky fifth grade character. Gertie is determined to be the "best" at something in order to catch her mother's eye and get her to stay. That's not going to be easy when a new student comes to town.

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Campbrarian
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"You're so busy wanting what you haven't got that you don't properly appreciate what you do got". - Aunt Rae

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librarian365
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Current family read-aloud selection. Gertie is absolutely hilarious and we are loving every line! #chapterbooks #readaloud #debut #middlegrade

Chessa I keep trying to convince my kids to listen to this audiobook because it's our dog's name! Glad to hear it's great, I might just sneak attack them with it. 8y
librarian365 @Chessa my seven-year-old son is loving it! 8y
librarian365 @Chessa I should add that there are some tough themes here, with Gertie's mom specifically, but Beasley handles them thoughtfully and realistically. 8y
9 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Caryl
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Prepping for a Mock Newbery discussion. (Not pictured: Maybe a Fox and Garvey's Choice.)

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SHUPERBookLover
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Pickpick

Kate Beasley's Gertie is a strong-willed, modern day Anne of Green Gables. Gertie has a knack for misunderstandings. Gertie has "missions" that never seem to go quite as she plans but somehow work out. The cast of supporting characters is lovable, especially Aunt Rae. Perfect Christmas gift for your middle grade reader.

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Nafiza
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Pickpick

One of those books that make your heart squeeze and your throat thick.

☆☆☆☆

angrylilasian I loved this book! 8y
10 likes1 comment
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meichner87
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Mehso-so

In a lot of ways, this was a nuanced look at friendship and family and class. As an adult reader, I found it somewhat frustrating, though. #chapterbook #realistic fiction

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SusaninTX
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If you've got any middle grade readers in your life, check this one out. If you're a budding writer, google Beasley and read her story. I got to hear her at the Texas Book Festival this weekend and she was highly entertaining (and SO young! She and her sister are both recently published authors.)

Kimmiesuze Definitely going to check this one out! Always looking for good stuff for my seventh grader. 8y
4 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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CuriousTeeth
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Pickpick

Perfect book to read in a cabin by the lake. Perfect reading anywhere- Gertie is equal parts strong and vulnerable, you will be rooting for her from page one.

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TirzahPrice
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For #funphotofriday, here's a favorite MG book. I adored Gertie and her spunk, and the illustrations by Jillian Tamaki were just perfect.

16 likes1 stack add
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Spanish_Broom
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Pickpick

"She could almost feel herself twinkle." A character to root for. With illustrations by Jillian Tamaki that really capture the character.

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angrylilasian
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Reading slump slowed me down but I did a good job reading women and POC authors. Picking my favorite was hard though!

Now on to July!!

StephTKO What does POC mean? 8y
remarabbit Person of color 8y
Coleen @StephTKO Thanks for asking that. I always wondered too! 8y
angrylilasian @Coleen @StephTKO So many acronyms! I was surprised it wasn't on this list. http://bookriot.com/2016/01/27/crash-course-bookish-acronyms/ 8y
23 likes4 comments
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angrylilasian
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Pickpick

I loved this book! And not just because my daughter's name was almost Gertie. She does have the same determination & stubborn streak though. 😜

This is a great middle grade novel about getting back up when life (or other kids) knock you down. And how to find what makes you great.

RealLifeReading Aww cute photo! 8y
25 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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TirzahPrice
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Pickpick

Gertie is a delight. Her mission to become the best fifth grader ever is entertaining and full of mishaps, and her motivations are heart wrenching. Jillian Tamaki's illustrations bring Gertie and her greatness to life vividly.

9 likes4 stack adds
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TirzahPrice
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World, meet Gertie. She's like a cross between Ramona Quimby and Gilly Hopkins and she's 100% not-from-concentrate awesome.

k.bro I am suuuuuuper jelly! Kate is the best. 💕 8y
11 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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BringMyBooks
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Pickpick

4⭐️ for this adorable middle grade book about Gertie, a girl that is determined to be the best fifth grader in the whole wide world to show her mom she's worth staying for. Heartfelt, funny, cute, and definitely quotable. Pubs Oct 2016 🎃

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TirzahPrice
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Ridiculously excited for this beautiful MG novel written by VCFA sister Kate Beasley!