Overview

Look Both Ways meets Seedfolks in this masterful novel from two titans of kid lit that follows a diverse cast of young people whose lives intersect in surprising and hilarious ways over the course of a summer day. Here’s what’s so cool about the beach. Kids are everywhere! Kids you know, kids you want to know. Wandering from one blanket to another, from one family to another. Somebody’s mom reads a fat summer novel. Somebody’s dad snores with an iPad on his chest. Babies cry. Girls laugh. Frisbee players whoop! Kites in the perfect blue sky.   Some kids bodysurf. Some don’t even like the water. They build sand cities for their friends and sand jails for the grown-ups, and when the tide comes in everything gets washed away.  There’s the other world, where all kids hear is tomorrow, next week, next year. And then there’s the beach, where everything is right now!  Why can’t every day be a day at the beach From two-time Newbery honoree Gary D. Schmidt and two-time PEN Award winner Ron Koertge comes a moving and often laugh-out-loud funny middle grade novel about family, friendship, and belonging, told by a group of kids spending a day at the beach. Thoughtful vignettes brilliantly weave together an irresistible tale of tween conflict and connections.

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9780063380929

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Reviews

Most Anticipated Middle Grade Reads of 2025 -- School Library Journal ""A sandy slice-of-life treat, rich in feeling and insight."" -- Kirkus Reviews ""The array of stories asks the reader to laugh, worry, and love while also providing a realized community that invites them in. Heart-wrenching and robust."" -- Booklist ""This multi-viewpoint narrative highlighting tween interactions among family and friends will be enjoyed by many readers."" -- School Library Journal

"(The Labors of Hercules Beal, Schmidt) ""At once an epic journey toward self-discovery and a wonderfully entertaining yarn."" -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) (The Labors of Hercules Beal, Schmidt) ""Sharp and funny . . . this essential purchase will spark interest in classical mythology and encourage readers to reach out to -others in times of stress."" -- School Library Journal (starred review) (The Labors of Hercules Beal, Schmidt) ""This memorable novel offers emotional honesty, wit, and a hard-won, heartening perspective."" -- Booklist (starred review) (The Labors of Hercules Beal, Schmidt) ""Schmidt employs his signature narrative style, balancing scenes of humor and affecting gravity through Hercules's droll narration. A moving hero's journey."" -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) (Just Like That, Schmidt) ""An unforgettable story of loss, healing, and finding one's way."" -- Booklist (starred review) (Boy Girl Boy, Koertge) ""Koertge returns with memorable, likable characters, spot-on dialogue that is both humorous and insightful, and a subtle exploration of prejudices and issues that will resonate with teens . . . A perceptive book about friendship and the struggle for individual identity . . . Buy several copies."" -- Booklist (starred review) (Stoner & Spaz, Koertge) ""Funny, touching, and surprising, it is a hopeful yet realistic view of things as they are and as they could be. Few authors write better dialogue than Koertge, and he is at his best in this short, fast-moving novel."" -- Booklist (starred review)"

Author Information

Gary D. Schmidt is the bestselling author of Just Like That; National Book Award finalist Okay for Now; Pay Attention, Carter Jones; Orbiting Jupiter; the Newbery Honor and Printz Honor Book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy; and the Newbery Honor Book The Wednesday Wars. He lives in rural Michigan.

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