The Retake

October 1, 2020

Gr 4-6-A charming tale for anyone who has ever wished they could turn back time. The first day of seventh grade does not go exactly how Zoe thought it would. While Zoe was touring civil war battlegrounds over summer break, her best friend Laura was moving on to boys, theater, and popular girls. Laura's Instagram is now filled with photos of summer fun and first day of school preparations with her new friends. Zoe's first day, on the other hand, is a nightmare. It's a series of mishaps Zoe wishes she could undo, which includes forgetting her class schedule, having her phone taken by the principal, spilling her lunch in the cafeteria, and finding a stain on her white jeans. When her confiscated phone is returned to her by a mysterious secretary, she finds a new app installed on her phone. The app, "Retake," turns out to be exactly what she needs-to retake the moments leading up to the end of her friendship with Laura and fix it. Calonita adds a pinch of magic as she writes about the relatable middle school experiences of friendship, growing up, and finding yourself. Readers will be immediately engaged by the character of Zoe and her experiences struggling through middle school while learning how to find her own happiness. VERDICT A classic turn-back-time tale for the Instagram generation, readers won't want to stop "scrolling" through the pages.-Julie Jesernik, Warrenville P.L., IL

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October 1, 2020
When a mysterious app appears on her cellphone, seventh grader Zoe gets the chance to redo past experiences with the hope of fixing a friendship that has fallen apart. Zoe and Laura were best friends for years. They participated in a STEM club, Future City, together, and their families are close. Lately however, Laura seems more interested in hanging out with the girls she met doing a school theater production, whom Zoe thinks of as drama queens. These girls care about boys and fashion, and now Laura doesn't want to attend Future City anymore because her new friends think it's too nerdy. Zoe is determined to repair this friendship and return to BFF status. Using the phone app, which turns out to be magical, Zoe selects photos from recent memories and is sent back to relive each moment. From a sleepover to a field trip, she gets second chances, but no matter what she tries, disastrous results ensue. The theme of friendships drifting apart as interests change will be relatable for many readers, but the story's direct, repetitive writing and one-dimensional characters bog down the pace. For the most part, the drama queens follow popular, mean-girl clich�s. While the idea of the time-traveling app is fun, it's not enough to set this story apart from other tales of friendship drama. Main characters are assumed White. Could have used a retake. (Fiction. 8-12)

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November 1, 2020
Grades 5-7 Zoe is about to start seventh grade without the support of Laura, her best friend since kindergarten, who has been drifting away for some months. Zoe's distressed, wondering what she did wrong and whether their friendship is over. Following a disastrous first day of school, she discovers that a mysterious new app on her phone allows her to go back in time, change her words and actions, and return to the present. The temptation to fix her relationship with Laura is irresistible, but the results are unpredictable. After some painful learning experiences, she emerges with the freedom to make her own choices, several supportive friends with similar interests, and an entire wall of supportive comments posted in the girls' bathroom. While the notion of traveling back in time to repair the present isn't new to middle-grade fiction, many readers will empathize with Zoe's determination to succeed and her mishaps along the way, while sharing her confusion over the overlapping, conflicting memories that she has created. An enjoyable first-person narrative with convincing characters and a fitting conclusion.

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