This is a middle grade. I wanted to love this book, but I could not make myself to care about any of the characters. This book was just not for me. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Starr Creek Press) or author (Julie Mathison) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

A wonderful read that promotes self belief and self confidence. I guessed one of the twists very early on, but that may be because I’m reading it as an adult and have seen it before, the intended audience probably wouldn’t! I didn’t guess the other twist though which was a nice surprise. I think this would be a great read for KS2.

I recieved this ebook from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! All opinions are my own.

I love day dreaming and this book gave me that warm feeling of a good dream. It was that good.

This is Melanie's story. She's a shy kid who's going through a lot. She doesn't have friends, a girl from school is bullying her and her dad is kind of lost in his art. In this book we follow Melanie as she goes with her life trying to blend in. At the beginning a teacher tells her students that there'll be auditions for the play of Peter Pan, a book Melanie loves and the story is centered around it.

This was really good and lovely. Melanie was a relatable character for me cause she's always kind of day dreaming and I found the story beautiful. I read it pretty quickly and I was shocked by the ending even though I could have imagined it. I loved that it surprised me.

It's a wonderful middle grade book and I definitely recommend it.

I know I am not the targeted audience but I was really able to relate with Melanie. I know what it is like to not have a mother in your life.
I didn't see everything coming, but I was able to predict what ended up being the case with the mother.
I really enjoyed the characters and the plot. I liked how it was centered around Peter Pan.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my digital copy of this book.

As a 33 year old woman reading this book, i was hooked. I had read the synopsis but was unsure of how i would feel about it since i don't typically read Middle grade books. It was an easy read that still included concepts i could relate to at my age. The main character Melanie is quirky and marches to the beat of her own drum. It's a great story i would recommend anyone to read. No matter your age we have all dealt with being new somewhere, trying to make new friends, and dealing with people that want to make you feel bad about yourself. It's a great lessen to learn that it's okay to be yourself!

Melanie Harper is a 5th grader with a great imagination which helps her deal with the complexities of a pre-teen: belonging, bullying and being the new girl in a new school. Once an outsider, Melanie makes friends with Sabrina who encourages her to stand up for herself. Eventually, Melanie is cast as the lead in the school's production of Peter Pan which raises feelings of loss as Melanie used to read Peter Pan with her mom who has since left her.
This book, took me quite a while to read as many times I was disinterested.

This book was sad, hopeful, and sweet all rolled into one. I loved the idea of kind, thoughtful, but also shy Melanie and her 2 best friends, Sabrina and Leanne. I really enjoyed the idea of the book and reading it was like a little gift. Such an awesome book! This book is perfect for readers ages 8-11.

"You have to choose, even if there is only one option"

11 year old Melanie Harper, has recently moved to a new town. Her mom is "gone", her dad is lost in his own world and the only one who seems to notice her existence is the school bully. Melanie is vastly more comfortable conveying her thoughts to here journal than her peers, until Sabrina shows up. Sabrina gives her the confidence to share her writing with the class, audition for the school play and seek answers to what has happened to her mother.

One of the things I appreciate most about this book is that it's set in the 80s (1980). It's fun to remember what adolescence was like before Snapchat and Tiktok dances. We get to see what a deep, imaginative character Melanie is.

As a person who has often understood books more than people. Melanie is a character after my own heart. Mathison gently unfolds Melanie's story for the reader so well, that it feels as if we are discovering Melanie's truth right along side of her. It's a relatable story that deals equally well with adolescence, loss and finding confidence in one's self.

I got something for this book, it got good plot, but I didn't liked it, I got bored of it, I leaved it a lot of times because In some chapters it didn't said something important to me.
This may not be my book and it disappointed me besides that I loved the way the author wrote it because I wanted to highlight every phrase that came by.
Thanks Netgalley for made me recognize this great author

This was such a beautiful story of one young girl’s journey of overcoming and coping with loss. I loved the main character and her wonderful spirit. She has such an imagination that shines throughout the story. I felt the author wrote a very intriguing story that had me hooked from the start. I wouldn’t quite recommend this to a younger audience. I felt like it might be better understood from a slightly older audience. However, I do highly recommend this book. It’s definitely at the top of my favorites I’ve read this year.

Final Rating: 5 Stars

It's 1980, and 11-year-old Melanie is a girl who knows she's different. She doesn't fit in; she occupies herself with games like Jewelry Factory, where she sorts through broken glass to find jewels. At Buckminster Experimental School, where Melanie is a fifth grader, the only thing she can't seem to do on her own is make friends, so when she meets Sabrina - who reminds her of her favorite Charlie's Angels character of the same name - she's thrilled. Sabrina encourages Melanie to stand up against Karen, the school bully, and develop her self-confidence. She even lands the lead in the school play, Peter Pan! But Melanie has a painful secret that she's keeping: from her dad, from her grandmother, even from herself.

Believe is a look at love, loss, and how we cope. Julie Mathison creates a main character coping with a terrible void - her missing mother - and can't relate to most of the kids her age, adding to her stress. Julie Mathison skillfully places clues throughout the narrative that readers can use to put together the story within the story. With sensitive characters and a Peter Pan subplot that both ties into the bullying storyline and the overall story, Believe is a good story to give readers who like to really dig into a story.

Julie Mathison's debut novel "Believe" is lovely. I'm years past the recommended age group for this book, but that didn't matter one bit. It spoke to me quite loudly and is a book I'll read again as well as recommend to friend and family. Melanie as a protag is brilliant. The surrounding characters all well written and multi-dimensional. Well done!

My ten year old daughter thoroughly enjoyed this book and had me looking for others by the same author. I was surprised to see this was the only one available, so presumably the authors debut! For a debut novel this is outstanding, my daughter enjoyed it so much and didn’t want it to end. Following Melanie through grief and bullying, friendship and ambition, this is a beautifully told story for junior school children.

Melanie is trying desperately to fit in and make friends at her new school. She’s also desperately missing her mum who walked our a year ago & struggling with her artist dad who is lost in his own world most of the time. Her relationship with her “friends” is odd, as is her imagination and way of describing her feelings. I even began to wonder if she might be autistic.

Melanie lands the lead part in Peter Pan, a story she used to read with her mum. The parallels between the lost boys who have no mother and Melanie herself are nicely drawn. All the way through I felt that there was something not right and I almost gave up reading half way through. I’m glad I persevered as all is revealed at the end and it almost made me want to read the whole book again to spot the clues... but sadly, I didn’t enjoy it enough to do that.

This book took a lot longer to read than it should have. It has some advanced concepts that kids don’t typically know much about at the target age for this story such as people trying to fly while under the influence of drugs (specifically mentioning PCP), Hitler, the Six Day War, “white flight,” Jim Crow laws, the Ku Klux Klan, etc. Some of these were just mentions, but I read this with my grandson and he would ask, “What’s that?” I found that I needed to pause to explain parts of the story and I was glad he wasn’t reading it on his own. Don’t get me wrong, I think kids need to learn about all of these things in history; I just hadn’t planned on explaining them all at once to a ten year old.

“…his classes are full of difficult subjects, like the time we saw two lungs in glass cases, side by side, one as pink and healthy as a baby pig, the other like black lace from a lifetime of smoking. Then there was the day we learned about PCP, or Angel Dust, which makes kids not much older than me jump off bridges because they think they can fly, and rubber cement, which kills your brain cells when you stick it into a brown paper bag and sniff it.”

I didn’t love the writing. A few times I felt myself stumble over the wording and had to go back and re-read the line. It just didn’t flow smoothly for me.

The blurb claims this book is “full of humor,” but I did not find it humorous at all. It is full of loss and grief. Unfortunately for me, that is not at all what I was in the mood for and I struggled with wanting to pick the story back up. There is growth of the main character, but it was a little difficult to read her getting there. Middle grade is difficult. It’s a time when many kids are just figuring out who they are and trying to fit it. Melanie is no different. She is dealing her loss and grief the best she can while also trying to avoid the school bully. She is starting to open up to the world and tried out for the school play earning the lead role, which gives her some confidence. It was nice to see Melanie grow, but at the same time it was hard to see her go through the process.

I liked the inclusivity of the main character’s father’s best friend being in a wheelchair. He seemed to be a pretty cool, normal guy. The main character even compliments how he dances in his chair. I thought it was very well done. I wish more middle school books had similar representation of people with different abilities.

There are a couple of "twists" in the book. I expected them the entire time, but they would still be reveals for the target age group. However, about half way through the book my grandson lost interest. I ended up reading the rest on my own just to do the review. Overall, I think it was just an ok read. It may benefit some children who are going through similar situations, such as loss of a parent.

Believe is that kind of book that leaves you with a couch full of used napkins and a heart that is broken and is healing at the same time.
This story is about Melanie, amazing kid that does not believe in herself. Mel is a bullied girl that has no friends, she’s full of questions and answers, but doesn’t know which one are the answers she is looking for until the day she meets Sabrina. Sabrina is the heroine she has always admired; bold, fearless and loyal. And strangely enough, she wants to be Mel’s friend. With Sabrina’s help Melanie will begin to make new friends, open up to the people she loves and most important, to believe in herself.
I have to admit that this is not the book I was looking for but the book I needed.
The general plot has already been seen and there’s no plot twist. I understood from the beginning what was going on and how it was going to end. BUT. There’s a big but here. I loved the tenderness of the author in explaining Mel’s thoughts, her fears and most of all I loved how her character developed. I can’t even start to explain how the 30yo me at 2am was crying alone in the bed because she didn’t want this book to end.
I definitely recommend Believe to the people that still believe in magic. Not the wizard stuff. But the magic that is inside of all of us. The one that when we were kids let us dream and speak with objects just to know their story, the one that let you wake up in the morning knowing it will be a bright day, the one that let us hope.

I received an arc from NetGalley.

This book is about Melanie, also referred to as Smellanie by her school bully. She is quite a lone wolf, until she meets Sabrina and her life takes a turn.

I really liked the descriptions in the book, it really helped me envision the places and characters. The fact that the play Peter Pan really was weaved into the story qua theme and character arc and not just a side project, was also really nice to see.
The plot twists were build up quite well and some of them I didn't see them coming.
I do feel that the themes grief, loss and friendship are explored and handled very well in this book.

I do feel like it went over race issues quite swiftly. In just a few lines it was over and done for. Now it was a different time in the 80s, where this book takes place. However, if you're going to talk about racism in your book and speak out against it, which I'm all down for, either make your character learn about (in a non-forceful way) or have them already know it. I do get what this book is trying to do in terms of this topic.

All in all, Believe is a pretty quick read about acceptance, friendship and believing in yourself, so I give it a 3/5 stars.

Melanie is an incredibly loveable character. I felt immediately invested in her story. Her imagination is wild and lovely. The way she explains relationships and intentions is really clever and moving, too.

Melanie’s imagination lands her the lead role in the school’s performance of PETER PAN. It helps her deal with the bullying of a fellow classmate and find the courage to make a new friend.

She describes and observes a lot of relationships in BELIEVE, too. From watching her dad interact with his friends, to navigating her own complicated relationship with her grandmother, she relates those exchanges with flair.

Fans of THE OTHER BETTER ME by Antony Jon or NOT IF I CAN HELP IT by Carolyn Mackler will definitely want this book in their libraries.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Melanie is trying to come to terms with her mother's disappearance, she auditions for the school play Peter Pan as her mother used to read the story to her when she was young. This brings about feelings she has been trying to hide from for a year. During all of this she is also being bullied at school.

Whilst i enjoyed the story and really rooted for Melanie and the friendship she was forging with Leanne. I did have issues though with some of the language choices and imagery, it was weird in a couple of places and it really brought you out of the story expecially. There were also a couple of references that i understood as a 40 year old woman but a Middle Grader/Primary Schooler would not, example, who Ma and Pa Ingles are. There were also alot of references to things science doesn't understand, as this is only 134 pages there were at least 5 references like this. I really feel the edit could have been stronger.

These instances really detracted from a really good story. I understand this is a debut novel and I would read others by Mathison as the premise of the story is solid.

Thank you to NetGalley and Starr Creek Press for the copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Full of humor and wonder, BELIEVE explores the power and limits of the imagination – and how love both breaks and heals our hearts.
Eleven-year-old Melanie knows she is special and had never been bored. She understands the secret language of old houses and makes jewels out of broken glass. Her imagination can do anything -- except make friends. It is 1980, and life as a fifth grader at Buckminster Experimental School is lonely at best, when she is not dodging Karen, the school bully. Then, Melanie meets Sabrina, who looks like a TV star and acts like a spy, and who does not care what anyone thinks. She teaches Melanie how to believe in herself, and soon Melanie starts living her dreams. She even lands the lead in Peter Pan!
If only she could share it all with Mom. Missing her mom is like trying to breathe with one lung. It is bad. Sabrina thinks they can track her down, and Melanie wants to believe, but sometimes it is easier to pretend. Her new life feels like a house of cards, until one day it all comes crashing down and she finds herself with no choice but to face the truth… and let go.
An incredible teen story so wonderfully written, with a unique plot line following the everyday struggles of young girl. This book tackles mental health in a way that young children can access. The ending was a refreshing surprise, satisfying but not stereotypical.

This quirky, heartfelt middle-grade novel about grief and the resilience of the human spirit will keep you guessing until the very last chapter.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to obtain a an advance copy of this book to give an honest review.
BELIEVE

By Julia Matheson


Description:
Full of humor and wonder, BELIEVE explores the power and limits of the imagination – and how love both breaks and heals our hearts.
Eleven-year-old Melanie knows she is special and had never been bored. She understands the secret language of old houses and makes jewels out of broken glass. Her imagination can do anything -- except make friends. It is 1980, and life as a fifth grader at Buckminster Experimental School is lonely at best, when she is not dodging Karen, the school bully. Then, Melanie meets Sabrina, who looks like a TV star and acts like a spy, and who does not care what anyone thinks. She teaches Melanie how to believe in herself, and soon Melanie starts living her dreams. She even lands the lead in Peter Pan!
If only she could share it all with Mom. Missing her mom is like trying to breathe with one lung. It is bad. Sabrina thinks they can track her down, and Melanie wants to believe, but sometimes it is easier to pretend. Her new life feels like a house of cards, until one day it all comes crashing down and she finds herself with no choice but to face the truth… and let go.
An incredible teen story so wonderfully written, with a unique plot line following the everyday struggles of young girl. This book tackles mental health in a way that young children can access. The ending was a refreshing surprise, satisfying but not stereotypical.

This quirky, heartfelt middle-grade novel about grief and the resilience of the human spirit will keep you guessing until the very last chapter.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to obtain a an advance copy of this book to give an honest review.