Friendship, heartbreak, and defining what family means are rarely as sensitively, beautifully portrayed in middle-grade fiction. Shaunta Grimes is an extraordinary new talent. 

Gideon hates the idea of moving to Nevada from the East Coast. It’s so empty and hot in his new neighborhood. Only one person his age lives nearby: the girl next door, Roona.

Gid notices right away that Roona is . . . different. She wears roller skates and a blanket as a cape when she needs to feel strong. What he doesn’t bargain for, however, is how far outside his comfort zone Roona will take him as she enlists his help in finding her long-gone father. For a kid who’s not allowed to ride his bike more than a few blocks from home, this will be an adventure of a lifetime.

Here’s what the Astonishing Zoe said about “Astonishing Maybe”…

A Quick Recap:

The Astonishing Maybe is a book about a boy named Gideon who is moving to Nevada from the East Coast. Gideon isn’t happy about moving there until he meets Roona Mulroney. He notices that Roona is…different. She basically wears a blanket tied around her neck as if it were a cape. She also wears rainbow socks with a red swimsuit with a purple stripe on both sides. She also wears blue and yellow roller skates. She feels lonely a lot, so when she needs to feel strong she wears these things, skates, and stares at the road. Gideon doesn’t know what to think of her yet but he goes over to her pool for the first time and they learn more about each other.

Zoe’s Thoughts:

I give this book a very good rating because of all the thrilling parts. All the other books I’ve read have had obvious plot twists. This book has so many surprises!  When I began to read it, I thought this would be a plain old silly book with obvious plot twists; for example, like the nice person turns out to be the bad person. I also enjoyed reading this book because it was told in the first person instead of third person. This book turned out to be way better than I had expected! I don’t want to give away any spoilers but if you’re looking for suspense, acts of courage and imagination this is the Hi book for you! Enjoy!

Shaunta Grimes has worked as a substitute teacher, a newspaper reporter, a drug court counselor, and a vintage-clothing seller. Before writing for children, she published two science-fiction novels, Viral Nation and Rebel Nation. She lives in Reno with her family, where she writes, teaches, and perpetually studies at the University of Nevada. The Astonishing Maybe marks her middle-grade debut.

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