The Things We Miss

by Leah Stecher (Author)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

"Magical and heartbreaking! You will read this book in one gulp." - Jennifer L. Holm, New York Times-bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish

When You Reach Me meets Starfish in this heartfelt contemporary middle grade about a misfit girl who finds a way to skip all of the hard parts of life.

J.P. Green has always felt out of step. She doesn't wear the right clothes, she doesn't say the right things, and her body...well, she'd rather not talk about it. And seventh grade is shaping up to be the worst year yet.

So when J.P. discovers a mysterious door in her neighbor's treehouse, she doesn't hesitate before walking through. The door sends her three days forward in time. Suddenly, J.P. can skip all the worst parts of seventh grade: Fitness tests in P.E., oral book reports, awkward conversations with her mom...she can avoid them all and no one even knows she was gone.

But can you live a life without any of the bad parts? Are there experiences out there that you can't miss? This moving middle grade novel about mental health, body acceptance, and self-confidence asks what it truly means to show up for the people you love-and for yourself.

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Gr 5 Up--Stecher's debut novel is about the joys and struggles of dealing with middle school and growing up. J.P. is not looking forward to the start of seventh grade, but gets news from her best friend, Kevin, that their favorite show Admiral K is getting a movie. After her first day, she goes to her neighbor's treehouse wishing to skip all of her middle school woes when suddenly a golden doorknob appears on the wall. Curious, she opens the newly formed door and steps through, finding herself three days in the future, remembering nothing that happened over those days. With this new magical way out, J.P. starts using the door as an escape more and more as the bullying increases and her grandfather's cancer returns, missing the bad parts of her life, but the good moments as well. Stecher's story is one of learning from mistakes and being present, with a twist of magic. The relationships between J.P. and Kevin, and between J.P. and her mom, are believable, and will resonate with young readers. Stecher doesn't shy away from tough conversations and deep topics in this imaginative debut. VERDICT A powerful story about self-acceptance and showing up for life that should be put in the hands of all middle school readers.--Kylie Woodmansee

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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Stecher's speculative, heartrending debut eloquently portrays the joys and sorrows of being in seventh grade--and the importance of remaining present. Though Joan Phyllis "J.P." Green's first day of school is riddled with bullying based in anti-fat bias from classmates, the news that her favorite sci-fi show, Admiral K, is getting a movie brightens her dismal mood. Following a flippant wish to skip the awfulness of middle school, a new doorknob magically appears in her tree house. Passing through the door drops her consciousness into her own body, three days in the future--while she was physically present through the intervening time, she carries no memory of the events that occurred therein. With the help of her best friend Kevin Takagi, J.P. cautiously experiments with the door. But as the bullying escalates and her beloved Pop Pop begins chemotherapy treatments for cancer, her time-skips become an "escape hatch" from life's unpleasantness--and all the good parts in between. Stecher doesn't hold back, utilizing tear-jerking prose to portray devastating events throughout J.P.'s life, the harsh consequences that skipping them reaps, and the catharsis that facing her fears affords. J.P. and her family are Jewish and read as white; Kevin is Japanese American. Ages 9-12. Agent: Sam Farkas, Jill Grinberg Literary. (May)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Magical and heartbreaking! You will read this book in one gulp. —Jennifer L. Holm, New York Times-bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish

THE THINGS WE MISS is a remarkable book. It has big questions, hard truths, and powerful magic...and it's also a great story. It is a book that will make you think, a book that will make you feel, a book that will make you cheer, a book that will make you cry, a book that will keep you turning the pages. Do not miss THE THINGS WE MISS. —Dan Gemeinhart, New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Children and The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

 

This book is both heartbreaking and magical. I couldn't put it down; I had to know the characters I grew to love would be okay. —Stacy McAnulty, author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl and Forever Twelve.

 

Balancing deeply authentic day-to-day moments with an element of unexpected magic, Leah Stecher offers a thoughtful meditation on how we must choose to live fully in a difficult world, even when it hurts us. This is a book about how friendship binds us to ourselves and reality, and why we fight for it. —Laurel Snyder, author of Orphan Island and My Jasper June

 

An emotionally resonant story that deftly blends fantasy and reality. Readers will see themselves in the smart, likable protagonist as she learns to embrace all experiences, even the most challenging. —Barbara Dee, author of Maybe He Just Likes You and Unstuck

 

A poignant excavation of grief, love, and the messy complications of friendship. No one should miss this gem of a book. —Megan E. Freeman, author of Alone

 

An achingly relatable blend of inexplicable magic and the all-too-real heartbreaks of the everyday world. Complex characters, an engaging storyline, and an authentic dive into the tragedies and triumphs of middle school and family life make this one a must-read. —Monica Roe, author of Air

 

An enchanting, heartbreaking, and magical look at how the choices we make impact not just how we live, but who we are. —Chris Baron, author of The Magical Imperfect and All of Me

 

Stecher's magical debut is a reminder to be present, even when life's challenges seem insurmountable. A stunning middle grade novel with memorable characters who take readers on a journey to self love, acceptance, and healing. I loved everything about this story! —María José Fitzgerald, author of Turtles of the Midnight Moon

 

Bitter and sweet are two sides of the same coin, and Leah Stecher's beautiful novel shows us how we can't have one without the other. The Things We Miss is deftly written, full of humor and heartache and so, so much heart. I simply loved it. —Tziporah Cohen, author of No Vacancy

 

This thoughtful, heart-wrenching speculative novel is a poignant reminder that life has 'lots of uphills so you can enjoy the downhills afterwards'. —Shelf Awareness, starred review

 

At once a bit Dumplin' and a bit Starfish . . . this heartfelt novel cuts deeply. —Booklist

 

A heartwarming (and heartbreaking) story you won't want to skip through. —BCCB

 

In the resonant novel The Things We Miss, a girl learns that running away doesn't solve problems, and that being present is an act of love. —Foreword Reviews

 

Leah Stecher

Leah Stecher was born and raised in Southern California and currently lives in coastal Maine. By day, she edits policy papers for an environmental nonprofit; by night, she writes middle grade fiction. She has strong opinions on tea blends, chocolate chip cookie recipes, and action movies.
@leahstecher

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781547613021
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publication date
May 07, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV039240 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Depression & Mental Illness
JUV064000 - Juvenile Fiction | Time Travel
Library of Congress categories
Time travel
Self-confidence
Schools
Middle schools
Mental health
Bullying in schools
Tree houses
Self-confidence in adolescence
Body image
Time-travel fiction
Bullies and bullying
Portals
Body image in adolescence

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