Hello and happy Sunday. I’ve told you before that I like to read middle grade novels once in a while, either because they are targeted to my students’ age groups, because they’re good palate cleansers, and also because I can. So far, I’ve read two books by Jennifer L. Holm and I’ve enjoyed them lots. One of them is Full of Beans, which I finished reading yesterday. Our main character, Beans, lives in Key West during the Great Depression and tells us about his life as a ten-year-old experiencing this, which includes assuming the role of ‘man of the house’ when his dad is out looking for a job, struggling to bring money home, but doing so in an honest and legal way, and being a child. It has what every middle grade book should: a balance between humor and lightheartedness without being too dumb, and serious issues that are accessible for children to understand without making it too obvious that this was written by an adult. If you have a child in your life, they’ll probably enjoy this book.