June 15, 2022
While forging their own identities, brother and sister twins uncover family secrets. With names that are nods to country music icons, twins Loretta and Waylon will be starting middle school in the fall and for the first time attending separate classes. They both have plans for the summer: Movie enthusiast Loretta, perpetual protector of her smaller-sized brother, plans to toughen him up; survival-story fan Waylon wants to prove he can defend himself. The siblings narrate in alternating chapters, addressing readers directly at times, and their stories blend when they stumble upon a clearing in the woods that they name the Circle of Stones. After meeting home-schooled Louie, whose mother is deemed "crazy" by the locals, Loretta and Waylon reference Indigenous coming-of-age ceremonies and include Louie in a series of their own rituals. These are meant to honor Forest Spirits, their name for what they believe are the spirits of unspecified people who explored these woods long ago. These invented ceremonies, along with mentions of such cultural elements as dream catchers, wigwams, and counting coup, recur in the narrative in ways that evoke exoticizing stereotypes of Native peoples. While conducting these rituals, Loretta and Waylon discover family connections and begin to understand the mental health issues that trouble Louie's mother. Additional storylines involving school bullies and first crushes converge in a trite conclusion. Main characters read as White. Explores changes that come with the transition to middle school but is marred by stereotyping. (Fiction. 8-12)
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July 18, 2022
Twins Loretta and Waylon have always been inseparable at school, but as the siblings enter seventh grade, they’ll be forced for the first time to spend their classes apart. To prepare, each makes a goal for the summer: stalwart Loretta, always ready to protect her “smaller, weaker” brother, wants to toughen Waylon up. Waylon, meanwhile, wants to prove that he no longer needs Loretta’s protection. The twins take their training to the woods and soon meet homeschooled new-kid-in-town Louie, inviting him to partake in their forest adventures. Together, the trio discovers a long-buried box with a note daring them to “find and conquer your own rite of passage.” Through arguments and shared humor, Loretta and Waylon each discover the upside of embracing independence while affirming their bond. The children’s attempts to appease “Forest Spirits” by performing invented rituals, several of which borrow from various Indigenous peoples’ traditions, lack cultural context and read as appropriative. Buyea (What Comes Next) uses the twins’ heartfelt alternating perspectives, which include asides occasionally addressing the reader directly, to thoughtfully explore change, transition, and complicated familial histories. Ages 8–12. Agent: Paul Fedorko, Trident Media Group.
Starred review from September 1, 2022
Gr 3-7-Fraternal twins Loretta and Waylon have a summer of hard work ahead of them as they prepare for middle school separately in the fall. Loretta is on a mission to make sure that Waylon is going to be strong enough to defend himself from bullies, and Waylon, described as small for his age with a long ponytail, just wants to show her that he already is. Their adventures take them into the woods near their home where they meet Louis, a bigger kid with a heart of gold. Much about Louis remains a mystery but it becomes evident that they all have something to prove to somebody-whether that's misunderstood parents, schoolyard bullies, first crushes, or even just themselves. Buyea's latest is a summer adventure that bravely tackles self-confidence, loss, and depression with the care these topics deserve. VERDICT An engaging, fun-filled title with heart, recommended for fans of realistic fiction.-Sarah Voels
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