Review | Elsie Mae Has Something to Say by Nancy J. Cavanaugh

“Now that I had experience being a hero, as good as it felt, it didn’t seem all that important to be one anymore.”

Book Synopsis:

Elsie Mae has long treasured summers with her grandparents in the Okefenokee Swamp, so she is devastated to hear that a shipping company plans to build a canal right through it. What will that mean for the people and animals that call the swamp home?

So she writes a letter directly to President Franklin Roosevelt himself and sets off to enjoy what may be her last happy summer there with her new dog, Huck. But when she arrives, she discovers a team of hog bandits who have been stealing from the swamper families.

When her cousin Henry James, who dreams of one day becoming a traveling preacher like his daddy, shows up, Elsie doesn’t think things could get worse. But she devises a plan to use Henry and his “Hallelujahs” to help stop the thieves—and maybe just make enough noise to gain Roosevelt’s attention…

Edition: Hardcover

Publishing Date: September 5, 2017

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Historical Fiction

ISBN: 1492640220 (ISBN13: 9781492640226)

Goodreads Rating: 3.92

My Rating: 4.20

★★★★☆

WooOOAaaAHHhh!!!!

I have been amazed by this book.

First of all, the theme and the moral of this book is my favorite thing here. It’s mostly about being yourself and fitting in, in a world that pushes you to do otherwise. It’s about finding yourself, finding a place (or a person) to call home, hope and friendship.

The plot may not be for me but I have to commend it because it is very unique, which also makes it very intriguing. It would be a very good read for middle grade readers, and as well as for people who are looking for a young, easy, unique read.

The character depth and the character development are uh-mai-zing. You can see just how Elsie Mae’s view and perspective of everything changed from the very first page. This made reading the last few chapters a bit nostalgic feeling. I fell in love with so many characters.

For example: Henry and Huch <33. How do you not love these two wonderful souls?

I have to keep saying unique because that is what this is. It just really is so very unique.

This book is something that I needed in my life and I definitely recommend to every teenager out there in the world who could possibly be reading this, because this may not be for teenagers but it just possesses a story that everyone needs to have read at least once in their life.