Lolo Weaver Swims Upstream by Polly Farquhar

Abstract

Reviewed by: Lolo Weaver Swims Upstream by Polly Farquhar Ally Byerly Farquhar, Polly Lolo Weaver Swims Upstream. Holiday House, 2023 [240p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780823452095 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780823455195 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-6 Lolo Weaver’s life is divided into befores and afters. Before Papa died, before their town’s namesake lake was drained, before her grieving grandmother gave away their foster dog, Hank. After Lolo tried to help and ended up making everything worse. Now, Lolo is stuck in summer school contending with her teacher, the pompous Mrs. Cryer, and ruminating on the many ways she falls short of others’ expectations. Lolo resolves to make a bold move to return things to how they were before, starting with getting Hank back. She takes off across the remains of the lake in Papa’s old canoe to reclaim Hank from his new foster family. What she doesn’t count on is her summer school classmate, Noah Pham, being Hank’s new [End Page 219] owner and reluctant to let him go. Farquhar has crafted a fast-paced and engaging middle grade novel with a protagonist who all but leaps off the page. Lolo is gutsy and sharp, and young readers will relish the wry way she calls out the transparent platitudes adults offer young people. Yet for all of her canny observations about human nature, Lolo often draws flawed or incomplete conclusions about the feelings and needs of those around her. This recurring theme elevates the well-worn territory of novels about young people and their dogs to an affecting portrait of a young person navigating not only grief and change but the limits of her own empathy. Recommend this to any young person looking for an engaging summer read, particularly fans of Rebecca Stead and Kate DiCamillo. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois