growing in france

Rylan and Wilder used to be best friends. Then Wilder’s mom made a lot of money and Wilder changed schools, to a private school with other kids whose parents have money. Rylan felt left behind. Even when Wilder’s mom paid for Rylan to go to the private school too, he felt left behind. All the other kids just seemed to fit together better, and Rylan was left wondering if Wilder really was his friend.

Then the two of them were given the opportunity to spend part of the summer in France, helping to take a rundown farm and turn it into a beautiful organic farm. Every summer, Pierre takes a handful of kids has them come to the farm to learn about farming, raising goats, keeping bees, and French culture. But before Rylan gets on this plane, his mother sits him down to talk to him.

Rylan’s father left them when he was very young, but now he’s remarried and is wanting to reconnect with Rylan. He’s living in France, so this could be Rylan’s chance to meet up with him. But she makes sure that Rylan understands it’s his choice. She gives Rylan his father’s email address and lets him make the decision to write or not, to meet or not.

So Rylan has a lot on his mind when he arrives in France. Pierre seems to notice immediately that he is more serious than his friend Wilder. But Pierre has a way of shrugging off problems. Like in deciding how the eight kids there for the summer should be divided up, he leaves it to fate. Each kid grabs a leaf and then holds it high and see where it lands. From the way the leaves fall together, Wilder is grouped with the three kids from France. Rylan is in a group with Annie from Hong Kong, Lia from Switzerland, and Martin from Germany.

While Wilder and his group seem to have an instant chemistry, Rylan has to work harder to feel a camaraderie in his group. But he is the only one that the goat will allow to milk her. He finds moments with Pierre, who teaches him to let go of some of his worries. And when they set up a competition with the other team at the end of their stay, it’s Rylan who figures out how to win the trip for the team to Paris on Bastille Day. It will the perfect time for him to connect with his dad in Paris. But as they get closer to the end, and Rylan sees Wilder and his team taking all the advantages they can, will his winning plan be enough? Or once again, will Rylan be left behind?

My Not-So-Great French Escape is a sweet story that will appeal to anyone who felt left out or left behind as a kid. Rylan’s emotions as he navigates his friendship with Wilder are powerful and sharp, but his friends and Pierre help him see that there is more for him to experience in France than a bad friendship, and he finds ways to open himself to the language, the food, and the culture of France as well as to the things the other kids have to teach him.

I enjoyed My Not-So-Great French Escape a lot. It did bring up some painful memories of my own childhood (not that I got to go to France), and I wish I had met some kids as smart and as kind as Rylan did. I loved all the tidbits of interesting information in this book, from farming to cooking to beekeeping to relationships. I grew especially fond of Pierre, who has a way of letting the kids find their own way while still watching out for them. The way he is supportive of Rylan possibly meeting up with his father was particularly sensitive, and I was really moved by how he handled everything that happened.

This is a fantastic book for kids who need to understand that while they may not fit in with the crowd, there is still a place for them, even if they have to travel halfway around the world to find it.

Egalleys for My Not-So-Great French Escape were provided by Clarion Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.