Little Wonders

January 15, 2020
Two mothers struggle with the hypercompetitive world of their children's elite New England preschool. Quinn Barrett just wants everything to be perfect--her house, her job, her marriage, and, most importantly, her son's preschool. That's why she's the Parent Association president, aka the person who gets everything done. But when her son refuses to wear his (homemade, of course) costume in the school Halloween parade, Quinn has an adult-size tantrum--and, unfortunately, it's caught on video. Now Quinn is known as "Halloween Mom" on the internet and in the preschool halls. Daisy McGulch Stone, who just moved to town with her husband and daughter, was the one who took the video. She didn't mean for it to go viral and ruin Quinn's perfect image, but she can't tell anyone that now. As a blue-haired, tattooed, D&D-loving geek, she already doesn't fit in, and she doesn't want everyone to know she's the reason their school is in the headlines; all she did was send the video to her best friend in California, who passed it along. However, Quinn and Daisy have more in common than they think, and they form an unlikely friendship that makes both of them feel more at home in their homogeneous surroundings. But as Quinn's life keeps blowing up and Daisy attempts to be herself, both women must figure out how to make the best of circumstances they never expected. Rorick (The Baby Plan, 2018), who is also a television writer and producer, includes plenty of nerdy pop-culture references, and her chatty, slightly snarky voice makes the pages fly by. Daisy's and Quinn's struggles to fit into their roles as mothers while following their career dreams are relatable and often hilarious. Refreshingly, Rorick resists the catty mom dynamic and makes even the meanest moms appear both sympathetic and human. A funny, highly readable look at modern mom culture and the dangers of parenting in the age of viral videos.

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Starred review from January 1, 2020
Perfection is Quinn Barrett's thing. As the president of the Little Wonders Parents Association, she's the queen bee of preschool, and everyone must fall into place. But that's not how preschoolers work, and when Quinn's son refuses to put on his Pinterest-perfect Halloween costume, she loses her cool?and it's caught on a video that goes viral. Her new notoriety forces her to reevaluate her choices and question whether it's better to be perfect or happy. Meanwhile, the unwitting videographer, Daisy McGulch, has problems of her own. She's unhappy in the suburbs of Boston where her unique personal style makes her stand out. Daisy's sister-in-law, Shanna, has taken the reins of the Parents Association and is forcing Daisy to do the grunt work. A chance encounter between Quinn and Daisy leads to an unexpected friendship, and the opportunity for both women to redeem?and reinvent?themselves as something other than mom. Rorick combines clever satire of modern parenting with relatable characters and a lively, over-the-top plot that is still completely plausible. Little Wonders reminds readers that there's more to people than what we see?and there's always room for improvement. Fans of Laurie Gelman and Sophie Kinsella will devour this delightful tale of hypercompetitive parenting gone awry.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)