The Way to Stay in Destiny in Mock Newbery 2026

Nov 25, 2014 The Styling Librarian rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, realistic-fiction

The Way to Stay in Destiny by Augusta Scattergood - Realistic Fiction, 4th grade and up – Release Date- January 6th, 2015 – Loved this book. I cannot stop thinking about this book which has a young boy picked up by his uncle and moved to a new place completely unknown to him. He is in quite the tough situation. Many readers will identify and understand his challenges. Some students will love the baseball celebrations and connections to a town’s history. When he begins to settle at the house he f ...more

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Jan 02, 2015 Karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015-published-books, 2014-books-read, character-study, mg-chapter

Augusta Scattergood and Barbara O'Connor are my go-to authors for really capturing southern life from a child's perspective. And in this book, Scattergood takes it even one step further - she throws in the passion for music that just can't be denied within a small Southern town setting, with many eclectic characters.
Another book I loved! ...more

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Nov 02, 2014 Carol Royce Owen rated it really liked it

Theo has been uprooted from his long time home with his grandparents when they become too old and sickly to take care of him. So now he's with his Uncle Raymond, a Vietnam Veteran who seems to have a major chip on his shoulder towards Theo's family, especially his deceased mother and father. The pair have traveled to Destiny, FLA, where Uncle Raymond is taking a job, and they are staying in Miss Sister Grandersoles' Boarding House, which also serves as a dance studio. When Theo discovers that th ...more

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Dec 12, 2014 Barbara rated it liked it

Shelves: emotions, health, baseball, facing-fears, music, community, travel, dance, elderly-characters, teachers

After his grandparents give up their farm due to his grandmother's poor health, twelve-year-old Theo M. Thomas becomes the responsibility of his uncle. Although Uncle Raymond tries to do the right thing, it's clear from the start that he resents having to give up the life he's been leading in Alaska. He takes Theo to Destiny, Florida, where there's a job, but things don't seem permanent. While Theo starts making friends and embracing the musical talent he has inherited from his deceased parents ...more

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Mar 23, 2015 Teresa Garrett rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, children-s-literature, middle-grade, family-drama

Theo finds himself ripped away from the only life he has ever known with his grandparents in Kentucky. Now he is with his uncle who is not happy to be saddled with a child that reminds him of a bad period in his life. Theo now lives in a Miss Sister Grandersole's Rooming House and Dance Academy, down in hot sticky Florida. One plus is the beautiful piano in the dance studio that seems to call him to play until his uncle forbids it. His uncle has a knack for making Theo as miserable as possible n ...more

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Jun 14, 2015 Julie Williams rated it liked it

After the death of his grandparents, orphaned Theo is taken in by his Uncle Raymond. Problem is, Uncle Raymond, a Vietnam War vet holds a grudge against Theo's parents and is angry about having to take in Theo. First order of business, move to Destiny, Florida. With just a few weeks left in the school year Theo struggles to fit in, get used to living with his Uncle, and find a way to stay in Destiny. Interspersed are Theo's love of music and his ability to play the piano and a baseball mystery.

I ...more

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