Once for Yes
Allie Millington
Feiwel & Friends
Published March 25, 2025
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
About Once for Yes
The Odenburgh, an old apartment building made of brick and blunt opinions, is the last of its kind in a swiftly changing neighborhood. After years of putting up with people and their many problems, the Odenburgh knows there’s no point in getting attached. They all just leave eventually. A truth that comes all too soon when the building is sold and slated for demolition, giving tenants a month to move out.
No one is more troubled by the news than eleven-year-old Prue, who refuses to leave her family’s apartment. Not when it was the last place she lived with her sister Lina, before she lost Lina forever. When Prue launches a plan to save their home, the Odenburgh joins in—flickering lights, jamming elevators, triggering fire alarms—all to try and bring a building full of bickering residents together. In the process, Prue meets Lewis, an eccentric boy who lives across the street—and the only one who can help her discover the missing elements of her sister’s story.
My Review
I love that the apartment building is such an important character in this book. The Odenburgh is a bit grizzled and feisty, but it obviously cares about the tenants, no matter how quirky they are. The story is mostly told from the Odenburgh and Prue’s perspectives, but a few other characters narrate random scenes here and there, including Lewis, the boy from across the street.
Prue’s family still grieves her sister’s death, though they have all been grieving privately. As Prue approaches her twelfth birthday, she feels everything is wrong. After she turns twelve, her sister Lina will never again be older than Prue is. At times, Prue’s grief is palpable. Her commitment to the talk show game that she used to play with her sisters is funny and heartbreaking. I love that she continues to narrate certain events, like her mother’s emotional changes, as parts of the show.
At the beginning of the book, Prue thinks she is the only one grieving. Through her connection with the Odenburgh and their attempts to save the building, Prue learns that many of her neighbors nurse secret hurts and losses, too. As they begin stepping outside their apartments and sharing memories with one another, Prue stops feeling so alone. I loved that transition in the story, when Prue and some of her neighbors start to see their grief reflected in each other’s experiences. It helped them see past the squabbles they had and work together to try to save the building they love.
I’m definitely a fan of stories that make space for grief, since I don’t think we do enough of that in real life. I’m also a huge fan of stories that explore building community– another thing we often lack. This book offers both, and though it’s got some moments that will have readers reaching for tissues, it’s also got some that leave us cheering for Prue and her neighbors.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
Reference to a crush between two twelve-year-old characters.
Spiritual Content
Prue believes the Odenburgh’s flickering lights are a sign that Lina is there with her. The Odenburgh is a character in the story and can communicate through flickering lights, shutting off power, water, and air conditioning, etc.
Violent Content
Death of a sibling (before the story begins). References to a drunk driver killing a young pedestrian.
Drug Content
See Violent Content.
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Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday
I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.
