Life Is Like a Fountain, the third installment in Dr. S. K. Grunin’s Life Lessons and Tales of Little Misfit series, is a warm and lively middle-grade memoir-style story that follows Ivy Sue Klutz, better known as Little MisFit, through the ups and downs of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. The book blends personal storytelling, gentle humor, and clear life lessons as Ivy navigates new classrooms, shifting friendships, family moments on the farm, city adventures, and the kind of inner changes that come with growing up. Grunin frames the whole journey around a simple but effective idea: life is like a fountain with high arcs and sudden drops, and you learn to move with both.

Some of the moments are sweet, some are chaotic, and a few are downright painful, but the writing keeps everything light enough for young readers while still feeling honest. I liked that Grunin allowed Ivy to be imperfect. She gets jealous. She pushes boundaries. She gets hurt a lot. But she also pays attention to the world, whether she’s discovering biographies of Galileo and Madame Curie, exploring Chicago for the first time, or learning how disappointment can turn into confidence if you give it time. Those scenes from the farm mixed with the scenes of the city create a nice balance, almost like stepping between two different seasons in the same life.

I also appreciated the author’s choice to keep the lessons clear without making them heavy. The book’s genre sits somewhere between children’s fiction and inspirational coming-of-age, and it uses that space well. Ivy’s story isn’t polished into something unreal. She struggles with changing friendships, tough teachers, her own temper, and even major national events, like learning about President Kennedy’s assassination in class. There were times when the writing made me smile, especially during her mischievous moments, and other times when I felt that familiar pinch of remembering what it was like to be twelve and trying hard to seem brave.

Life Is Like a Fountain invites adults to read alongside kids, to share stories, and to talk about the things that shape us. I’d recommend this book most to young readers in upper elementary or middle school, as well as parents, grandparents, teachers, and mentors who want something heartfelt to read together. If you enjoy character-driven coming-of-age stories with gentle guidance woven in, Book 3 of the Little MisFit series is an easy and uplifting choice.

Pages: 81 : ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DVC469KW