The Battle of Junk Mountain

• The Battle of Junk Mountain by Lauren Abbey Greenberg on Amazon

Most Americans know something about some of the battles of the Civil War or War Between the States. Hoarding material possessions has become quite a concern for quite a few people—dramatically showcased with a Hoarders TV show that profiles individuals caught up in compulsive excessive collecting that has overtaken their existence and become their lifestyle. Not all that far afield of concerns about collecting and hoarding, sites with counsel about de-cluttering and organizing have proliferated over the inter webs over the past couple of years.

Wonderfully crafted as a first-person narrative, middle school "summer beach read," The Battle of Junk Mountain conveys serious concern regarding central character 12-year old Shayne's Grandma Bea's addiction to acquiring and saving mostly useless junk, yet brings a redemptive resolution by book's end. Lauren Abbey Greenberg's prose evokes the down Maine fishing town in summer perfection, completely understands how relationships begin, evolve, sometimes end, on occasion happen again. In addition to Shayne and her grandma Bea, featured characters include Civil War buff Linc, Linc's grandpa Cranky, and Shayne's near-lifelong summer BFF Poppy.

William Faulkner insists the past never is past, but keeps overtaking us minute by minute; our historical experiences and memories never stop influencing our daily lives. Grandma Bea well may always have enjoyed picking up and saving cute items and castaway stuff that could become useful someday, but apparently the accidental death at sea of her lobsterman spouse propelled her into doing whatever she could to hang onto whatever remotely reminded her of him. In a reverse manner, son of a Civil War buff (who not surprisingly named his son Lincoln), Linc enjoyed engaging in the pastime of wearing Blue and Grey and reenacting battles, placing himself in past times.

Despite the friendship between Poppy and Shayne fracturing and essentially ending, by summer's end it rebounds but admittedly never will be the same. Nevertheless, Shayne acknowledges value in appreciating and treasuring (hoarding?) the best memories of the long decade the girls have known each other. As Grandma Bea fights her Battle of Junk Mountain, Bea, her daughter, and granddaughter all learn it's more than okay to keep some physical treasures and artifacts as "keepsakes" – hanging onto the good, letting go of what wasn't.

As someone who has spent a lot of time alongside the Atlantic coast, I particularly love the book's colorfully coastal, nautical setting! Characters, events, and geography could combine effectively into a movie for viewers of almost all ages; I'd round my five stars up to six if I could.

• My Amazon review: friendships, families, and battles