Middle Grade Monday: The Moon without Stars by Chanel Miller

Image: Penguin Random House

 

The Moon without Stars by Chanel Miller. 256 p. Philomel Books/ Penguin Young Readers, January, 2026. 9780593624555. Review of finished book borrowed from pubic library. 

Seventh grader Luna is well aware of her outsider status. She might be even comfortable with it. After all, she has her bff, Scott to walk to school and sit with at lunch. They sit under a tree, where Luna observes the interactions of the "popular crowd" with some fascination. 

After she read all the books that she was given by the family of a girl in town who had died, Luna wonders what to do with them. She decides to give them away, but carefully. She becomes a "book doctor," prescribing books for her classmates - a middle school "right book at the right time for the right reader," if you will. Soon, she finds herself in demand for these books and she wonders how she can help more people. So she creates a zine and Scott illustrates it. 

The zine takes off and eventually, Luna catches the eye of the popular crowd. At first, she splits her time between them and Scott, but eventually ditches him altogether; but being in the popular crowd has its price and as the stakes grow, Luna is unsure of her place in it.

This was such a spot-on depiction of middle school friendship dynamics. I loved Luna's voice. I loved her friendship with Scott and ached for him when she ditched him for the popular crowd. Middle school readers will find much to relate with in this engaging, heartfelt story. I picked it up after reading some Newbery buzz about it. The buzz is well-deserved. 

The Popularity Papers 7: The less-than-hidden secrets and final revelations of Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang

The less-than-hidden secrets and final revelations of Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang by Amy Ignatow. Popularity Papers series #7. Amulet Books/ Abrams, September, 2014. 9781419712708. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)

As BFFs Lydia and Julie near the end of seventh grade, disasters of all shapes and sizes roll in. A nearby school has a fire and students from there need to attend Hamlin Junior High. With the student body nearly doubled, initial excitement gives way to resentment over crowds and locker sharing and body odor. Julie and Lydia organize a dance to try to unite the students but their journal goes missing and soon photocopied pages plaster the hallways causing everyone to get mad at them and endangering their plans for the dance and their popularity.

I'm so sorry to see this series end. While I haven't read each installment, I didn't need to as it is a popular series at my school. It rises above Wimpy kid and its knockoffs in quality both for the writing and illustrating. Ignatow has a keen ear for authentic dialogue and relatable middle school angst. Her cast of characters are diverse and endearing. She keeps things gentle, opting to avoid snarky cynicism. Her use of tons of color and a variety of fonts keep the eye engaged. The books really do look like notebooks created by two different girls.

I'm eager to see what's next for Ms. Ignatow.

Switched at Birthday by Natalie Standiford

231 p. Scholastic Press, February 25, 2014. 9780545346504. (Review from arc obtained at ALAMW)

Lavender and Scarlet go to the same school and share the same birth date, but that is where the similarities end. Scarlet, rich, blond and popular cruises at the top of the social food chain. Lavender, short, clumsy and a bit hairy is the prey. Her various nicknames include Lav, as in bathroom, and Yeti. She seems impervious to these daily assaults. Indeed, she's quite snarky. Unfortunately, she's also brutally snarky to her few friends.

Both Lavender and Scarlet intend on trying out for the lead in the school musical. Scarlet has the looks for the lead, but not the vocal ability. Lavender has an amazing singing voice. The music teacher directing the production gives the auditioning students a verse to recite to help them win the part. Scarlet and Lavender each recite the verse as they blow out their birthday candles. The next morning, they wake up in each other's bodies.

I will admit that I picked this up off the table at the Scholastic booth at ALAMW purely for its cover and seeming middle grade appeal. When I read the synopsis, I wasn't expecting all that much as these "freaky Friday" type plots generally don't hold much appeal for me. I was utterly sucked in and won over. The girls are complex, flawed characters. The dialogue and social situations were realistically drawn. There was a message, lightly delivered with humor. There were endearing secondary characters and the ending was just right. 

I have a cadre of sixth grade girls who have been passing around my aged copy of Freaky Friday this year. I can't wait to suggest this one to them. 

Jessica Darling's It List: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection by Megan McCafferty

(Jessica Darling's It List Series #1.) 228 p. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, September, 2013. 9780316244992. (Review from arc provided by the publisher)

Jessica Darling, star of Megan McCafferty's "Sloppy Series" gets a rewind in this new middle grade friendly series. While I have the first three "Sloppy" books in my library, I have not read them, and they haven't circulated much in the last four years so I was not one of the squealers at the table when it was booktalked at a preview though I was interested. I put the book on TOM, as I affectionately named my "to be read" "pile," and figured I get to it.

Well. It sure was the right book at the right time for me. I read about a month back and featured it in a Friday meme, but realized that I never posted a review. I pulled it off TOM in early August because I had been reading a bunch of serious books and had also received a bit of medical bad news. I decided that I needed some fun. Jessica is just what the doctor ordered.

This book was fun. Jessica is totally hilarious. Her insecurities and angst ring true. New-to-middle-school and/or friendship-changing books are a staple of children's literature. Make room on your shelf for this series. It's gentle and positive. Oh, and, did I mention, totally hilarious?