MMGM- The Liar's Society and I Am, I Can, I Will

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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
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Always in the Middle 

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Unleashing Readers

Gerber, Alyson. The Liar's Society (#1)

February 6, 2024 by Scholastic Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Weatherby has been raised on the East Coast by her single mother; her father has never been in the picture. She has his journal from his school days, however, and because of this would love to attend the prestigious Boston School so that she can get a glimpse of his world. She is a keen sailor, and competes in regattas with neighbor Skip, who is like an uncle to her. After a competition where she goes against Boston School student Jack Hunt, she comes to the attention of the school and is offered a scholarship. She is a bit conflicted; the sails she used were not regulation, and since she didn't catch that, she technically cheated and shouldn't go to the school. She keeps quiet, and is soon inhabiting the elite world. She meets Teddie, who also sails, and is very nice about loaning her equipment and clothing. Weatherby isn't thrilled to have to partner with Jack, but when he realizes how good her sailing really is, the two form an uneasy friendship. Jack's father is tremendously wealthy and powerful. The family produces nonstick and weather resistant coatings, and have donated a lot of money to the school. They even have an enclave on a nearby island, and host the Boston School students there. When money is hacked out of the school account, however, the trip is postponed. Weatherby is crushed, because the last page of her father's journal is set on the island, and she hopes to go there and find what was on the missing page. There is a secret society that recruits students from the school, the Last Heir, and Jack assumes he will be tapped for it. Oddly, Weatherby is as well, and the two soon join forces with Iris, Pres, and Harper to complete the challenge that the Last Heir sets for them. It takes them to Hart Island, where they uncover information not only about the island, but about Weatherby's past. In doing so, they irritate a lot of powerful people, and it seems likely that these confrontations will continue in another book. 

Strengths: This was a fantastic private school tale with a lot of intrigue, rivalry, and sailing! While I didn't understand much of what Weatherby was doing on the water, I loved how involved in it she was. Her relationship with Jack isn't really an example of the enemies-to-lovers trope that it might have been in a book aimed at older audiences, and it was great to see that they were able to connect despite their differences because they were able to admire the other's sportsmanship. The background characters like Teddie, Iris, and Harper add a lot of depth to the school part of the story, and the mystery was fantastic. A bit of a surprise in the environmental twist that it took, and I also didn't see Weatherby's connections to the Boston School coming! I think this will be a hugely popular title, and it was interesting to see Gerber transition from her usual (and extremely well done) problem novels like Braced and Taking Up Space. I don't have confirmation that there is a second book on the way, but I've seen hints on social media. 
Weaknesses: This takes place in a REALLY rarified environment, and I often didn't feel like I understood what was going on. As much as I like sports in middle grade books, this started with a LOT of sailing. The mystery was the best part of this, and that didn't really surface until the end of the book. I enjoyed this, but would have liked to get to the mystery a bit sooner. 
What I really think: This has been compared to Barnes' Inheritance Games, (or even her The Fixer) which is a good parallel, but I think it will also appeal to reader who like Burkhart's Saddlehill Academy or Matula's Holly Mei series. The illustration style of the cover is PERFECT for upper middle grade, but I wish that Jack had been as equally prominent, because I think this book would appeal to a wide variety of readers, like Carter's Gallagher Girls series. 

Carter, Dr. Cynthia Jacobs, Chamblee, Ruth and Walthall, Steffi (illus.)

I Am, I Can, I Will: A Guided Journal of Self-Discovery for Black Girls

January 16, 2024 by Workman Publishing Company

Copy provided by the Publisher

Marian Wright Edelman, founder of The Children's Defense Fund, said “You can't be what you can't see.” This book helps to change that for Black girls, with its mix of collective biography and writing prompts. 

This is broken into three chapters, based on the phrasing of the title. In the "I Am" chapter, each woman is given a statement that summarizes her most important acchievement and the accompanying text gives more details. We learn about well known figures such as Oprah Winfrey and Kamala Harris, but also Lois Mailou Jones, a Harlem Renaissance artist and Julieanna Richardson, the founder of TheHistoryMakers.Com. There are several pages of writing prompts, suggestions for drawings, and activities that invite reflection in young readers about the qualities of these foremothers. 

The "I Can" chapter looks at qualities that young readers can see in others and manifest in themselves, like courage for overcoming obstacles and helping others. Some of the more familiar faces we seen include Angela Davis and Wilma Rudolph, but there are many more women of whom I have not heard, such as disability rights activist and fashion designer Haben Girma, 18th century human rights advocate Elizabet "Mumbet" Freeman, US family court judge Jane Bolin, and Johnetta Cole, a college president and organization leader. These mini biographies are once again accompanied by activities and full page, full color illustrations of the women described. 

The final section is "I Will", and encourages young girls to think of the things that they can accomplish. Examples include Marine aviator and combat pilot Vernice Armour, viral immunologist and researcherr Kizzy Corbett, and arctic explorer Barbara Hillary. These examples are drawn from many points in time, and cover a wide range of professions and accomplishments. The book doesn't have an index, but does have a good bibliography. 

Collective biographies are always great to have on hand for sparking interest in further reading, and I know that as a middle school student I would have ADORED all of the writing prompts and would not have rested until every single page was filled in. This would also make a good keep sake for motivated readers and writers who put down their middle grad hopes and dreams. Sadly, my favorite women from  history, Margaret Murray Washington and Flemmie Pansy Kittrell were not included, but that just means we need another book like this one. 

Because this is a journal, and empty spaces in books rarely stay empty in the library setting, I will be donating this copy to the 5th Annual African-American Read-In that Lee Rutherford, sixth grade language arts teacher at my school, has been organizing. 

https://www.westerville.k12.oh.us/post-detail/~board/district-news/post/fifth-annual-wcsd-african-american-read-in-event-feb-24