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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
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Rumor Has It (The Luckies#1)
October 6, 2026 by Scholastic Inc.
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Leela Luxenberg is going into the 10th grade and has a lot of upheaval in her life. Her mother, Sadie, an author, has inherited a large house in Lost Bluff, Tennessee, and is moving Leela and her sister Mia from New York City to live there. Her father passed away from cancer, and Sadie has been dating Josh Laksandee, and the two decide to combine their families. Annie, older brother Alex, and younger brother Aidan are used to moving around a lot. Their mother is an actress, and is on the west coast trying to get a film role, so Annie especially is glad to be in a picturesque town with a traditional family. She gives up the room she wants to Leela, who is NOT happy to be in Lost Bluff, and is determined to sabotage her mother's relationship so she can return home, especially after the parents float the idea of having the family name of "Lucky" after they get married. Mia, who is in middle school, also has a positive attitude, and gets along well with Annie. When school starts, Annie makes friends with Beth and Jeannie, and also captures the attention of cute Dylan. All students must be on a service committee, and Annie finds herself planning the fall fundraiser... at the family home! Sadie, who grew up in Grey House with her wealthy grandparents, the Randolphs, doesn't seem to want to connect to the community, and allows the fundraiser to be held only if parents aren't invited. Leela sees this as a way to turn her mother against the idea of being in Lost Bluff, and lies to Annie. Big plans are made quickly, and Sadie and Josh both say they don't need to be involved. When emotions run high on the night of the fundraiser, and Mia runs off, will the siblings be able to work together to make things right? This ends on an astonishing cliff hanger, and I can't wait to hear more about the adventures of these two families.
Strengths: I am constantly complaining that publishers don't do market research into what actual twelve-year-olds want to read, and I am not surprised that Scholastic actually DID look into this! There's a great note at the beginning of the book about the NEXT series, and there are so many good elements here. Fifteen-year-old main characters, family drama, light romance, and some illustrations to appeal to readers who have been raised on graphic novels. This reminded me of a not-so-nasty version of Sweet Valley High, and is everything my students want in realistic fiction. While the Luxenberg father is dead, the book isn't about processing grief over his passing; it's about putting on a party, and reminded me a bit of Donna Parker Takes a Giant Step (1964). This is what young adult books SHOULD be-- realistic problems, flawed but generally positive characters, supportive but irritating families, and light romance. Will probably buy two copies, since I like to have an extra first book in a popular series.
Weaknesses: There were text messages between some chapters, but I couldn't quite figure out who was writing them. Given the huge popularity of Greenwald's TBH series, my students don't have the same aversion to texts that I do. The advance copy didn't have all the pictures, so I will be interested in seeing the finished version. Then ending was a bit of a slap in the face, but it also made me VERY interested in reading the next book!
What I really think: If you are hosting a Scholastic book fair, ask for a case of these! Soontornvat and Mlynowski also worked together on the Best Wishes series, and each have a nice list of books on their own (I still adore Mlynowski's 2010 Gimme a Call), but this combination is magical. Sure, Soontornvat's 2021 A Wish in the Dark won some awards, but The Luckie will be the kind of book that readers will wish they had bought and saved. Reading it was just such a relief after a plethora of dark, depressing middle grade books!
October 20, 2026 by Wednesday Books
ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central
Chyna, Leesh, and Selena are recovering from all of the drama in Balancing Act that caused upheaval in their home life, school, and gymnastics team. Chyna is now living with the Swansons, a radio show power couple in Diamond City who are parents to Leesh. Leesh, who is used to a privileged lifestyle, is angry that she has to share her parents, and is not happy that Chyna is so good at gymnastics. The online rumor monger, Hot Lipz, still knows a distressing amount about what is going on at their high school, but no one can figure out who is posting. The investigation into the Winston Prep athletic field fire is ongoing, but it is soon clear that Spencer and his friends were behind it, not the students at other, predominantly Black, schools in the city. This is somewhat of a relief, but also intensely irritating, because of the racism involved. Leesh is still dating Jamal, and Selena is still dating Pierre, and there is still some concern about the whereabouts of Chyna's aunt and the state of the Swanson's marriage. The focus shifts to gymnastics when a big competition, the Pinnacle, is being held at Hughes College, an HBCU that is trying to encourage athletics in struggling inner city schools. Leesh gets pulled from competition by the coach because she is already on the fast track to success because of her parents, but Leesh's aunt pressures the coach into including Leesh. The reason? There is a new Bet on Black network television showing coming out, The Hill, that features gymnastics and basketball, focusing on stars Leesh and Jamal. There is an explosive trailer for the show that makes everything clear, since both teens had to sign NDAs and couldn't tell their friends. Selena's anger at Leesh grows; in addition to taking her spot at the Pinnacle and not telling her about the television show, Leesh has hidden the fact that Spencer's family has asked the Swansons to get him into The Heights after being expelled from Winston Prep. Since Spencer had harassed Selena horribly at a previous school, she no longer feels safe. The show causes all sorts of problems, and Leesh sinks to a new low. The is plenty of relationship drama, friend drama, and celebrity drama all layered with current sociopolitical and racial struggles, and the story promises to continue as Leesh moves into the Heights dormitories!
Chase does such a good job portraying the social struggles that sometimes overshadow sports, and throws in tantalizing views of celebrity life. Leesh knows that her parents' standing as top radio show hosts gives her unprecedented luxury, but she balks like any other teen when this is threatened in any way. The idea of a reality show ties together all of these topics, and combines them with the drama of selecting limited participants with competitions, as well as a little romance.
The exclusive Heights campus, as well as the impressive Hughes College facilities (funded in part by the Swansons!) offer a tantalizing glimpse at a way of life that contrastc sharply against other schools in the area as well as living situations like Chyna's. While Leesh is a little clueless about her personal privilege, she does understand the importance of education and of colleges like Hughes and high schools like The Heights. Spencer's change of schools was intriguing, and his relationship with Leesh will probably be discussed more in the next book.
This is more of a young adult book, given the length and level of complicated drama, and there is some more mature language as well as hinted at sexual activities. I would have loved to see more of the details of the gymnastics competitions, since it is so hard to find novels that include gymnastics, but the social media postings of Hot Lipz, as well as the hidden identity of this character, takes up more of the plot.
Readers who enjoyed this author's Del Rio Bay Clique series will enjoy this title and look forward to the third installment of the series, and fans of Randy Ribay, Carl Deuker, Sarah Henning, Candace Buford, and DeAndra Davis will find the competition at The Heights fascinating.
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