October 6, 2026 by Scholastic Inc.
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Best friends Grace Lo and Mia Lamonte are excited that they were both accepted into the Sandpiper magnet middle school in their Virginia Beach community, but devastated that they don't have any classes, or even lunch, together. Grace, who doesn't like change, figures that the two of them will be able to talk during softball practice, and is surprised that Grace isn't at tryouts. Grace has met Margery, Jayden, and Chloe in her homeroom, and has decided to investigate Environmental Club and student council instead of going out for softball. This causes some tension, but the girls still get together, especially since their dogs, Penny and Otis, like to play. When Grace gets moved to Mia's lunch, she doesn't much care for Margery. Mia decides to run for class president against Marcus, whom Grace rather likes. When the friends are working on campaign posters, the dogs tear them up, and Mia blames Grace. Mia does well at the elections, and finds that delivering on her campaign platforms is hard. Marcus works with her to help get a composting plan started at school, and she includes his idea for serving organic food in the cafeteria into her proposal. Mia and Grace continue to fight; the dogs distract Grace at a game, and Mia has other plans for Halloween. When the dogs go missing while everyone is out trick or treating, will the girls be able to work together to find their pets, as well as others that have been missing from the neighborhood?
Strengths: Ah, middle school. Sixth grade is so exciting. Who will you be? What activities will you do? When long time friends chose to embrace different experiences, it can be very hard on a friendship. It was nice to see that Grace and Mia kept trying to be friends; even after several difficult situations, they still showed up for each other and put in the work to forgive each other and remain in contact. This is not always the case, especially when annoying people like Margery are involved! I also enjoyed the relationship between Marcus and Grace. Including a group project always increases the tension in a book, but is completely realistic. Halloween is also a much bigger deal in middle school than most adults imagine. Those group costumes can lead to some intense drama. My dog, Leo, very much appreciated the villain of this story; Penny and Otis' nemesis, the Dark Squirrel!
Weaknesses: I love Liu's Stealing the Score, Near and Dear, and Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation, but student council plots are such a hard sell at my school. The chapters from the point of view of Penny and Otis also weren't my favorite. These are definitely "me" problems, and actual middle grade readers will be much more invested in the friend drama.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy a bit of friend drama and liked Greenwald's Friend Group, Migga's Summer Scrapbook, or Vivat's Frazzled. Really, all middle grade books could include problems with friends!
Strengths: Ah, middle school. Sixth grade is so exciting. Who will you be? What activities will you do? When long time friends chose to embrace different experiences, it can be very hard on a friendship. It was nice to see that Grace and Mia kept trying to be friends; even after several difficult situations, they still showed up for each other and put in the work to forgive each other and remain in contact. This is not always the case, especially when annoying people like Margery are involved! I also enjoyed the relationship between Marcus and Grace. Including a group project always increases the tension in a book, but is completely realistic. Halloween is also a much bigger deal in middle school than most adults imagine. Those group costumes can lead to some intense drama. My dog, Leo, very much appreciated the villain of this story; Penny and Otis' nemesis, the Dark Squirrel!
Weaknesses: I love Liu's Stealing the Score, Near and Dear, and Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation, but student council plots are such a hard sell at my school. The chapters from the point of view of Penny and Otis also weren't my favorite. These are definitely "me" problems, and actual middle grade readers will be much more invested in the friend drama.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy a bit of friend drama and liked Greenwald's Friend Group, Migga's Summer Scrapbook, or Vivat's Frazzled. Really, all middle grade books could include problems with friends!
