Well, That Was Awkward
by Rachel Vail
Viking (2017)
Middle Grade Fiction
What It's All About:
Gracie has never felt like this before. One day, she suddenly can't breathe, can't walk, can't anything and the reason is standing right there in front of her, all tall and weirdly good-looking: A.J.
It turns out A.J. likes not Gracie but Gracie's beautiful best friend, Sienna. Obviously Gracie is happy for Sienna. Super happy! She helps Sienna compose the best texts, responding to A.J. s surprisingly funny and appealing texts, just as if she were Sienna. Because Gracie is fine. Always! She's had lots of practice being the sidekick, second-best. It s all good. Well, almost all. She's trying.
Why You'll Love It:
Who Should Read It:
Great for 5th-8th graders.
What Else You Should Read:
by Rachel Vail
Viking (2017)
Middle Grade Fiction
What It's All About:
Gracie has never felt like this before. One day, she suddenly can't breathe, can't walk, can't anything and the reason is standing right there in front of her, all tall and weirdly good-looking: A.J.
It turns out A.J. likes not Gracie but Gracie's beautiful best friend, Sienna. Obviously Gracie is happy for Sienna. Super happy! She helps Sienna compose the best texts, responding to A.J. s surprisingly funny and appealing texts, just as if she were Sienna. Because Gracie is fine. Always! She's had lots of practice being the sidekick, second-best. It s all good. Well, almost all. She's trying.
Why You'll Love It:
- This modern, middle-school retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac is heartwarming, funny, and tender, offering a story of young love and loyalty, friendship and family.
- This tween romance proves that some stories stand the test of time, even with modernization.
- Gracie's breakneck narration is presented in and out of text messages, folding in an effortlessly diverse cast, including Latina Sienna and Filipino-Israeli Emmett.
- Readers will see themselves in Gracie and her friends, root for them, and likely figure out who is actually texting whom before the characters do, even if they haven't read the source material.
Who Should Read It:
Great for 5th-8th graders.
What Else You Should Read:
- Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
- Finding Ruby Starling by Karen Rivers
- A Year in the Life of a Complete and Total Genius by Stacey Matson
