Maggie Diaz is entering seventh grade and feeling left behind. Everyone around her seems to have found the thing they are passionate about, including her best friends, Julian and Zoey, who start deepening their interests in art and band. Maggie joins club after club hoping to discover her passion: Future Leaders, woodshop, even track, despite the fact that her "perfect" sister is a cross-country star. Meanwhile, she's trying to improve her grades in order to get a phone so she can stay connected with her friends. Though her grades don't pick up as quickly as she wants them to, Maggie leans into her unrelenting optimism -- and even doubles down on it. Readers get to spend time with a delightful protagonist growing up in a multigenerational home in Miami, who is pulled in multiple directions due to family obligations, academics, friendships, and extracurricular activities. Maggie doesn't experience immediate success, but she learns from her dad that "everything's tough until it isn't...And then it usually gets tough again. That's life." When she messes up with a friend, Maggie learns the importance of clear and direct communication, and the power of an apology. Illustrations are thoughtfully placed throughout, giving added life to locations, characters, and scenarios. Gabi K. Huesca July/August 2022 p.132(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Finding oneself is no easy task. Life has handed Cuban American 12-year-old Maggie Diaz a lot of changes recently. With mom finishing up her accounting degree, a new baby brother, dad traveling for work, and now having to share a room--and a bunk bed--with her abuela, she's glad she can at least count on her two best friends. Maggie has big plans for a superawesome seventh grade year, all hinging on her ability to convince her mother that she is responsible and mature enough to finally get a cellphone. It doesn't help that Caro, her 16-year-old sister, is absolutely perfect--a standard that messy and forgetful Maggie feels like she'll never be able to meet. When her besties seem preoccupied with their own interests, however, Maggie decides to take matters into her own hands and try to discover where her passions lie by joining several school clubs. Becoming overcommitted and (unexpectedly) lonely, Maggie works to tease out her real interests while her plans for a perfect year seem to be crumbling around her. This novel presents an honest portrayal of navigating many of the changes that come with moving from elementary to middle school. Lively, engaging illustrations throughout add detail and visual interest to the narrative. Diverse representation is woven naturally into the story. An upbeat and humorous look at self-discovery. (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Twelve-year-old Cuban American Maggie Diaz is excited to start seventh grade in Miami, and after a less-than-satisfactory summer, when her friends were away and her abuela became her roommate, Maggie is ready to jump back into school and have some fun. But middle school proves to be more challenging than expected: Maggie and her two best friends are split up among classes, the campus is huge, and Maggie just isn't feeling the middle-school magic--yet. As the school year progresses, readers will witness Maggie undergo the highs and lows of new experiences, not to mention the changes in her friend group, as she takes matters into her own hands and creates her own joy, learning from those around her. Witty, funny, and entirely relatable, Moreno's characters are accompanied by detailed illustrations by Lovett, who really brings West Memorial Middle School to life. Maggie's story is a reminder that not every day is perfect but that we can still grow and thrive when we bring positive energy to it.