The Heartbreakers

Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality

The Smartest Kid in the Universe

Still Life

A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic

How to Rock Braces and Glasses

The Thing About Leftovers

Simon B. Rhymin' Takes a Stand

A feel-good middle grade debut with just a hint of magic about a girl who has a rare disorder that makes the words other people say about her appear on her body.

Ever since she was a baby, the words people use to describe Elyse have instantly appeared on her arms and legs. At first it was just "cute" and "adorable," but as she's gotten older and kids have gotten meaner, words like "loser" and "pathetic" appear, and those words bubble up and itch. And then there are words like "interesting," which she's not really sure how to feel about. Now, at age twelve, she's starting middle school, and just when her friends who used to accept and protect her are drifting away, she receives an anonymous note saying "I know who you are, and I know what you're dealing with. I want to help." As Elyse works to solve the mystery of who is sending her these notes, she also finds new ways to accept who she is and to become her best self.

Discover Your Child's Next Read

The Heartbreakers

Pamela Wells, 2007

Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality

Elizabeth Eulberg, 2013

The Smartest Kid in the Universe

Chris Grabenstein, 2020

Still Life

Jacqueline West, Poly Bernatene, 2014

A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic

Lisa Papademetriou, 2015

How to Rock Braces and Glasses

Meg Haston, 2011

The Thing About Leftovers

C.C. Payne, 2016

Simon B. Rhymin' Takes a Stand

Ellien Holi, Robert Paul, Dwayne Reed, 2022