Totally Middle School: Tales of Friends, Family, and Fitting in by Betsy Groban, Karen Cushman, Lois Lowry, Margarita Engle, Gregory Maguire, Linda Sue Park, Ann Dobbin, Gary D. Schmidt, Mary Downing Hahn, Katherine Paterson, Jordan Paterson, Hena Khan, Joyce Sidman, David Wiesner
Published by Delacorte Press on August 7th 2018
ISBN: 1524772208
Pages: 192
Goodreads

Totally Middle School is a heartwarming collection of short stories written by top-notch authors and beautifully compiled by editor Betsy Groban. There are eleven stories all dealing with tweens taking the leap from elementary to middle school. The stories cover a broad range of relatable topics and situations that even older readers will make a connection with.  Who hasn’t dealt with bullying, feeling inadequate, fear of the unknown, or having to deal with people that are very different from you?

Groban has strategically placed a photo of the author as middle schoolers along with a humorous snippet of that time period. These short stories will serve as a vehicle to lead a whole new generation of readers to quality literature.  Some of the more established authors are Karen Cushman, Lois Lowry, Gregory Macguire, Linda Sue Park, Katherine Paterson, and David Wiesner.

A fun, playful and heartwarming read, I recommend that every public and middle school library get a copy of this book! This is a cream of the crop nominee.

Reviewed by Liz Davis, Children’s Librarian, Waterville Public Library