This book should be mandatory reading in schools. Lizbeth is quirky character who may be off putting to some people, she was a bit to me at first. However, I came to find her extremely endearing and I came to appreciate her attitude as self-confidence. Why shouldn't people like her?

Unfortunately, this book addresses many of the issues surrounding kids today - divorce and bullying. Lizbeth's parents just got divorced and she is forced to leave behind her friends, her school and her home: Essentially everything she loves, to move across town with her mom. Lizbeth, however, strides into the school like she owns the place and zeroes in on one girl to become her new best friend.

I found myself enjoying the interactions between the characters more and more, especially Joseph, Lizbeth, Paul and Tess. In the classroom they are labeled "the Weirdos" but they are hardly that. They are genuine people who take in Lizbeth right away as one of their own. Being different = being weird has not seemed to change since my elementary years 20 years ago.

I appreciated the way this book addressed the bullying, especially the ending. I think it was handled with grace. This is a must read for every kid who has had to start over. I genuinely liked this book and I would read it again.

As a kid going into sixth grade, this book title caught my eye. It was a fun read as it mirrored a lot of the worries I have about sixth grade. Kids will enjoy the adventure. Plus the main character is a girl into scifi and other "geeky" things. It is great to see that in a book.

I received an electronic ARC from Lerner Publishing Group through NetGalley.
Lizbeth is a twelve year old dealing with family issues (divorce), school issues (new one), and relationship issues (finding friends). She's offbeat and quirky and uses humor when she's nervous. At that age, other kids don't always like the different and unique. Garrett takes readers through the challenges she faces and how she learns to cope and be herself. The final drama at the school talent show is written with tenderness and encourages kindness and rising above labels.
The book starts a little slowly but once characters and settings are introduced, Garrett lets readers join the scene and be part of the characters' lives.

Lizbeth moves to a new city with her mom after her parent’s divorce and must learn to adjust to her new school, life, and dad’s new girlfriend. At first, she refuses to accept this new way of life. She plans to make it all better; from her choice in friends to her dad’s choice in girlfriends. Nothing goes well and disaster after disaster unfolds. Lizbeth learns to navigate this new life and along the way discovers newfound friendships, awesome teachers, and life lessons that lead her to understand that the twist and turns of life make the journey all the better.
This book was a really enjoyable read. As an educator🧑‍🏫, I loved how the book spoke about the struggles of funding art programs🎨 or any extracurricular activities🎭🎶⚽ for that matter. The biggest plus➕ for me was the whole bullying topic. At this age so many students feel that more violence is the answer to violence and that bullying requires showdowns and competition. These characters found creative ways to deal with the violence and bullying. Such a great message for the middle grade audience. This book dealt with real life school🏫 issues and even divorce and broken family💔 situations. I appreciated Lizbeth’s maturity by the end of the book.

Lizbeth is not happy about her parents' divorce, the move across town, and her new school. Her old life was just fine, and now she must navigate a whole new group of people who don't seem to buy into her plan for friendship.
Placed with the "weirdos" rather than the popular girls, Lizbeth works to gain popularity that is not only slow in coming, but perhaps unnecessary. There is a lot to like about this book, but there is also some cringe-worthy aspects that include an abrasive protagonist that often seems older than her given age and her antics to chase off her father's current girlfriend. The ending of the book is truly the treasure of this novel, but some readers may not get past Lizbeth's snark to read it.

As if starting a new school isn’t enough change for one optimistic girl, throw in divorced parents who frustratingly don’t want to get back together, new friends who don’t understand what it means to be a friend no matter how much one tries to explain, new classmates who want to be friends even when one has other friends in mind, and teachers who just don’t understand one’s sense of humor, and you’ve got a sometimes funny, sometimes painful story. Many parts of this story were relatable and well-written, such as Lizbeth’s struggles with mean girls, but some sections were a little unbelievable, like letting herself get sick to make her dad’s girlfriend embarrassed. Middle school students will most likely enjoy the story, though, especially the uplifting ending. This is one to recommend to reluctant readers.

This book was very interesting and unique. I loved every part that built up to what happened at the end. It feels very different than most middle grade book, yet still familiar and inviting. It talks about labels and who you really are. Ginger Garrett's book is one of my favorite books that I've read. I really like the idea. This book would be perfect for 9-10 year olds.

What I liked !

Can I just start off by saying I loved this book?

1.I really liked the characters. All of them had their own personalities and they were very diverse. I could hardly find any similarities between any of them.

2. It also highlights the importance of standing up for what you believe in.

3. The protagonist is bold, determined and introspective.

4. Finding your way in a group may it be family or friends

5.This book is also wickedly funny! The girls get up to a lot of mischief trying to get rid of Claire. Yet at times serious . It overall a balanced book.

7.Friendship is a defining theme in this book .

What I disliked !

1. Sometimes Lizabeth was annoying ! But most of the times I rooting for her:) Also as the character grew she turned more and more likeable . But I think it was all part of the character graph as she started accepting things !

Overall !

The writing is remarkably strong — this story grabs you from page one and was a pleasure to read through and through. A warming tale that encompasses many strong themes like new school, new friends ,blended families, bullying ,unlikely friendships and a lot more ! Overall is an engaging middle-grade novel with memorable, endearing, and passionate protagonist. I highly recommend this book !

To see the graphics of this book review checkout my post on my blog

https://thecosycorner1788007.wordpress.com/2020/07/14/name-tags-and-other-grade-6-disasters-spoiler-free/

I read this with my 10 year old grandson when he was visiting and the libraries were still closed. He said he wanted something funny and I grabbed this from NetGalley hoping it would be just that. It worked perfectly for him. He actually quoted the book to me.

This book was a perfect mix of seriousness and humor. There were times when we both laughed out loud. I have to admit that I did not immediately find Lizbeth likable. I actually thought she was a bit annoying. (Sorry, Lisbeth!) But, as she grew as a character I started to like her more and more.

The characters seem very introspective and perceptive with an advanced vocabulary for their ages, so it didn't always feel true to age. But, I still enjoyed getting to know them. I do think that the more advanced language may be difficult for some kids, but it also might help with a middle schooler's vocabulary in a fun way and it made the book more enjoyable for me.

I asked my grandson what he would rate this book and he enthusiastically said 5 stars. I would probably go with at least 4. So, that means a solid 4.5 stars. Since, my grandson is really more the target age group, we will round up.

This was a book about learning about yourself, even when you think you know yourself well. It is a realistic fiction middle grade read that will have you trying to help Lizbeth and her new situation in life. There are some great hidden gems of quotes throughout this book that I thoroughly appreciated.

Being a person who doesn't always get the laughs that I think I should, I totally got Lizbeth and wanted her to learn about friendship and family and differences and all the things!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

First of all, I want to say that I did not finish the book because I lost interest halfway. I don't like the way the character treats her mother. I don't agree with the way she acted just because she was going through something. I tried to read it more but I felt very uncomfortable so I dropped it. Maybe some would want this type story and maybe there will be a character development here that will make her likeable.

I was pleasantly surprised by how this book snuck up on me. The author touches on issues such as divorce, new school, making new friends, bullying, etc. In the beginning, the main character,Lizbeth, is a bit strange since she chooses a best friend on the first day of school and then proceeds to weird out that person through her overtures of friendship. However, throughout the course of the story, the reader sees how Lizbeth matures. I thought the other characters in this book were fleshed out and believable. This is a heartfelt story that many tweens will be able to relate to.

This was an interesting story about a girl starting a new school and dealing with her parents divorce. From navigating to making new friends to trying to get her parents back together, this was a real journey of a book. There were so many situations and problems she faced which I found interesting. Overall a fun read for middle grade audiences.

This middle grade novel quietly snuck up on me. The main character has to deal with a lot of issues that middle schoolers go through, and we can see her maturity level develop as the book concludes. This book has the lovable "real" friends, as well as the complete jerks; in other words, all the kids that we all meet as we are growing up! Garrett has us rooting for the "pod" over the "cool" kids at every moment. We also see a glimpse of their lives outside of school, and issues that they are dealing with as well. All in all this is a slow burning, well developed middle grade novel that will make you glad that you are past that stage in life! Thank you to Netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review!

This book is laugh-out-loud, read parts to your husband funny! But the real punchline is when you get hit with a left hook of seriousness. Lizbeth is one of my favorite characters ever!

This book is cute - and relatable for 6th graders. The story deals with friendship, outcasts and problems with step-parents or divorced parents' relationships. Lizbeth, the protagonist is creative in her approaches to solving her issues.

Two years later Lizbeth is still having trouble accepting her parents' divorce, and now she has to adjust to moving and starting a new school. Lizbeth has two goals: (1) make lots of new friends, and (2) get rid of Claire, her father's new girlfriend. However, none of her plans quite work out, though along the way she learns about true friendship, forgiveness, acceptance, and helps a friend dealing with bullying.

This is a very well-paced story with great characters, though it could have been a little more intentional with including diversity. Lizbeth is very funny and clever, though people don't always get her humor and she is often misunderstood. She can be very creative, though she doesn't always use her cleverness and creativity constructively, which causes conflict between her and her father (and his new girlfriend), and between her parents. The reader will laugh at some of her antics, cringe at her missteps, and empathize with her difficulties adjusting and mourning her old life, but will also cheer as she begins to deal with her emotions and build a new life. The supporting cast of characters is also well-done, especially the character of Paul.

This story encompasses many issues - divorce, moving to a new area and school, making friends, bullying, repairing relationships - and would be relatable and enjoyable to many readers, but particularly those who are dealing with change themselves. I would recommend it to readers aged 9-13 who enjoy contemporary realistic fiction with children their age dealing with typical issues.

[I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

Many new books weave STEM activities into the heart of the action these days and lots of funding goes towards such school programs. How refreshing to have a book emphasizing the importance of Art in all our lives and having it be central to the characters growth without being too preachy! Sixth grader Lisbeth is not happy about her recent move after her parents divorce and frankly the reader may find her more than irritating as she tries to sabotage her father's new love interests by being incredibly mean and devious. Equally faulty are her plans to make a new best friend which borders on stalking. Things do not go well for her at school with one mishap after another, the worse she feels is being assigned to sit with the weird kid pod in homeroom. Plus her weird sense of humor is definitely unappreciated by her teacher and for the first time in her school career she finds herself on the disciplinary list. But things begin to look up when she gets accepted by the pod and discovers that hard honest choices can lead to beautiful life masterpieces. Just as during the hardships of Covid-19, we are rejuvenated through the Arts and thankful for their presence, the characters in this book find meaning in the Art they create.