This debut is a beautiful story about changing friends, creative imaginations, and the power of words. The setting is rich with character and the illustrations throughout are lovely. I loved the Mary Poppins-esque pitch of magic with J.R.s teacher, and I think readers will really relate to the emotions J.R. feels surrounding her shifting friendships. 10/10!

This is such a great book for any middle schoolers going through changes in their lives as in their friendships. This was a magical and fun book, that I had a hard time putting down. I really liked J.R. and how she navigated her challenges and her friendships. I also liked how she took time to think about other people and their feelings too, not just her own. That can be hard at any age.
This is a great story about friendships and middle school.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

So readable and relatable! In J.R. Silver Writes Her World, sixth-grader J.R. grapples with the changing nature of friendship– one of the big “oh, I’ve been there” hallmarks of this age. Throw in parents who think she’s too young to walk home like the other students, check-ins at a neighborhood bookstore, and a teacher whose assignments come with a side of magic? There’s so much to love in this book!

Very sweet book! I especially enjoyed the wish/writing aspect. It was 11:11 Wish, From the Mixed Up Files of Basil E Frankweiler with a sprinkle of Mary Poppins. J.R.'s arc from wanting to hang on to her dear friend to learning how to let go is clear and well written. Very relatable for this age. Can't wait to see what this author does next!

Do you feel your best friend found other friends and you don't know why you're being left behind?
Do you love books and want to be a writer? This is the perfect book.

Jr Writes her World is the perfect novel gift for young readers who want to become writers. Because it's also a powerful middle-grade novel it addresses several issues that Jr faces as a 6th grader such as: getting more independence from her parents, keeping up with her friend's world, dealing with loneliness, and abandoning fixed ideas or concepts about something or someone without getting to know the truth first. Jr misses her only best friend Violet very much, but Violet wants to have other friends and do things on her own too.
Not just lonely, Jr feels the lack of confidence to reach out to others and say how she feels. But a new teacher appears with a set of magical magazines that helps her find her voice not only as a person but as an author.
It's set in New York and full of great cultural, local, and art references.
The first chapters aren't very focused and precise on what is happening or what the story will be about, but once we're focused on the magazines' powers we get excited to see what she can do with them not only to help herself but to help others too.
We get to accompany close Jr ups and downs. Sometimes she has a very adult perspective of the world around her. This challenges middle graders who love to read about older, clever, and knowledgeable characters whom they aspire to emulate. Also, older and more demanding readers will still be drawn to this book. As an adult and educator, I loved it. My favorite chapter was the sleepover.
I wish middle grades were a thing when I was younger to give me answers while I was growing up, but I'm glad they can help my students now. I recommend this book to librarians and educators.

Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for the ARC.