A few weeks back I was contacted by a young author, Melissa Shang, who asked if I would be interested in reviewing her book Mia Lee is Wheeling Through Middle School. Her email was very compelling and as I love a good book, especially middle grade fiction, I said yes. She had her publisher send me a copy of her book in exchange for my honest review. Here are my thoughts...
Mia Lee is nervous about starting middle school. Luckily she has her best friend, Caroline, to help her get through her first day of sixth grade and beyond. Mia is a typical sixth grader in many ways. Her worries are worries that most sixth grade girls entering middle school have, with one exception. Mia has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a form of muscular dystrophy, and gets around with the use of a wheelchair and with the help of an aide, Ms. Jackson. While she doesn't let her mobility issues keep her from having a full middle school experience, other students in her class see her disability as something to make fun of. She will need all the grit she can muster in order to face mean girl Angela Vanover who seems determined to ruin Mia's chances for becoming Video Production Club President. But Mia doesn't let a mean girl stop her from pursuing her passion of making videos and even makes a few friends in the process. Will Mia survive middle school and the mean girl that comes with it?
This story is definitely relate-able. Middle school can be hard. And middle school girls can be mean-like, really mean. Just because Mia is in a wheelchair does not mean that she escapes the clutches of her middle school's mean girl, but she handles her bully with grace and dignity. I love that Mia keeps her positive attitude even when others want to keep knocking her down. I also appreciated that the storyline showed how friendships can go through tough times, especially in middle school when you are making new friends with students that may have attended different elementary schools, while still wanting to keep your old friends close.
I enjoyed this middle grade realistic fiction book and was especially impressed that it was written by a middle schooler. Had Ms. Shang not told me her age, I would have never guessed that a middle schooler authored this book. It is as well written as any middle grades book I have read. I would recommend Mia Lee is Wheeling Through Middle School to any of my patrons who like a good story about what it's like to be in middle school and how to face adversity with a little help from your friends-both new and old. If you would like to read more about why and how Ms. Shang decided to write Mia Lee is Wheeling Through Middle School, click HERE.
Would you like to win your own copy of Mia Lee is Wheeling Through Middle School? Just leave me a comment on this post about your favorite book genre and you will be entered into the giveaway. This giveaway ends Saturday, September 23rd at 11:59 p.m.
***GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***
Thanks for reading!
