The summer between the end of elementary school and the start of middle school can be a tough one for kids. Leaving the familiar along with the anticipation and worries about entering a new phase in one’s life can be overwhelming.

This was never more true than for Kylie. She doesn’t feel as mature as her friends- Naomi, Nikila, and Mara. They’ve been together for a long time. Will they lose interest in her and move on? And how does one control crying all the time?

Kylie’s solution is a science experiment with the hypothesis that she will become more mature by doing whatever her friends are doing. She’ll also try to not cry as much. It proves to be a difficult summer since it means doing some things she would normally not do.

Kylie is also working on her brown belt in karate and has a loving family of two parents and a younger sister. She just wishes her dad didn’t travel so much in his job. The heartfelt, first person narration will appeal to girls in 5th-6th grade who are facing some of the same uncertainties.

It was a plus to follow along Kylie’s scientific procedure in providing some answers. The ending of THE EVERYBODY EXPERIMENT is perfect and will help others see the bigger picture about life and growing up.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lisa Moore Ramée was born and raised in Los Angeles and now lives in Northern California, with her husband, daughter, obnoxious cat, rambunctious dog and more yard than she can control. She earned a BA in Speech Communications from San Francisco State (go Gators!) and a MA in English Literature (focusing on Creative Writing) from Cal State East Bay. She worked for several years in publishing at the Walt Disney Company, first in Disney Comics, and then with Licensed Publishing. While there, she co-penned The Little Mermaid, Jr. Graphic Novel and the writing bug took up permanent residence.She is a devotee of Top Chef and Project Runway and would like to work either (or both) in a plot one day in order to be invited onto the shows as a guest judge. A Good Kind of Trouble, her first novel, received critical acclaim, garnered three starred reviews (PW, Kirkus and SLJ) and became a bestseller. It appeared on numerous “best of” lists for 2019. Something to Say received three starred reviews (Kirkus, SLJ and BookPage), was an Indie Next Pick and a Kirkus best of 2020 book. MapMaker was her debut fantasy middle-grade novel and she returns to contemporary fiction in 2024 with The Everybody Experiment.

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It’s almost time for another Marvelous Middle Grade Monday. Won’t you join us? It’s here I share highlights from other individuals blogging about middle grade books. Many of the posts will have reviews, interviews, and tips on writing. Take a look at PAST MMGM POSTS.

It’s easy to get a spot in the lineup. Email me the title of the book or feature and a link to your blog at gpcolo[at]gmail[dot]com

Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so it gets sorted accurately–and don’t forget to say what you’re featuring) You MUST email me your link by Sunday evening (11 PM Eastern Time) in order to be included in the list of links for that week’s MMGM.

*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen reviews ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me.