Something fun for the younger readers!

When I saw that Melody Carlson had written books for younger girls, I knew I wanted these for my daughter, who is now just older than the target range. In this blog review, you will receive two opinions on these books – my almost 13 year old daughter, Amy, and my own.

Mom’s thoughts

Now, the minute I opened the covers to these books, I knew they would not be my style, and rightly so. I am not the target audience. I did, however, enjoy the glimpse into the tween world from a completely different perspective. Zoey’s. Being that the books are written in first person, you would think it would have been a struggle (I know some loathe first person POV) but instead, I found that it read just like my tween talks. She shares with the reader her fears, joys, and uncertain moments as she ventures into a new school. Many of her thoughts, I would think, are very in tune with what our own tweens deal with. First crushes, new friends, going into not just a new school but a new level of education. It all can be very terrifying. Over all, I think these could be great books for the tween girl in your life.

Amy’s thoughts

As this is my first book review I really enjoyed it. Being Zoey: Meet the Misfits surprisingly has a ton of things I relate to. Luisa is definitely my favorite character because she relates to me the most and is just a great character. Zoey goes through so much drama and family problems you kinda feel bad for her at times. I can’t imagine my life being like that. This book to me is definitely a five star rating because it can relate to so many girls that go through drama, friendships, and family problems. I suggest this book to any girls going through that stuff. To the author Melody Carlson, thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to read this book. I enjoyed reading about how theirs ups and downs to a girls life.

**These books were provided to me by the publisher through CelebrateLit so that I could read them and offer an honest review.

About the Book

Book: Zoey:Meet the Misfits & Zoey: Odd Girl Out

Author: Melody Carlson

Genre: Middle grade fiction for girls

Release Date: April 15/ August 15, 2019

Zoey’s pretty sure her life is over when her wannaba-rockstar mother uproots her from from their home in Seattle and deposits her in Nowheresville, Oregon to live with her whackadoodle grandparents. Things start to look up, though, when she reconnects with Louisa, the girl from across the street. Maybe, just maybe, Louisa won’t mind that Zoey’s always been a bit of a misfit. Louisa’s ex-BFF, however, doesn’t seem too happy to welcome Zoey to the neighborhood. And when they all end up at church camp together, it’s not just a matter of whether or not Zoey can fit in…it becomes a firsthand lesson in what it really means to “love your enemy.”

When the school year begins, Zoey’s terrified to go without Louisa—who’s out with a nasty flu. The same enemies she made over the summer are there to haunt her, but she and another new girl stick together…and even seem to find a place among the in-crowd. But is this who Zoey wants to be? Are they really her friends? Who’s going to stick beside her when cyber bullying leaves her as the odd girl out?

Click here to grab your copy.

About the Author

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books for teens, women, and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her young adult novels appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She’s won a number of awards (including RT’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita and the Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog.

More from Melody

Being a tween these days is more complicated than ever. With our culture’s fast pace, social networking, peer pressure . . . growing up is hard to do. So I wanted to create a relatable character with some tough challenges. And Zoey Petrizzo definitely gets more than her fair share. About to start middle-school, Zoey is forced to relocate her life with her less than conventional grandparents. And it’s not easy! My hope is that readers will either relate to Zoey, or develop more empathy for ‘misfit’ kids like her.