First published 2021
Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie arrive at seventh grade convinced this will be their best year yet. The three best friends plan to stick together at Poplar Middle School and rule as the coolest group around. Their dreams crumble on day one. Ruthie gets placed in the Talented and Gifted program, which puts her in a completely different section of the school. Drew watches her crush ignore her completely after he seemed interested just a week before. Fonda catches the attention of The Avas, the popular clique where every girl shares the same name, but joining them means abandoning her friends. Each girl faces painful choices between loyalty and opportunity. They discover what it means to feel excluded, deceived, and alone. Through the chaos of middle school social politics, they learn the true value of female friendship and the courage to stay authentic.
Genres: family-life, friendship, contemporary, adolescence, young-adult
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, social-outcasts
Setting: Poplar Middle School
Period: 7th Grade
256 pages · Paperback · G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers