The Meaning of Maggie

This "humorous, fast-paced" middle-grade novel is " a remarkable story of a working-class family pulling together in the face of a serious illness" ( School Library Journal).   As befits a future President of the United States of America, eleven-year-old Atlanta resident Maggie Mayfield has decided to write a memoir of the past year of her life. And what a banner year it's been! During this period she's Student of the Month on a regular basis, an official shareholder of Coca-Cola stock, and defending Science Fair champion. Most importantly, though, this is the year Maggie has to pull up her bootstraps (the family motto) and finally learn why her cool-dude dad is in a wheelchair, no matter how scary that is . . .   Author Megan Jean Sovern, herself the daughter of a dad with multiple sclerosis, writes with the funny grace and assured prose of a new literary star. A portion of the proceeds of the sale of this book will be donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.   "Does for middle-grade fiction what John Green's The Fault in Our Stars did for teen literature: Both portray coping with serious illness as one aspect of a complex character, not as the single issue that defines them." — BookPage   "Smart, sensitive, sad and funny." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review   "Maggie is a firecracker character, one who sparkles with wit, cynicism, love and potential." — Shelf Awareness