From Powells.com
Our favorite books of the year.
Staff Pick
In this hilarious and heartbreaking novel, Kathleen Lane gives us the great, contradictory, suffering voice of a middle-school girl. It's a whiz-bang of a read. Recommended By Doug C., Powells.com
Bunnies, bullies, a killer on the loose — Kathleen Lane’s The Best Worst Thing is not your run-of-the-mill middle-grade novel. Told through the unique and infectious voice of Maggie — Lane’s smart, curious, and beautifully neurotic narrator — this story about the multitudes of middle school worries and one girl who just wants to save the whole world is at once breathless and funny and heartbreaking and joyous — and a delight for any reader who is, or ever has been, a kid. Recommended By Gigi L., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Front door locked,
kitchen door locked,
living room windows closed.
Nobody in the closet,
nobody under the beds.
Still, Maggie is worried. Ever since she started middle school, she sees injustice and danger everywhere — on the news, in her textbooks, in her own neighborhood. Even her best friend seems to be changing.
Maggie believes it is up to her, and only her, to make everything all right. Can she come up with a plan to keep everyone safe?
The Best Worst Thing is a perceptive novel about learning the limits of what you can control, and the good — sometimes even best — things that can come of finally letting go.
Review
"Homey first-person narration along with brief chapters, some just a headline, set a deliberate pace and keep readers engaged in Maggie's story — and don't worry, the murderer gets caught." The Horn Book
Review
"Lane's prose is quietly powerful, plain yet poetic....A tender, sober portrait of a middle schooler with OCD." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Lane crafts a powerful portrait of a girl wrangling with deeply relatable concerns, which will easily resonate with readers confronting a complex and uncertain world." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"I loved this book. Simple, tender, and real, The Best Worst Thing is packed with heart." Ali Benjamin, author of National Book Award Finalist The Thing About Jellyfish
Review
"An incandescent debut. Long after you've finished The Best Worst Thing, you'll remember Kathleen Lane's brave and good-hearted Maggie and how she learns to face her fears. A writer to watch, a voice to savor, a novel to cherish." Katherine Applegate, Newbery medal-winning author of The One and Only Ivan
About the Author
Kathleen Lane lives in Portland, Oregon, where she writes, teaches, and cohosts the art and literary event series SHARE.