Join the Club, Maggie Diaz
by Nina Moreno; illus. by Courtney Lovett
Intermediate, Middle School    Scholastic    240 pp.   g
5/22    978-1-338-74061-5    $17.99
Paper ed.  978-1-338-83281-5    $7.99
e-book ed.  978-1-338-74063-9    $10.99

Maggie Diaz is entering seventh grade and feeling left behind. Everyone around her seems to have found the thing they are passionate about, including her best friends, Julian and Zoey, who start deepening their interests in art and band. Maggie joins club after club hoping to discover her passion: Future Leaders, woodshop, even track, despite the fact that her “perfect” sister is a cross-country star. Meanwhile, she’s trying to improve her grades in order to get a phone so she can stay connected with her friends. Though her grades don’t pick up as quickly as she wants them to, Maggie leans into her unrelenting optimism—and even doubles down on it. Readers get to spend time with a delightful protagonist growing up in a multigenerational home in Miami, who is pulled in multiple directions due to family obligations, academics, friendships, and extracurricular activities. Maggie doesn’t experience immediate success, but she learns from her dad that “everything’s tough until it isn’t…And then it usually gets tough again. That’s life.” When she messes up with a friend, Maggie learns the importance of clear and direct communication, and the power of an apology. Illustrations are thoughtfully placed throughout, giving added life to locations, characters, and scenarios.

From the July/August 2022 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.