This was such a cute read. I picked it up on a whim after a twitter friend (thanks, Danielle!) recommended it and it was really sweet! Poor little Abbie Wu has a case of the "Middles" — it's her entrance to middle school, and she's absolutely wracked with anxiety and a feeling of not belonging anywhere. It's so relatable, especially to someone like me who also had legitimate anxiety issues as a kid; while Abbie never puts a name on her feelings, they surely stuck out as recognizable.

Abbie's narrative voice is funny, easy to empathize with, and lovable. The illustrations are absolutely adorable; the characters are all drawn in a simplistic chibi style that made me smile more than a few times, especially coupled with how classically melodramatic the little caricatures could be. I'll definitely be recommending this one to kiddos at work and I'll probably pick up more books by this author in the future!