About the Book

Book: Zoey: Meet the Misfits & Zoey: Odd Girl Out

Author: Melody Carlson

Genre: Middle grade fiction for girls

Release Date: April 15/ August 15, 2019

Zoey’s pretty sure her life is over when her wannaba-rockstar mother uproots her from from their home in Seattle and deposits her in Nowheresville, Oregon to live with her whackadoodle grandparents. Things start to look up, though, when she reconnects with Louisa, the girl from across the street. Maybe, just maybe, Louisa won’t mind that Zoey’s always been a bit of a misfit. Louisa’s ex-BFF, however, doesn’t seem too happy to welcome Zoey to the neighborhood. And when they all end up at church camp together, it’s not just a matter of whether or not Zoey can fit in…it becomes a firsthand lesson in what it really means to “love your enemy.”

When the school year begins, Zoey’s terrified to go without Louisa—who’s out with a nasty flu. The same enemies she made over the summer are there to haunt her, but she and another new girl stick together…and even seem to find a place among the in-crowd. But is this who Zoey wants to be? Are they really her friends? Who’s going to stick beside her when cyber bullying leaves her as the odd girl out?

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"Meet the Misfits & Zoey: Odd Girl Out" by Melody Carlson are two books that are really good, and the age description on Amazon says ages 8-12 but I really think younger teens would like these books as well. Ok, I am almost 60 and I enjoyed reading them.

These books are about bullying, "Meet the Misfits" is about bullying in a minor way, trying to get someone to change who they are so that they fit into the popular class. "Zoey: Odd Girl Out" is about cyber bullying. I think the lessons in both of these books are we should "Be just who we are!

I really appreciate that these books are written about real issues that teens have to deal with today in a clean and formal way. I wasn't in a popular class at school and these books did bring back memories of some of the abuse I experienced but these experiences aren't really never far from memory anyway, I just shared that to say I am glad authors are writing books like these to help those that are bullied found a way to cope.

These books are not preachy, but they do point out that forgiveness and loving our enemies are important factors of what Christians are to do. I am glad that the author writes about the struggle that Zoey has trying to figure out whether the Christian faith is real or fake, I think this shows that the characters are just like real girls who struggle with this when it seems like everyone is against them.

My favorite quote from reading these books is in "Zoey: Odd Girl Out" and is made when another girl, ( the bully) asked "What 're you going to do without Taylor around to help you? and Zoey answered calmly " I still have Jesus. He won't let me down."

I don't know if there are other books coming that feature Zoey and her friends but if there is, I will definitely be reading them and I whole heartily recommend these two, not to just preteens but all readers who likes stories with a message of hope.

I was given complimentary copies of both books by the author and Celebrate Lit. These are my own opinions.

About the Author

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books for teens, women, and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her young adult novels appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She’s won a number of awards (including RT’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita and the Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog.

More from Melody

Being a tween these days is more complicated than ever. With our culture’s fast pace, social networking, peer pressure . . . growing up is hard to do. So I wanted to create a relatable character with some tough challenges. And Zoey Petrizzo definitely gets more than her fair share. About to start middle-school, Zoey is forced to relocate her life with her less than conventional grandparents. And it’s not easy! My hope is that readers will either relate to Zoey, or develop more empathy for ‘misfit’ kids like her.