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Wires Crossed
Win a free print copy of this book!
1 day and 23:26:37
5 copies available
U.S. only
A smart and funny slice-of-life graphic novel for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Kayla Miller about navigating the ups and downs of middle school—from first crushes to crushing the school's science competition. Is this what middle school is all about? Being stuck in the middle? Twelve-year-old Mia feels like everything and everyone is changing—and she is caught in the middle. Stuck between old friends and new friends...between feeling like a kid and growing up... Just as her longtime bff Addy is gravitating towards the popular crowd and starting to care more about school dances than treehouse playdates, Mia finds out that her favorite science camp friend, Tariq, is moving to town and will be going to school with her. She's super excited and can't wait to show him around and help him make friends. But when Tariq arrives in town, he seems like he's grown up a lot, too. No more braces or glasses. A new hair cut. And who knew he was also a soccer star, immediately making the team mid-season?? He's welcomed to Buttonwood Bay Middle School with open arms in a way that Mia can't even recognize, and now she's feeling more lost than ever. Then her science teacher announces the school's science olympics and she and Tariq are teaming up again to crush the competition—just like at camp. Only this time they're joined by a couple of unconventional teammates in Kinsey (more artist than scientist) and the loveable, if also sometimes kind of gross and goofy, Evan. Do Mia and Tariq still have enough of a spark to build a killer robot (figuratively speaking, of course) and take home the prize? Through much experimentation and a little trail and error, Mia navigates new friendships and old as she tries to find her place in middle school—and on the winner's podium.
240 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication April 30, 2024
About the author
Beth Fantaskey
13 books2,285 followers Hi! I'm Beth Fantaskey, author of Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, Jessica Rules the Dark Side, Jekel Loves Hyde, Buzz Kill and my new middle grade novel, Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter. I live in rural Pennsylvania - the setting for most of my books - with my husband, three children, a slightly dysfunctional cat, a completely dysfunctional dog, an immortal goldfish and a hermit crab named Shelldon.
Beth's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/beth.fantaskey
Beth's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/beth.fantaskey
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 5, 2024
“But we’re 13. It’s time to grow up…right?”
It’s only the second week of school, and already everything seems to be changing for 13-year-old Mia Milligan. Her best friend, Addy, is hanging out with popular girl Courtney and pressuring Mia about things like status and boys. Fortunately, Mia learns that her best friend from science camp, Tariq, is moving into town. She envisions everything being just like camp, but Tariq has…changed. Mia suddenly finds herself developing a crush on him and feeling hurt that he doesn’t want to spend more time with her. However, the duo team up with artist Kinsey and goofball Evan to build a robot for the Science Olympics. Nonetheless, not everything goes to plan between a broken camera and tangled emotions as Mia and Kinsey’s friendship grows at the expense of Mia’s relationship with Addy, and the new friends tip-toe around their feelings about Tariq.
Middle school is a challenging and confusing time when things start to change whether you are ready or not (and sometimes just because you think they should change). Beth Fantaskey does an incredible job of capturing how it feels to be stuck in this transition phase in her debut graphic novel, Wires Crossed. Although Mia’s story is not inherently unique—she is growing apart from childhood friends while making new friends, suddenly attracted to an old friend, and embarrassed by the quirks of her family—her journey provides needed relatability to readers. Wires Crossed not only explores how and when we “grow up” but also whether we have to. This is a question that left me contemplating throughout the novel and even after. While I am past the turmoil of middle school, this idea of moving to the next stage or becoming a “real” adult is currently weighing on my mind. Growing up doesn’t look the same or mean the same thing to anyone, and the pressure to do so can be damaging. We need more stories like Wires Crossed to remind us that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this dilemma and that life can only be navigated one step at a time.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook @pinereadsreview, and check out our website at www.pinereadsreview.com for reviews, author interviews, blogs, podcast episodes, and more!
It’s only the second week of school, and already everything seems to be changing for 13-year-old Mia Milligan. Her best friend, Addy, is hanging out with popular girl Courtney and pressuring Mia about things like status and boys. Fortunately, Mia learns that her best friend from science camp, Tariq, is moving into town. She envisions everything being just like camp, but Tariq has…changed. Mia suddenly finds herself developing a crush on him and feeling hurt that he doesn’t want to spend more time with her. However, the duo team up with artist Kinsey and goofball Evan to build a robot for the Science Olympics. Nonetheless, not everything goes to plan between a broken camera and tangled emotions as Mia and Kinsey’s friendship grows at the expense of Mia’s relationship with Addy, and the new friends tip-toe around their feelings about Tariq.
Middle school is a challenging and confusing time when things start to change whether you are ready or not (and sometimes just because you think they should change). Beth Fantaskey does an incredible job of capturing how it feels to be stuck in this transition phase in her debut graphic novel, Wires Crossed. Although Mia’s story is not inherently unique—she is growing apart from childhood friends while making new friends, suddenly attracted to an old friend, and embarrassed by the quirks of her family—her journey provides needed relatability to readers. Wires Crossed not only explores how and when we “grow up” but also whether we have to. This is a question that left me contemplating throughout the novel and even after. While I am past the turmoil of middle school, this idea of moving to the next stage or becoming a “real” adult is currently weighing on my mind. Growing up doesn’t look the same or mean the same thing to anyone, and the pressure to do so can be damaging. We need more stories like Wires Crossed to remind us that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this dilemma and that life can only be navigated one step at a time.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook @pinereadsreview, and check out our website at www.pinereadsreview.com for reviews, author interviews, blogs, podcast episodes, and more!
January 1, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's for a digital review copy. All opinions are my own.
I am always looking for good books for my fans of Raina Telgemeir and the Baby Sitter's Club books. This definitely fits the bill.
Mia is 12 years old and dealing with the normal girl issues of friends acting differently, cliques, first crushes, and middle school in general. She is concerned with how other people view her and with being true to who she is. At the start of her latest school year, her long time BFF is looking to be in with the "popular" crowd (think Mean Girls) and Mia isn't ready to give up her ultra cool tree house. In the midst of all of this, she has just found out that her best friend from science camp is moving to her school and is excited to show him around. But when he arrives, he is instantly loved as a part of the soccer team and Mia feels left out. A science competition brings them back together along with some other interesting characters that help round everything out.
The title of the book comes from the simple fact that we don't always know what others are thinking or going through. We make assumptions about behaviors and often second guess ourselves. Wires get crossed when we don't talk things through with the people around us, as Mia and Tariq learn in the story.
I am always looking for good books for my fans of Raina Telgemeir and the Baby Sitter's Club books. This definitely fits the bill.
Mia is 12 years old and dealing with the normal girl issues of friends acting differently, cliques, first crushes, and middle school in general. She is concerned with how other people view her and with being true to who she is. At the start of her latest school year, her long time BFF is looking to be in with the "popular" crowd (think Mean Girls) and Mia isn't ready to give up her ultra cool tree house. In the midst of all of this, she has just found out that her best friend from science camp is moving to her school and is excited to show him around. But when he arrives, he is instantly loved as a part of the soccer team and Mia feels left out. A science competition brings them back together along with some other interesting characters that help round everything out.
The title of the book comes from the simple fact that we don't always know what others are thinking or going through. We make assumptions about behaviors and often second guess ourselves. Wires get crossed when we don't talk things through with the people around us, as Mia and Tariq learn in the story.
January 19, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Mia has gotten her interest in science and engineering from her grandmother, who lives with the family, and loved being at a tech camp with Tariq. When his family moves to town and he has gotten more social and attractive, Mia worries that with her braces, glasses, and difficult hair, he won't want to hang out with her. When he spends time with the soccer team, and Mia's friend Addy who is hanging with a more popular crowd seems interested in him, Mia is not happy. She does make a new friend in Kinsey, who loves to draw. When the science class starts on a project, Tariq, Mia, Kinsey, and Evan all work on a robotic snake. There are some miscommunications as the children use their creativity and imagination on the project, but in the end, Mia is able to reconnect with Tariq and clear up misunderstandings. The science and the tween drama in this, along with Fantaskey's writing, make this one I will buy.
Mia has gotten her interest in science and engineering from her grandmother, who lives with the family, and loved being at a tech camp with Tariq. When his family moves to town and he has gotten more social and attractive, Mia worries that with her braces, glasses, and difficult hair, he won't want to hang out with her. When he spends time with the soccer team, and Mia's friend Addy who is hanging with a more popular crowd seems interested in him, Mia is not happy. She does make a new friend in Kinsey, who loves to draw. When the science class starts on a project, Tariq, Mia, Kinsey, and Evan all work on a robotic snake. There are some miscommunications as the children use their creativity and imagination on the project, but in the end, Mia is able to reconnect with Tariq and clear up misunderstandings. The science and the tween drama in this, along with Fantaskey's writing, make this one I will buy.
January 31, 2024
This was a fun middle grade graphic novel about changes. It’s about how people you know and love change but are still themselves in ways that counts. For our main character Mia, her best summer camp friend is now going to get to be her all the time friend because they’re moving into the same school. But things are not how Mia planning. One friendship is cracking, school is changing, and it now matters if things are cool or crazy. This is a fantastic book about growing up. About remembering to communicate and remembering that friends are what you make of them. This was well done and great for people who like books like Dork Diary.
January 26, 2024
I would like thank edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I liked the premise of this graphic novel, Mia is excited to have her friend Tariq who she met at summer camp come to her school but he is suddenly cool? What happened to the robot loving boy she used to know? Everyone wants to be his friend, and when a school dance comes up, does she want to go with him as a date, does someone else like him. The title is very fitting, how wires often get crossed when we assume or don't say anything.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews