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Creator: Barbara Dee

From critically acclaimed author Barbara Dee comes a middle grade novel about a girl whose struggles with anxiety and writer’s block set off unexpected twists and turns, both on and off the page.

Lyla is thrilled when her seventh-grade English language arts class begins a daily creative writing project. For the past year, she’s been writing a brilliant fantasy novel in her head, and here’s her chance to get it on paper! The plot to Lyla’s novel is super complicated, with battle scenes and witches and a mysterious one-toed-beast, but at its core, it’s about an overlooked girl who has to rescue her beautiful, highly accomplished older sister.

But writing a fantasy novel turns out to be harder than simply imagining one, and pretty soon Lyla finds herself stuck, experiencing a panic she realizes is writer’s block. Part of the problem is that she’s trying to impress certain people—like Rania, her best friend who’s pulling away, and Ms. Bowman, the coolest teacher at school. Plus, there’s the pressure of meeting the deadline for the town writing contest. A few years ago, Lyla’s superstar teen sister Dahlia came in second, and this time, Lyla is determined to win first prize.

Finally, Lyla confides about her writing problems to Dahlia, who is dealing with her own academic stress as she applies to college. That’s when she learns Dahlia’s secret, which is causing a very different type of writer’s block. Can Lyla rescue a surprisingly vulnerable big sister, both on the page and in real life?

 
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# of Pages: 288

Book Binding: Hardcover

Year of Publication: 2024

Publisher: Aladdin

Language: en

ISBN: 9781534489868

Barbara Dee is a talented and acclaimed author, known for her engaging and heartfelt middle-grade novels. With a background in writing and acting, Dee brings a unique perspective and voice to her writing. She has a gift for capturing the complexities of middle school and creating relatable characters that readers of all ages can connect with. Dee's writing has been described as both funny and poignant, tackling important topics such as friendship, identity, and self-acceptance. In addition to being an author, Dee is also a teacher and lives with her family in New Jersey.