Believe - by Julie Mathison

About the Book

Full of humor and wonder, BELIEVE explores the power and limits of the imagination - and how love both breaks and heals our hearts. This quirky, heartfelt middle-grade novel about grief and resilience will keep you guessing until the end.

Book Synopsis

A quirky, heartfelt middle-grade novel about grief and the resilience of the human spirit. Full of humor and wonder, Believe explores the power and limits of the imagination - and how love both breaks and heals our hearts.

Eleven-year-old Melanie knows she's special. She's never been bored. She understands the secret language of old houses and makes jewels out of broken glass. Her imagination can do anything -- except make friends. It's 1980, and life as a fifth grader at Buckminster Experimental School is lonely at best, when she's not dodging Karen, the school bully. Then, Melanie meets Sabrina, who looks like a TV star and acts like a spy, and who doesn't care what anyone thinks. She teaches Melanie how to believe in herself, and soon Melanie starts living her dreams. She even lands the lead in Peter Pan!

If only she could share it all with Mom. Missing her mom is like trying to breathe with one lung. It's bad. Sabrina thinks they can track her down, and Melanie wants to believe, but sometimes it's easier to pretend. Her new life feels like a house of cards, until one day it all comes crashing down and she finds herself with no choice but to face the truth... and let go.

Review Quotes

"A poignant coming-of-age tale with a compelling mystery at its center."

-Kirkus Reviews

"Believe had control of me, keeping me wondering, wanting, and waiting for a conclusion I thought I might have figured out. Nope, I was wrong, but no spoilers here. You need to read Believe to find out how everything and everyone plays out. The story is perfect for boys and girls."

- Kids Lit Review, starred review

"This accomplished, often insightful novel examines, with tenderness and empathy, the life of an unpopular middle school girl in the early 1980s... Mathison writes clear, crisp, compelling prose that deftly guides readers to what matters in a scene and omits what doesn't...The character of Melanie stands out as an inspired, convincing creation, a young person learning to become comfortable in her own skin."

-Critic's Report, Book Life Prize

"A riveting story of loss and friendship. Mathison's characters, young and old, are so well realized that they live on in the reader's mind long after the book is closed."

- Margaret J. Anderson, author of Searching for Shona

Believe is an amazing book and has become one of my favorites. The way Julie Mathison, the author, tells Melanie's story is so descriptive that you feel like you are in the book. I went through the whole book and never wanted to stop reading! The characters are wonderful and have such different personalities, from the class clown to a bully. I would recommend this book for people ages 10+ because of the deep meaning of friendship.

- Anissa, age 11, reviewer, LitPick.com