Sweet and Sour - by Debbi Michiko Florence (Hardcover)

About the Book

Eleven-year-old Mai has been contemplating revenge on her former best friend Zach ever since he humiliated her two years ago, but while spending time together for the summer, Mai has noticed a change in Zach, forcing her to decide if she can forgive him, even if she can never forget.

Book Synopsis

A heartfelt middle-grade novel about ex-best friends, betrayals, and revenge that is best served sour.

Revenge is sweet!

For as long as she can remember, Mai has spent every summer in Mystic, Connecticut visiting family friends. And hanging out with her best-friend-since-birth, Zach Koyama, was always the best part.

Then two summers ago everything changed. Zach humiliated Mai, proving he wasn't a friend at all. So when Zach's family moved to Japan, Mai felt relieved. No more summers together. No more heartache.

But this year, the Koyamas have returned and the family vacation is back on. And if Mai has to spend the summer around Zach, the least she can do is wipe away the memory of his betrayal... by coming up with the perfect plan for revenge!

Only Zach isn't the boy he used to be, and Mai's memories of their last fateful summer aren't the whole truth of what happened between them. Now she'll have to decide if she can forgive Zach, even if she can never forget.

Review Quotes

"A sweet taste of youthful summer and a reminder of how extreme friendship fails can be." - Booklist

"An endearing book exploring the ups and downs of friendship." - Kirkus Reviews

"This book gave me Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han vibes but for middle grade. Sweet and Sour is the perfect summer contemporary read." - Maleeha Siddiqui, author of Barakah Beats

"Looking for a sweet summer love story? Look no further than Debbi Michiko Florence's absolutely fabulous Sweet and Sour--it has all the feels of first crushes, long summers, and the joys of being BTS ARMY!" - Wendy Shang, award-winning author of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu and The Secret Battle of Evan Pao.

"Nobody does sweet friendships like Debbi Michiko Florence! Florence's books are the kind I hoard until the day my kids graduate from picture books, then I will bring these gems out and say, 'FINALLY, let me introduce you to the joy that is Debbi Michiko Florence.' Sweet and Sour, like her previous works, is full of joy while also tackling the complicated layers that come with friendship and growing up. I could not have enough of Mai and Zach!" - Jesse Q. Sutanto, National Bestselling author

About the Author

Debbi Michiko Florence is the author of Keep It Together, Keiko Carter, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and New England Book Award finalist, Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai, and the Jasmine Toguchi chapter books. A third-generation Japanese American and native Californian, Debbi lives in Connecticut with her husband, rescue dog, and rabbit. Visit her online at debbimichikoflorence.com.