The Best Worst Thing - by Kathleen Lane (Paperback)

About the Book

A simply told, deeply riveting, and perceptive debut novel that strikes a universal chord by exploring what it's like to be a 10-year-old who doesn't feel ready to grow up and leave childhood behind.

Book Synopsis

Front door locked, kitchen door locked, living room windows closed. Nobody in the closet, nobody under the beds.

Still, Maggie is worried. Ever since she started middle school, she sees injustice and danger everywhere--on the news, in her textbooks, in her own neighborhood. Even her best friend seems to be changing.

Maggie believes it is up to her, and only her, to make everything all right. Can she come up with a plan to keep everyone safe?

The Best Worst Thing is a perceptive novel about learning the limits of what you can control, and the good--sometimes even best--things that can come of finally letting go.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Best Worst Thing: "An incandescent debut. Long after you've finished The Best Worst Thing, you'll remember Kathleen Lane's brave and good-hearted Maggie and how she learns to face her fears. A writer to watch, a voice to savor, a novel to cherish."--Katherine Applegate, Newbery medal-winning author of The One and Only Ivan

* "Lane crafts a powerful portrait of a girl wrangling with deeply relatable concerns, which will easily resonate with readers confronting a complex and uncertain world."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Thoughtful characterization and relatable themes make this a strong purchase."--School Library Journal, starred review

"First-person narration along with brief chapters, with some just a headline, set a deliberate pace and keep readers engaged in Maggie's story--and don't worry, the murderer gets caught."--The Horn Book

"I loved this book. Simple, tender, and real, The Best Worst Thing is packed with heart."--Ali Benjamin, author of National Book Award Finalist The Thing About Jellyfish

"Lane writes beautifully throughout."--Booklist

"Lane's prose is quietly powerful, plain yet poetic....A tender, sober portrait of a middle schooler with OCD."--Kirkus Reviews

"Maggie's voice, melodramatic and obsessive as it is, is clearly and consistently developed, and it grants a kind of intimacy that middle-school readers with their own set of sometimes overwhelming fears will appreciate."--The Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books

"Students making the transition from elementary school to middle school, or grappling with feelings of being an outsider, will be able to identify with Maggie's struggles."--School Library Connection

About the Author

Kathleen Lane lives in Portland, Oregon, where she writes, teaches, and cohosts the art and literary event series SHARE.