The Meaning of Maggie - by Megan Jean Sovern (Paperback)

About the Book

Eleven-year-old Maggie Mayfield is an A-plus student with big plans for herself. However, she is also facing a lot of problems, including starting middle school and figuring out how to help her father who is out of work and in a wheelchair.

Book Synopsis

As befits a future President of the United States of America, Maggie Mayfield has decided to write a memoir of the past year of her life. And what a banner year it's been! During this period, she's Student of the Month on a regular basis, an official shareholder in Coca-Cola stock, and defending Science Fair champion. Most importantly, though, this is the year Maggie has to pull up her bootstraps (the family motto) and finally learn why her cool dude dad is in a wheelchair, no matter how scary that is. Author Megan Jean Sovern, herself the daughter of a dad with multiple sclerosis, writes with the funny grace and assured prose of a new literary star.

A portion of the proceeds of the sale of this book will be donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Review Quotes

"Maggie is a firecracker character, one who sparkles with wit, cynicism, love and potential. Her voice will charm and captivate readers."--Shelf Awareness for Readers, starred review

"Readers will instantly fall in love with Maggie. Her narrative voice is smart, funny and clever, which makes her a highly entertaining, endearing, complex, triple threat."--The Children's Book Review

"This debut novel is perfect in every regard."--Books to Borrow... Books to Buy

"One of the best middle-grade reads so far this summer is author Megan Jean Sovern's remarkable debut, The Meaning of Maggie ."--GeekMom

"The must-read book of the summer!" -Annie Jones, The Bookshelf, Thomasville, GA

"Maggie, marches to her own beat, but she certainly charms readers."-- Makin Books in Bloom

"Smart, sensitive, sad and funny."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"The Meaning of Maggie does for middle-grade fiction what John Green's The Fault in Our Stars did for teen literature: Both portray coping with serious illness as one aspect of a complex character, not as the single issue that defines them."--BookPage

"This novel has VOICE in spades. Maggie is intelligent, self-aware, and humorous."--Middle Grade Mafioso

"Her endearing blend of innocence and burgeoning maturity as well as her diligence and work ethic made me wish I was her teacher. Her penchant for sweets and her love of reading made me wish I was her friend."--Two Writing Teachers

" Smart, sensitive, sad and funny."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Readers will appreciate Maggie's humor and rejoice in her growth. This is a remarkable story of a working-class family pulling together in the face of a serious illness."-School Library Journal, starred review

"Refreshing, quirky, and honest."--Reading Today

"Heart-wrenching yet full of heart."-Publishers Weekly

"An absolute start-to-finish delight... a book bound for glory."--Beth Kephart, author of Small Damages and National Book Award Finalist.

"Those who know me will know why, personally, I was very happy to see a new series coming out of author/illustrator Micah Player called Lately Lily: The Adventures of a Traveling Girl."--Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library Collections Specialist

"In The Meaning of Maggie, Megan Jean Sovern has found a way to illuminate one family's struggle in the face of an impossible and incurable disease. She's done it with humor, wit, and heartache. And along the way, she's given us a character-Maggie-who is a joy to behold despite being stubborn, immature, and temperamental. There is hope here, and a great story to boot." --Kathi Appelt, author of National Book Award finalist and Newbery Honor book The Underneath

"The Meaning of Maggie is funny, charming, and full of heart. Maggie is an unforgettable character and young readers will love her." -Wendy Mass, New York Times Bestselling author of Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life.

About the Author

Megan Jean Sovern is an award-winning copywriter at a major advertising agency. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. This is her debut novel.