Wires Crossed — Beth Fantaskey

A smart and funny slice-of-life graphic novel for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Kayla Miller about navigating the ups and downs of middle school -- from first crushes to crushing the school's science competition.

Is this what middle school is all about? Being stuck in the middle? Twelve-year-old Mia feels like everything and everyone is changing -- and she is caught in the middle. Stuck between old friends and new friends...between feeling like a kid and growing up...

Just as her longtime bff Addy is gravitating towards the popular crowd and starting to care more about school dances than treehouse playdates, Mia finds out that her favorite science camp friend, Tariq, is moving to town and will be going to school with her. She's super excited and can't wait to show him around and help him make friends.

But when Tariq arrives in town, he seems like he's grown up a lot, too. No more braces or glasses. A new hair cut. And who knew he was also a soccer star, immediately making the team mid-season?? He's welcomed to Buttonwood Bay Middle School with open arms in a way that Mia can't even recognize, and now she's feeling more lost than ever.

Then her science teacher announces the school's science olympics and she and Tariq are teaming up again to crush the competition -- just like at camp. Only this time they're joined by a couple of unconventional teammates in Kinsey (more artist than scientist) and the loveable, if also sometimes kind of gross and goofy, Evan.

Do Mia and Tariq still have enough of a spark to build a killer robot (figuratively speaking, of course) and take home the prize? Through much experimentation and a little trail and error, Mia navigates new friendships and old as she tries to find her place in middle school -- and on the winner's podium.