UK Edition (Walker Books, 2022)
Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen
Maple is in fifth grade—again. Now everyone will find out she struggles with reading—or will they? An engaging read for anyone who has ever felt different.
Maple Mehta-Cohen has been keeping a secret: she can’t read all that well. She has an impressive vocabulary and loves dictating stories into her recorder—especially the adventures of a daring sleuth who’s half Indian and half Jewish like Maple herself—but words on the page just don’t seem to make sense to her. Despite all Maple’s clever tricks to hide her troubles with reading, her teacher is on to her, and now Maple has to repeat fifth grade. Maple is devastated—what will her friends think? Will they forget about her? She uses her storytelling skills to convince her classmates that she's staying back as a special teacher’s assistant (because of budget cuts, you know). But as Maple navigates the loss of old friendships, the possibility of new ones, and facing her reading challenges head-on, her deception becomes harder to keep up. Can Maple begin to recognize her own strengths, and to love herself—and her brain—just the way she is? Readers who have faced their own trials with school and friendships will enjoy this heartwarming story and its bright, creative heroine.
Candlewick 2021
* A 2021 Junior Library Guild Selection *
* A Julia Ward Howe Book Award Finalist *
* A Badger Book Award (UK) Finalist *
“Adventure abounds. . . This is a story to share with all, as Maple’s reading struggles are revealed to be a result of dyslexia, allowing this title to serve as a talking point regarding the need to show acceptance and understanding for students who struggle with reading and learning.” —School Library Connection (starred review)
“Frank and quirky. . . A layered, utterly readable novel.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Warmly compassionate and often funny, Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen is an inspiring and comforting read.” — Bookpage
Fear of Missing Out
Everyone has a fear of missing out on something―a party, a basketball game, a hangout after school. But what if it’s life that you’ll be missing out on?
When Astrid learns that her cancer has returned, she hears about a radical technology called cryopreservation that may allow her to have her body frozen until a future time when―and if―a cure is available. With her boyfriend, Mohit, and her best friend, Chloe, Astrid goes on a road trip in search of that possibility. To see if it’s real. To see if it’s worth it. For fear of missing out on everything.
Farrar Straus & Giroux (2019)
*A 2019 Junior Library Guild Selection*
*A YABC Buzzworthy Book of Winter 2019*
"A unique, fascinating look at treatment choices and the right to die wrapped up in a searing tale of characters brimming with life." ―Booklist, starred review
"A heartbreaking story of loss and grief peopled with nuanced, endearing characters that ultimately leaves the reader with a feeling of triumph." ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"McGovern’s impeccable writing carries readers through an incredible journey of self-exploration . . . A compelling and heartrending read that should not be missed." ―School Library Journal, starred review
"Mohit and Astrid are in a constant state of wonder over life’s infinite mysteries, giving this title emotional, spiritual, and intellectual heft. Astrid’s unusual pursuit of possible life beyond cancer and death will draw readers into this thought-provoking story." ―Publishers Weekly
"Thought provoking and ripe for discussion . . . keep a box of tissues handy." ―Horn Book
Rules for 50/50 Chances
Seventeen-year-old Rose Levenson has a decision to make: Does she want to know how she’s going to die?
Because when Rose turns eighteen, she can take the test that will tell her if she carries the genetic mutation for Huntington’s disease, the degenerative condition that is slowly killing her mother.
With a fifty-fifty shot at inheriting her family’s genetic curse, Rose is skeptical about pursuing anything that presumes she’ll live to be a healthy adult—including going to ballet school and the possibility of falling in love. But when she meets a boy from a similarly flawed genetic pool, and gets an audition for a dance scholarship in California, Rose begins to question her carefully laid rules.
Farrar Straus & Giroux (2015)
A heartrending but ultimately uplifting debut novel about learning to accept life's uncertainties; a perfect fit for the current trend in contemporary realistic novels that confront issues about life, death, and love.