Nothing but Trouble

by Jacqueline Davies Narrated by Brittany Pressley

Overview

From the acclaimed author of The Lemonade War comes a new series starring two smart girls determined to liven up their town-one epic prank at a time.

Odawahaka has always been too small for Maggie's big scientific ideas. Between her stuck-in-a-rut mom, her grumpy grandpop, and the lifetime supply of sludgy soda in the fridge, it's hard for Maggie to imagine a change.

But when Lena moves in with her creative spirit and outrageous perspective, middle school takes off with a bang. Someone starts pulling the kind of pranks that send their rule-loving new principal into an uproar-complete with purple puffs of smoke, parachuting mice, and a scavenger hunt that leads to secret passageways. Suddenly the same-old football games, election for class president, and embarrassing stories feel almost exciting. And for the first time in her life, Maggie begins to wonder if there might be more to Odawahaka than she ever saw coming!

Humorous, smart, and full of small-town heart, Nothing But Trouble will have mischief-loving readers caught up in the cleverness and determination of two girls who can't be held down.

Editorial Reviews

Katie Bruce

A sublimely subversive story of two resourceful girls hacking their way through sixth grade and discovering one of those extraordinary friendships that turn your world upside down and end up fundamentally changing you from the inside out forever.

Naphtali Faris

Spearheaded by a couple of singular, funny, and complicated characters with a penchant for hacking, this a beautifully and quietly emotional story of the bravery in seeking your own voice and the triumph of connection. I can’t wait to see what comes next for Maggie and Lena. Mus, sum!

Bestselling Author Suzanne Selfors

Friendship and family fun plus lots of humor make this a real page-turner. Maggie and Lena might be Trouble with a capital T, but they’ve got enough heart and moxie to change the world!

Colby Sharp

The more strong and independent female characters in middle grade the better. Readers are going to fall in love with Maggie and Lena... Jaqueline Davies has done it again: fascinating characters, a page turner, surprising twists and turns! NOTHING BUT TROUBLE is a winner.

Horn Book Magazine

Full of unapologetic girl power and complete with appended activities based on Maggie’s interest in physics and Lena’s in Dadaism, [Nothing But Trouble] might especially appeal to lonely studious-and-creative types, with its reassurance that they’re not as alone as they may think.

Betsy Bird

Davies’ real talent is human relationships.

Booklist

Best known for The Lemonade War (2007) and its sequels, Davies brings the same strong sense of narrative along with a well-drawn, small-town setting and number of believable, sometimes quirky characters. Throughout the book, Lena’s artistic outlook complements Maggie’s engineering bent.

Bestselling author Suzanne Selfors

Friendship and family fun plus lots of humor make this a real page-turner. Maggie and Lena might be Trouble with a capital T, but they’ve got enough heart and moxie to change the world!

Booklist (starred review) for THE LEMONADE CRIME

The realistic depiction of the children’s emotions and ways of expressing them will resonate with readers. Great for discussion, this involving and, at times, riveting chapter book has something to say and a deceptively simple way of saying it.

Kirkus Review

2016-08-02
Sixth-grader and budding engineer Maggie Gallagher occupies her fertile mind and connects to the father who survives only in her head by planning and executing elaborate pranks at school. Maggie’s father pulled notorious pranks while in college at MIT. He died before she was born, leaving only a box of notebooks describing his hacks in meticulous detail. She re-creates them at Odawahaka Middle School using money earned from secretly selling her grandfather’s vintage car parts on the internet. Maggie dreams of nothing more than leaving her dysfunctional family and getting out of her dying small town until dadaist new student Lena Polachev chooses her as a friend. Together they become an unstoppable force against the school’s new dictatorial principal. The story is full of stylish and satisfying pranks, some chronicled step by step and others simply mentioned. Toy cars spill out of lockers, ping-pong balls rain down on the principal, school banners are reworded. Where Wildcats ruled, the Mouse is in the house, and what was simply funny becomes a revolution bringing much-needed change to a depressed, evidently all-white community. A vividly realized present-day setting, distinctive, believable characters, subversive humor, and a satisfying ending give this title solid kid appeal. With plenty of threads to hang sequels from, this series opener will make readers roar for more. (activities) (Fiction. 10-13)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173782755
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/01/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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