Crushing It

Joanne Levy nails the seventh-grade social landscape with an authentic tween voice that rings true from the first chapter. Kat is a genuinely likable narrator — loyal to a fault and hilariously oblivious to her own feelings — and watching her tie herself in knots to help Olivia win Tyler is both cringe-funny and quietly poignant. The positive message about self-worth and inner confidence lands without feeling like a lecture, which is harder to pull off than it looks. The honest caveat is that the plot resolution is telegraphed early, and readers who have met this story before will see every turn coming. Still, for a middle-grade reader navigating first-crush territory, this is a fast, warm, genuinely enjoyable read. Worth it.