Confessions of a Mango

Ruby and her twin brother, Bryce, are starting sixth grade at Benton Academy, a school for gifted children. Bryce is a real brainiac, but Ruby has been diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia, and she feels completely out of place. She knows being at Benton is important to Bryce, and she wants it for him. The pressure on Ruby is terrible, and she doesn’t feel supported. When her new friend, Thea, tells her about an anonymous website, Ruby chooses a secret identity and posts about her frustrations at Benton. Little does she know what a hornet’s nest she has disturbed. Many other students post about their frustrations, but Bryce is furious, and so are many parents.

Authors Kat Lumsden and Nate Pieplow have written a very compelling story of a young girl who processes learning differently from most children, but they also weave in a good portrayal of the day-to-day pressures of school for almost everyone. The characters are all believable, the dialogue is pitch-perfect for the ages of the characters, and the problems faced by the characters are things readers will easily relate to. This book deserves readership far beyond its intended middle-grade audience.