THINGS THAT SURPRISE YOU

A beautifully heartfelt middle-grade novel about twelve-year-old Emily Murphy, who is learning to navigate all the challenges of middle-school and shifting friendships, while at home her older sister is recovering from an eating disorder that has affected the whole family.

Emily Murphy is about to enter middle school and she's sort of excited... though she is not nearly as excited as her best friend Hazel, who is ready for everything in her life to be new. Emily wishes she and Hazel could just continue on as they always have, being big fans of the Unicorn Chronicles, making up dance moves, and getting their regular order at The Slice.

But things are changing. At home, Emily and her family are learning to move on after her parents' divorce. Hardest of all, her beloved sister Mina has been in a treatment facility to deal with her anorexia. She is ready to come home now — and while Emily wants that more than anything, she is also scared that Mina will go back to being angry and sick, the way she was before she left.

Hazel is changing too. She has new friends from the field hockey team, is starting to wear makeup, and have crushes on boys. Emily is trying to keep up, but she keeps doing and saying the wrong thing. She wishes she had some kind of guide to help her get things right. One night while watching TV, Emily comes across an infomercial for the Be the Best You self-help CDs — the perfect solution to fix her life. She will use the CDs to create the perfect new Emily. But is that really who she wants to be?

Things That Surprise You is a beautifully layered novel about navigating the shifting bonds of family and friendship, and learning how to put the pieces back together when things fall apart.

Jennifer Maschari likes to write books about kids who are brave. She lives in Ohio with her husband and her stinky (but noble) English bulldogs, Oliver and Hank. She is also the author of The Remarkable Journey of Charlie Price.