Max is dealing with a lot. She has major teeth issues, she and her sister aren't getting along and her parents are always fighting.
This is a deep middle grade story with a lot of real life issues.
Max just wants something to go right for her but with her teeth issues and her family issues and the journalist contest having to have a video this year, it doesn't seem like anything will go her way. We see Max and her family try to get through all the issues going on.
This one was long and hard to read at times. But is a good middle grade book that deals with real life issues.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Being different is both the goal and bane of middle school existence. Sibling rivalry is another item on that list. Max Plink is at the intersection of all of these things. Max's jaw issues not only cause her to stand out to be ridiculed, but her younger sister is at the helm of the crew who makes her life quite miserable. Her family is living on the edge of financial solvency and the cost of the orthodontics and procedures for Max cause her family to miss out on many things others take for granted. Through the story, we watch various members of Max's family unpeel layers that allow the reader to understand, if not appreciate their actions. This was a very realistic story and I'm sure many of my middle schoolers will relate.

A highly readable MG novel that is, on it's surface, about the experience of living with (and trying to fix!) malocclusion but does deep and impressive dives into a number of topics including poverty, alcoholism, (genuinely horrific) bullying, fitting in, abuse, pursuing dreams, medically-influenced sibling resentment, and coming of age. Topics covered are dealt with in an age approprite way that is at times stunningly adroit

Wyman presents an autobiographical story with humor and heart. Young readers struggling through circumstances out of their control or feeling like they don’t fit in will relate to this story.

Max really, really wants to win the young journalist's competition, but this year it requires a video, not just an article she could write. Max doesn't want to be on camera, where people could see her severe overbite and make her life even more miserable that the school bullies do. Meanwhile, her family is on the verge of falling apart--she and her sister don't get along, and their parents are regularly fighting too. Max really needs a win, but there are just so many things working against her.

This seems an easy one to hand to readers of Smile, but besides the dental drama there's not a lot of overlap. Max's family issues are far larger than Telgemeier's, creating a much darker tone to the story (which, also, is a prose story and not a graphic novel).

Solid middle grades title about orthondontia, bullying, friends, family, sibling rivalry, and more. Max is dealing with major changes and her sister who used to be her best friend! When her sister joins her at middle school, suddenly she becomes a bully!