Zella is the class clown, and it’s a yearly tradition for the 6th graders to pull a prank. Zella enlists the help of her classmates when she comes up with an idea. What the others don’t know is that Zella has a bonus prank they don’t know about. When the bonus prank goes wrong, Zella is told it was dangerous. Because of the prank, the class now cannot go on their beach field trip. The principal tells Zella he will give her a second chance to redeem herself and leave the school better than she found it. How she does it is up to her. Does Zella come up with an idea that makes the principal happy?
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Ripple Effect is a sweet story featuring Zella, the ultimate prankster and class clown. It started out a bit slow for my taste, but by the second half, I could barely put the book down and finished it all in one sitting.

The story is told in a smattering of alternating perspectives, which I think will appeal to some of my students who want to be reading longer books even though they enjoy the bursts of short stories; you get a slightly different take on the plot with each chapter and can combine them in your head to get the complete story.

Zella and her friends seem like they would fit right in with the kids in my school. Though, thankfully, pranks aren’t a thing for us - hopefully my kids will be inspired by the end of the story rather than the beginning!

I’d recommend this book to middle school and upper elementary students who like realistic fiction, humor, and friendship.

Zella lives in Kettleby, a small New England town, with her mother and grandfather. Her grandmother, who started Trudi's Treats, the ice cream shop the family lives above, has passed away, and her grandfather is struggling with vascular dementia after a stroke. Zella is in 6th grade, and as the end of the year approaches, is obsessed with masterminding the greatest prank the school has ever known. It's a tradition, and while there are rules, the administration is okay with it. Zella walks to school with her friend Janae, who is interested in posting her fashion creations on ClicqueClok, and Bowiw, who is struggling a bit since his parents' divorce. The other students are as excited about the prank as they are about the class trip to Bayborough Beach, except for the new kid, Declan. Declan seems to be planning something, which irritates Zella, since he's also a social media sensation with his gaming and Zella is struggling to come up with ideas. We also meet Shelby, an aspiring investigative journalist a year younger than Zella, who wants the scoop on whatever goes on. The chapters are headed with the name of the person from whose perspective the story is told; we even get the views of the town sometimes! Things are rough at home for Zella, since the ice cream store isn't doing well financially, and her mother is very harried trying to run it while keeping the grandfather safe. Zella eventually figures out that the class prank could be a spin on yarn bombing after she meets a woman who is involved in Fiber Riot, and it's also a good way to use some of her grandmother's yarn. It also makes sense and is a little philosophical, because the school mascot is the spindle, since the town had been home to a sock factory. Zella manages to get a lot more supplies, including scarves and sweaters to use in the yarn installation in the school. She tries to follow the rules and stay safe, but does use the sculpture of a spindle, of which the principal is very proud, in the installation. The day of the prank starts off with the front door being inaccessible because a storm has felled a tree in front of it, but the prank goes well... until the principal pulls the rope that Zella added without her classmates knowing. A banner unfurls, but is unstable, and ends up damaging the spindle and a showcase, and one of the teachers is showered with a bucket of glitter. The principal says that the class trip to the beach will be canceled unless someone owns up to the damage. Zella does, and the principal makes her a deal; the prank tradition started as more of a community service project but has gone awry, and if Zella can pull off a service project, the class can go. After Zella's grandfather wanders off in the rain and Shelby helps her find him and bring him home, Zella gives Shelby two ice cream gift certificates. Shelby, in turn, gives them to two other people, giving Zella the idea of the "ripple effect" project that spreads joy around the town and even helps the family business.
Strengths: Zella is an exuberant but misguided middle school student who is concerned about her legacy and her reputation with her classmates, but doesn't pay attention to her friends as closely as she should. This is very realistic. Everyone in the book has problems of some sort; Declan's sister is in the hospital, Bowie has to travel between households, and even grocery store owner Ruby struggles with her store on delivery days. This makes the town ripe for Zella's plan, and even helps her mother's business by cleaning up a nearby abandoned lot. The yarn bombing was intriguing, and the link to the town's industrial past was informative. There are lots of good details about what it is like to run an ice cream shop, and good descriptions of the flavors!
Weaknesses: This was on the long side (400 pages) and had a lot going on. Also, I found it hard to believe that any school administration would condone a prank of any kind, or allow the trip to continue when the money clearly needed to be spent on replacing the showcase that was broken. (Even small ones would run $3,000.) I can't imagine the custodians were pleased with the clean up.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers want to make the world a better place and enjoyed Hurwitz's The Summer I Saved the World-- in 65 days or Shienmel's The Kindness Club series.

This was really cute! It started off a bit slow but once it picked up I was hooked. Zella is an endearing protagonist who I think a lot of kids will relate to. When her big end-of-the-year prank backfires, she’s given another chance and uses that opportunity to spread kindness in her small town.

The story is told from various alternating perspectives, so each chapter feels more like a short story featuring a different narrator. Set somewhere in New England, Kettleby is a charming small town with a vibrant cast of characters. I really enjoyed getting little snapshots into each character’s life, from Zella’s friends to the various residents of Kettleby. Connections are made as Zella’s challenge takes off, proving that a little kindness can go a long way.

Zella is a great character, but has an overactive imagination when trying to plan her class prank. I felt that this book was kind of long for a middle grade book. But I did like all the characters and the families. I liked learning about this small town and the descriptions of it. I felt like I was there with these characters. I liked the ice cream shop too and how hard Zella's grandparents had worked to open it and make it a town staple.
I really enjoyed the last few chapters, when the "ripple effect" comes into play. That made my heart so happy.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

A very cute story with a wonderful message of kindness. Perfect for young fans of the narration style of Linked, as the entire town gets to live through short snippets, but spearheaded by Zella, who has exuberance, spunk, and heart. Though she is often misguided, she will be very relatable to young readers in her desire to make people laugh.

Only note was that it was pretty long, so that might be off-putting to some readers. It took a while to get to the message of kindness and to get to the prank gone wrong, which was in the description and in a lot of the marketing for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Looking to settle down with a fun Children's Fiction read? Pick The Ripple Effect by Rebecca Caprara for unlimited fun that also tickles your little grey cells.

The story centers around Marzella Trudi, better known to us as Zella, and her antics that seem to have given her quite the reputation. At the cusp of heading to middle school, she wants to leave her mark before she leaves sixth grade. With the help of her two best friends, Bowie and Janea, she prepares to go out with a bang and ace the school-sanctioned prank.

What happens next? Is the prank a success? These questions form the remainder of the story.

The multiple perspectives of the children in the story make for lovely reading. There's also the town of Kettleby voicing its thoughts. From the struggles of a single parent (Zella's mom) to the issues faced by Alzheimer patients and a plethora of socially relevant themes, the book is a reminder of why the Ripple Effect matters, especially in today's times!

I love the message of The Ripple Effect! Zella may have started off all wrapped up in her own stuff, but she learns some valuable lessons about kindness. I was tearing up by the end of this great book!

I love the spelling of The Ripple Effect but it was quite slow to get going. I feel like my Middle Schoolers would enjoy the story once they got there but to get to that point would take determination that not all of them have. Having said that, if they did get to the main part of the story I think they would enjoy it

First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me this free ARC to read, and I am thankful to read this one. I would like to thank the publisher of this book, which is Charlesbridge, for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. Lastly, I would like to thank the Author for writing this beautiful book and I'm glad to found this nice book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I found this book on NetGalley, which is why I picked this book. I loved reading middle-grade books until now, which reminds me of my childhood. This book is a free advance reader copy, and I always love picking free ARCs from the Netgalley website. I would like to recommend this book to my fellow readers to read this book and share it with some other readers. So, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars, and this review will be posted on my Goodreads account.

The Ripple Effect is a perfect story for a Grade 5-8 student. It involves an ice cream shop, a school prank and all of the real life issues of this age. I really connected with the characters and the story as it was perfectly relatable. This is a perfect novel for a public, school or personal library.

Thank you NetGalley, Rebecca Caprara and Charlesbridge for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions expressed are my own.

This title is expected to be released Feb. 18, 2025.

The Ripple Effect offers a sweet and thoughtful look at second chances. Zella wants to be known for pulling off the best prank in 6th grade. When that prank ends up going sideways Zella has to decide how to make it right with her classmates. The Ripple Effect shows us that friendship and small acts of kindness can change not only one heart, but a whole community's.

I really loved Zella's character. She is spunky, distracted, overzealous and fun, with a good heart.

This book was on the longer side with maybe one too many point of views. But the ending saved this book from being a 3 start to a 4 star.

Topics include - friendship, a grandparent with dementia, a character with neurodiversity, family, popularity, community, and second chances.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

The central theme of the book, according to me, was that the voices and strength of many can help portend a positive change. A sense of community and how paying forward acts of kindness can do wonders.

An uplifting tale about the transformative power of kindness, The Ripple Effect tells the story of Marzella Marie Trudi, whose life is on the cusp of monumental change and she is WORRIED.

The ice-cream shop, which was started by her grandparents, and which her parents run now, might be in trouble. Her two best friends Janea and Bowie are more interested in fashion and music, and Marzella, who earned herself the moniker of class clown is worried that she hasn't thought of the brilliant prank idea before she graduates from the sixth grade.

Disaster strikes when she does execute her prank, and Marzella is dismayed. With everyone disappointed or angry at her, Marella begs for a chance to redeem herself, and when the residents of her locality acquiesce, Marzella begins what is termed as the Ripple Effect, a kind of pay it forward act, where each act of kindness is paid forward, thus having a profound positive effect of the residents of Kettleby.

I like how the narrative switched its POV— having multiple characters tell the story apart from the main character offers an insight into their lives and. perception of the same events, an overall narrative for an unbiased look and understanding.

There's a touch on inexplicable lightness in the story, and it is joyous to read.

Reading The Ripple Effect was like playing Jenga in the best way. Caprara carefully places each block that builds the small town of Kettleby, allowing readers to get to know a wide cast of characters from all walks of life. The story follows Zella Trudi, whose characterization will resonate with weird kids everywhere, as she tries to figure out how to leave a lasting impact on her elementary school before leaving for middle school. As we follow Zella’s journey to achieve “GOAT” status for her school prank, a familiar knot of dread can be felt by readers as the Jenga bricks grow more and more precarious. When the tower inevitably collapses, Caprara works to create something beautiful from the wreckage, with Zella learning that her impact on her community does not start or end with just her.

The Ripple Effect takes the time to develop its world, which I find necessary so we can truly feel the impact of the end of the book. Without taking the time to let us know all the characters, there would be a missing sense of community that is necessary for the main message of the story.

I can easily see schools reading The Ripple Effect for book clubs, with a variety of project ideas available, from creating their own ice cream menus to developing their own #RippleEffectChallenge. What educators need to know going into this book is that it’s a longer read, with plenty of room for discussion about character development and predictions. I don’t know how well the social media theme will resonate with kiddos, but as an adult, I found it erred on the side of charming, not cringey.

For adult readers, pick this book up if you want to relive that feeling of transition and change from youth, when you realized that the world was so much more than what you can see in front of you. The entire final act left me with warm fuzzies and renewed my sense of optimism, a feeling that is desperately needed in the stressful times we live in. Be ready to crave ice cream by the end! It’s the dead of winter right now, and all I can think about is a tasty scoop of Raspberry Ripple.

I think that future editions of this book could benefit from a "book club questions" section at the end to help educators and encourage discussion amongst kiddos. Additionally, in fitting with the social media theme, it would be cool to see #RippleEffectChallenge used to share random acts of kindness by the publisher or author.

If The Ripple Effect were an ice cream flavor, I think it would taste of orange blossom syrup and pistachios, unique, sweet, light, and a little nutty at times.

First of all thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I really liked this book. The character of Zella provided lots of humour and quirkiness. Lots of funny moments throughout but also some really touching scenes. The ending was top tier for me.

I didn’t think the multiple POVs from all different characters was necessarily needed. I would’ve been fine with just reading Zella’s POV. It was also a touch too long, with the main event of the prank not happening until well into the book.

For that reason, it’s a 4 star for me. The message of this book is beautiful and I’d recommend to young readers everywhere.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions written are completely honest and my own..

A aged appropriate novel that is told from various students point of view. I really enjoyed reading this one and I appreciate the variation in personalities. Almost everyone will relate to someone

This story reminded me of my first years in school and in general of my childhood, since at one point in my life being the class clown, although it was not what defined me as a student, it was something that in a way marked a bit of my personality in class.

Although it wasn't me at all times, we all had that clown classmate for whom we were punished at some point, even though their intention was just to amuse and draw attention to themselves.

I saw many of them reflected in Zella and the way being singled out as the one to blame for an important moment to fail fell on her shoulders.

Was a nice trip back to moments in my childhood this read and one that made me remember things I had already lost from my memory.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC.