Hello! I'm Afoma.
  • Book Reviews
    • Picture book
    • Chapter Books
    • Middle-Grade
    • Graphic Novels
    • Young Adult
    • Adult Fiction
    • Adult Non-Fiction
  • Book Lists
    • Picture Book Lists
    • Middle Grade Book Lists
    • Book Lists by Theme
    • Book Lists by Grade
    • Audiobook Recommendations
  • Join My Newsletter!
  • Go to the Blog
  • Summer Reading

Reading Middle Grade

Books for Kids and Grown Ups

  • Book Reviews
    • Picture book
    • Chapter Books
    • Middle-Grade
    • Graphic Novels
    • Young Adult
    • Adult Fiction
    • Adult Non-Fiction
  • Book Lists
    • Picture Book Lists
    • Middle Grade Book Lists
    • Book Lists by Theme
    • Book Lists by Grade
    • Audiobook Recommendations
  • Join My Newsletter!
  • Go to the Blog
  • Summer Reading

Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · August 10, 2022

Review | Be Real, Macy Weaver

Book Review - Be Real, Macy Weaver

Summary: Be Real, Macy Weaver

Macy Weaver has trouble keeping friendships, and as readers quickly discover, most of this is her fault. Whenever she meets someone she likes and wants to be accepted by, she starts to copy them — their style, preferences, and even mannerisms — and sometimes pretends to be someone she isn’t to impress them. This usually puts off her new friends. Unfortunately, when her family moves from South Carolina to Maryland, Macy continues this behavior.

Besides her friendship struggles, Macy also has issues at home. Her mom (who’s the reason why they’ve moved — she’s gotten into college) is never home, and her dad is stretched at work and rarely home. At school, Macy weaves a tale of her mom being a fashion photographer and is roped into keeping up appearances to impress Brynn, a girl at her school. But Brynn already has a best friend, Grace, who is unconvinced by Macy’s antics, and wants to get to the bottom of things. How long before Macy is forced to come clean?

The Good

While I found Macy terribly annoying for the story’s first half, the writer does a great job of peeling back the layers behind her issues. I also loved the fashion arc of this story and how Macy grows to understand that fashion shouldn’t control us, but rather, we should make our fashion and style. Macy’s friend Pax is a great character who is patient with her and brings out the best in her.

Macy’s mother was an interesting character — seemingly free-spirited but selfish, unrepentant, and just hurtful to her child. As painful as it was to read, her inclusion in the story highlights a different kind of toxic parent (author Lakita Wilson talks all about it in this interview). I was grateful for Macy’s dad and neighbor who looked out for her.

Finally, I loved how realistic the resolution of this story was. I don’t want to spoil anything, but it shows that people sometimes need a shove to come clean.

Overall: Be Real, Macy Weaver

Be Real, Macy Weaver is an engaging, realistic, and creative middle grade novel about identity, fashion, and friendships. This heartfelt romp is highly relatable, especially for kids who think they need to be someone else to find acceptance with their peers. Kids who love crafting and fashion will also enjoy the creative outfits that Macy and her crew come up with. This one’s a strong debut worth reading.


Buy This Book

Be Real, Macy Weaver

buy on amazon

More Book Reviews

  • Hope Springs by Jaime Berry
  • Just Right Jillian by Nicole D. Collier
  • Camp Famous by Jennifer Blecher

Don't Forget to Share!

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • WhatsApp
  • LinkedIn

Related

Posted In: Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · Tagged: fashion, friendships, parental separation

Join My Newsletter

Like what you just read? Sign up for my Friday kidlit newsletter!

Privacy Policy

You’ll Also Love

Review | Coming Up Short
Graphic Novel Review | Swim Team
Review | Just Right Jillian

Comments

  1. Rosi Hollinbeck says

    August 10, 2022 at 6:17 pm

    Sounds like an interesting read. I’ve seen a lot of MG books recently with unlikable characters. Thanks for the post.

    Reply

What do you think? Leave a comment Cancel reply

Next Post >

20 Best Middle Grade Books About Time Travel

About Me
Hi, I'm Afoma! Thank you for stopping by. Learn more about me here.

Get 2 Months Free on Scribd


Follow on Bloglovin’

Follow

We’re Social Too!

  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Stock photos courtesy of our partners at DepositPhotos 📸
♟️ chess in MG lit ♟️ ✨a suspenseful middle grade book✨ ✨chapter books worth reading!✨ Welcoming a second baby? Here’s a delightful picture book with tips for big kids. Although there’s more text in this one than I’d like for a typical picture book, I love that the information is factual and can be very helpful for parents tackling these specific questions with their big kids ❤️ ❓What happened to Rachel Riley❓ As much as I love new releases, I like to make room in my reading plans for books released a couple (or more) years before. Here’s my current backlist stack for 2023.
  • Blog
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 Reading Middle Grade · Theme by 17th Avenue

 

Loading Comments...