Maya's Story: An Illustrated Chapter Book About Losing a Spelling Bee to Your Best Friend for Kids (Ages 8-12) (Backyard Witch, 3)

The third book of the Backyard Witch series stars a spelling bee almost-champion, an imaginary chicken, and Ms. M, the mysterious witch who always appears when you need her.

From acclaimed authors Christine Heppermann and Ron Koertge, this fun-filled friendship story is just right for fans of Ivy + Bean, Dory Fantasmagory, and Clementine.

Maya has been preparing for the school spelling bee F-O-R-E-V-E-R. She spells every unusual word she hears and even enlists her best friends, Sadie and Jess, to help her practice. But on the day of the bee, something terrible happens—Maya loses. To Sadie.

Enter Ms. M, who is substituting for the school librarian. Ms. M always knows just how to make everyone feel better . . . but she also always brings a little mischief. This time it involves a library poltergeist and an imaginary chicken!

Short chapters filled with illustrator Deborah Marcero’s striking, lively black-and-white illustrations make the Backyard Witch series a must-have for young middle grade readers.

Losing to your best friend is tough. But with a little magic from a friendly witch, anything can happen.

• A Relatable School Story: Maya is the best speller in school, until the one person she never expected beats her: her own best friend, Sadie.
• Dealing with Big Feelings: A gentle and funny look at what happens when jealousy gets in the way of friendship, and how to find your way back.
• A Funny Witch: Luckily, the new substitute librarian is Ms. M, a friendly witch who knows that sometimes a little mischief is the best medicine.
• Imaginary Friends: Featuring a mysterious library poltergeist and a very important (and very invisible) chicken named Caitlyn!

Christine Heppermann is the author of Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty, which received five starred reviews and was named to five best of the year lists in 2014, and Ask Me How I Got Here. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Highland, New York.

Ron Koertge is the author of many acclaimed novels for young people, including Stoner & Spaz and Shakespeare Bats Cleanup, and most recently is coauthor, with Gary D. Schmidt, of Styx and Stones. A two-time winner of the PEN Award, Ron lives in South Pasadena, California, where he is currently the city’s poet laureate.

Deborah Marcero holds degrees in drawing and photography from the University of Michigan and an MFA in poetry from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This is her first book.