Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess

Macy’s mom is getting married, and along with a new step-dad, Macy will soon have two pesky little step-sisters. Turns out, a surprising connection with her elderly neighbor might be exactly what Macy needs to face the upcoming changes.

A summer read for fans of Sharon Creech and Kate DiCamillo.

Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess (Pajama Press, 2017) is a middle grade novel in verse, available now in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audio. (Click cover image for hi-res version.)

Awards and Honours:

2018 ALA Schneider Family Book Award winner
2019 IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities selection
2019 New York Public Library “Read Harder” selection
2018 IODE Violet Downey Book Award finalist
2018 Horn Book “Back-to-School” selection
2018 USBBY Outstanding International Books selection
2017 Fall Best Books for Kids & Teens selection
2017 Junior Library Guild selection
2017 Resource Links “The Year’s Best”

State/Provincial Reading Lists and Readers’ Choice Award nominations:

2021 Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Minnesota)
2021 Nutmeg Book Award (Connecticut)
2021 Lectio Book Award (Texas) – winner
2020 Kentucky Bluegrass Award
2020 Illinois Bluestem Readers’ Choice Award
2020 CLAU Beehive Award (poetry)
2020 Virginia Readers’ Choice Middle School List
2019 Chocolate Lily Award
2019 Rocky Mountain Book Award
2019 SYRCA Diamond Willow Award
2019 Great Stone Face Book Award
2018 Forest of Reading Silver Birch Fiction Award

Reviews:

“The novel-in-verse structure is clever, engaging, and accessible. Macy’s deafness is skillfully woven into the story, adding depth and complexity to her characterization and relationships with others. … Macy’s coming-of-age anxieties, observations, and insights will resonate with middle grade readers. A strong purchase for public and school libraries.”—School Library Journal

“Told as a verse-novel, in a light yet poignant style … there is much to admire here including a clear plot line, rich character development, and sudden, incisive humour … Highly recommended.”—CM Magazine

“…spare yet poignant narrative … Macy’s life lessons are realistic and illuminating; that she is deaf adds yet another dimension to an already powerful tale.”—Kirkus

“…insightfully poignant…Shari Green uses few words, but the right ones, to grow a story of such sensitivity for and awareness of her characters and readers that all will leave the story fulfilled.”—CanLit for LittleCanadians

“…a beautifully emotional, poetic treasure. Shari Green’s writing is captivating and she has created, in Macy McMillan, a complex, true-to-life, sensitive preteen girl….Green’s writing is superbly lyrical, touching, and likely to stick with readers for a long time….Highly recommended for all children’s libraries.”—Resource Links