Maya in the Middle

The Magnificent Mya Tibbs #3

by Crystal Allen, Sisi A. Johnson (Narrator)

The third book in the hilarious middle-grade series about Mya, the cowgirl-loving fourth grader—perfect for fans of Ramona the Pest and Clementine.

Things have changed in the Tibbs house, and Mya isn’t happy about it. She’s stuck in the middle between an exceptionally cute baby sister and an exceptionally smart older brother. And her tired parents seem to only notice the “exceptional” kids in the house.

So when a class project lassoes Mya into starting her own school newspaper, she’s sure this will earn her the star status she wants from her parents. But the same project also gives Mya’s archenemy, Naomi Jackson, a chance to prove she is a better friend to the twins, Skye and Starr, than Mya is . . . and soon Mya feels caught in the middle again, just like at home. Good gravy in the navy!

When Mya makes a monumental mistake in an effort to celebrate the twins, she stands to lose everything, including their friendship. Now she has to figure out how to get back in the saddle, grab those reins, and gallop her way toward fixing everything.

Genres: Middle Grade

Audible Audio

First published October 16, 2018

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great middle grade story, third in the series. This one really addresses the feeling that a middle child feels about being alone “in the middle.” It also looks at name calling and uses a great analogy to get Mya’s attention, one that she uses later with her friends. I’m not sure if Crystal Allen has another Mya book up her sleeve, but I could see how this story could continue.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

2/30/2018 ~ Yep - worth reading. Thanks #NerdyBookClub for bringing me back to this series. Mya's sense of invisibility is so poignant. I also loved how Naomi, Connie, and Mya grew beyond their hurt feelings.

12/29/2018 ~ Last year book 1 in this series Magnificent Mya Tibbs: Spirit Week Showdown was on our state student choice award list (Young Hoosier Book Award). It wasn't my favorite book, and this year it's not getting much love from my students. However, I trust the #NerdyBookClub community, so I'll give this one a try. Perhaps having the whole series in my elementary library will give the books a bump.

Award:
https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2...

[JD Hornbacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in awe of how this writer draws me into the character of Mya. I'm a 40-year-old dad who connected so well with this character, I felt like I understood what it would feel like to be a 6th grade girl dealing with friends and school problems haha.
Mya is one of the most fleshed-out characters I've ever read, and her world is real. I loved how the author built tension with school situations and family dynamics. It felt so real and relatable. And the payoffs were all awesome (who knew, after 3 books of villainy, I could care and root for Naomi)! Seriously amazing writing. Can't wait to read more from Crystal Allen.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mya's third book in her Magnificent Mya Tibbs series is a boo-yang good time! Nine-year-old Mya's situation in this book really pulled at my heart strings. Her sleep deprived parents don't seem to notice her at all! How can they when she's stuck in the middle of her nobody-can-resist baby sister and her super genius older brother? In an attempt to lasso her parents attention back, she starts her own newspaper as a school project. On top of that she's caught in the middle of a friendship rivalry! But Mya decides enough is enough and never gives up her ka-clunk!

I have so much fun writing these reviews!
Thanks so much to Crystal Allen, working her literary magic.
Al Monte

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childrens realistic fiction. This is the 3rd and last book in this series about Mya Tibbs, a young black girl who has a tight-knit family and community. This book has her family adjusting to the birth of her younger sister. Her parents are very tired, and baby Macy is monopolizing their time and energy. In Mya's quest to be heard, she starts gathering good news to share during family dinner time. But soon even family dinner time is gone, and Mya feels adrift without the anchor her family has always provided.

This book centered around a 4th grade class project of creating a business and a business plan. It seemed a bit advanced for fourth grade but also seemed like a really cool authentic project. Mya and Connie created a "Texas Taradiddle" newspaper that shared good news and happenings from the school and local community. The school in this series is always presented as welcoming and rich with tradition. It was great to see that Mya had her teacher, classmates, and older brother giving her attention even when her parents could not. I loved the relationships in this series, they were so realistically imperfect. Especially touching was the scene where Mya finally told her parents how she had been feeling. A great book for families dealing with a new baby, especially a later-in-life "surprise" one. Also emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the ones you love.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captures the struggles of a middle child after a new baby is born. The third book in the series shows Mya trying to find ways to be noticed by her parents. Her mom is exhausted from her new baby sister's schedule; her dad has some business issues.
May sets out to create the perfect good news newspaper to ease some of the tensions in her home. She learns to speak up about how she's feeling.
Readers will see themselves in these fifth grade struggles.

[Krissy J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed review—I really felt for Maya and was very unhappy with her parents. That storyline made me cry more than once.

Sometimes the writing didn’t make sense to me. I notice a lot of copy editing mistakes ( especially mixed verb tense), so maybe the inconsistencies in the story were also due to poor editing.

Ultimately, this is a kid-friendly school story that would work for fans of Clementine.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mya has a serious case of Jan Brady Middle Child Syndrome.

[Naisha Jhunjhunwala · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! Such a good book! Must read for readers aged 8-12!!!!!