Eileen Boggess, Mia the Meek

Mia the Meek

Eileen Boggess

Bancroft Press, December 2006, $16.95

ISBN: 1890862460

As she begins her freshman year at St Hilary's High School, fourteen year old Mia the Meek decides she will change her image from scaredy cat to extrovert. She knows it will not be easy, because she needs to ditch her glasses and remove those rail lines on her teeth, but Mia the bold will go forth and do social things, hopefully with Jake, the impetus for her need to change her image, as a hunk like him would never notice a nerd like her.

Her biggest problems, besides her younger brother, are her mom teaches English at the school, so academic and behavioral expectations are beyond the stratosphere. Shockingly, she wins the election for class president, defeating the most popular female at St. Hilary's in the process. More stunning, Jake seems to like her. However, as Mia becomes increasingly "bootyilicious", she makes new friends and begins to leave behind her old pals who were always there for her, nerd or not, but mostly finds she enjoys athletic contests with her new neighbor terrible Tim. They are the most fun.

Mia the terrific is a delightful protagonist who takes chances and makes mistakes, but keeps trying. Middle school readers will enjoy her escapades, as she lands in one fiasco after another. MIA THE MEEK is an amusing character driven look at crashing into the high school in crowd.