Mia Fullerton: A witty, candid, and interesting fourteen-year-old

Mia Fullerton has entered her freshman year at St. Hilary’s with a goal: to lose her nickname “Mia the Meek,” and soar into a confident high school career. Unfortunately, her transformation is made harder by her English-teacher mom, bratty little brother, already popular nemesis, and new neighbor. Although she’s prepared herself for the battle by reading Excruciatingly Shy: How to Defeat Public Fear and Become Popular, her freshman year remains a series of uphill battles.

The week before school starts, Mia wakes up to discover new neighbors have moved in next door. Forced by her mother to take them her special chocolate chip cookies, Mia first encounters Tim – the handsome yet seemingly arrogant oldest son of the family. Their relationship develops based on competition – from literature to the basketball court – and Mia’s got her work cut out for her.

School begins and Mia immediately meets with all sorts of (often humorous) challenges – from having a locker right next to her arch-enemy Cassie, to being paired with Tim for science lab, to having her mom as her very own English teacher. Before she knows it, her best friend has nominated her for class president, and, what’s worse, she’s running against Cassie! Mia embraces her nomination when she learns that her crush, Jake Harris, has seconded it. After all, what better way to emerge from her shell?

As the year goes on, Mia deals with all the things girls her age face. She becomes class president – with the help of an improvised speech and unconventional catch phrase – dates Jake Harris, helps lead her team in the Academic Quiz Bowl, and tries to balance her new friends with the old. In the end, Mia emerges a far different person than when she set out, though it may not be the person she had imagined that first day at St. Hilary’s. She’s a Mia in progress, learning from her mistakes and welcoming her future.

In Mia, author Eileen Boggess has created the best kind of modern female role model – the kind who sees most of her flaws and wants to change them; one who’s not only intelligent but athletic; and one who’s trying to find her way through a very awkward time in life. In telling her story, Mia proves to be a witty, quick, candid, and interesting fourteen-year-old.

So, if you’re looking for a great young adult novel to read, Mia the Meek is a fantastic choice. It’s clever, honest, and full of laugh-out-loud moments.

Mia the Melodramatic will be the next installment of the Mia Fullerton series.

To Buy "Mia the Meek"

Click the button below or to purchase your book(s) by phone, call Bancroft’s toll-free number at 800-637-7377. If, for some reason, no live person answers, leave your message in the Voicemail address for “Ordering,” and someone will respond within 24 hours.

About Eileen Boggess

Born and educated in Iowa, Eileen Boggess earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA. As an undergraduate, she minored in English and Language Arts.

Her first job after college was as a teacher for St. John/St. Nicholas Catholic School in Waterloo, Iowa, where she taught a combined class of fifth and sixth graders. She later moved to Urbandale, IA, where she taught middle school language arts and gifted education for St. Pius X School. While there, she coached Mock Trial, Future Problem Solvers, Destination Imagination, and speech and debate, and started a quarterly newspaper written and designed by students.

In 2002, she branched out as a freelance writer, covering, among other things, education and business for the Press Citizen newspaper. In 2003, she won a writing contest sponsored by Writer’s Digest Magazine.

She is an adjunct faculty member for Upper Iowa University and currently teaches a children’s literature course. She also supervises student teachers for the university.

She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and an enthusiastic participant in the Iowa chapter’s activities.

Mia the Meek is her first published book.

Read praise for the book.

To Buy "Mia the Meek"

Click the button below or to purchase your book(s) by phone, call Bancroft’s toll-free number at 800-637-7377. If, for some reason, no live person answers, leave your message in the Voicemail address for “Ordering,” and someone will respond within 24 hours.