Tessera

Megan Hirsch is writing

@meganhirsch.bsky.social

Upper Middle Grade 🥸 I write with the foundational belief that middle grade readers are as smart as, or smarter than, I am. Website: meganhirsch.com

122 Posts79 Follower 104 Folgt

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 6d ago

Worth reading for #YA romance appropriate for #MG readers. TITLE: Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List AUTHOR: Janette Rallison AGENT: Timothy Travaglini @transatlanticagcy.bsky.social PUB: Walker & Co, 2005 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #middlegrade #bookrec #mg

Hand holding library book. The primarily pink cover has an illustration of a girl with long blond hair and blue eyes. She’s wearing a long sleeve light green shirt and purple pants. She’s holding a piece of paper in her hand and gazing off to the side. There is a spotlight shining on her from above. Written in cursive handwriting is “fame, glory, and other things on my to do list, by Janette Rallison.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 3w ago

Worth reading for exploring big feelings when a beloved family member becomes ill. TITLE: Ferris AUTHOR: Kate DiCamillo AGENT: Holly McGhee at @pippinproperties.bsky.social PUB: @candlewickpress.bsky.social , 2024 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #middlegrade #bookrec #mg

Hand holding library book. There is an illustration of a long table set for dinner with various family members, as well as a dog, sitting around it. In the foreground there is a girl with short hair turned around, with her head resting in her hand. Most of the people at the table are looking up and smiling at a chandelier that has fireflies buzzing around it. Written on the book’s cover is “Ferris” and “Kate DiCamillo.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · last mo.

Worth reading for a narrator with one-liners that will slay you. TITLE: Three Times Lucky AUTHOR: Sheila Turnage AGENT: Melissa Jeglinski at @knightagency.bsky.social PUB: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2012 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #middlegrade #bookrec #mg

Hand holding library book. The illustrated cover shows a large green glass bottle with a cork in it. Inside the bottle is a piece of paper, tied with a string. The paper has the title of the book written on it, Three Times Lucky. The bottle is floating in some blue water and fireflies are shining all around it. In the background is the silhouette of two people, trees, a car, and a house. The author’s name, Sheila Turnage, is written at the bottom.

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Worth reading for a clever girl group-text premise, drama turned up to 10. TITLE: Friend Group AUTHOR: Lisa Greenwald AGENT: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Birch Path Lit PUB: @harperkids.bsky.social 2026 #kidlit #mg #booksky #middlegrade #bookrec

Hand holding a library book. Primarily pink cover. Most of the words are written in large ovals, meant to look like text messages. Two girls sit back-to-back at the top above a text bubble that reads, “Wrong text chain, right time.” Below that are two large text bubbles containing the title, “FRIEND GROUP.” At the bottom are four stylishly dressed girls, all holding their phones in front of them. There is also a heart and smiley face emoji on the cover.

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Worth reading for the rare 14-year-old protagonist. TITLE: Fake AUTHOR: @elefountain.bsky.social AGENT: Julia Churchill at A.M. Heath Lit Agents PUB: @pushkinpress.com 2022 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #middlegrade #bookrec #mg

Hand holding a library book. The cover is primarily an orange-red. There is a very graphic design with straight lines and right angles that looks kind of like a circuit board. There are two circles with silhouettes of running girls. The cover says, “Fake by Ele Fountain.” A blurb by Katya Balen says, “A compellingly told modern fable.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Worth reading because it’s fantastically creative, with a healthy dose of weird. TITLE: You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This AUTHOR: @aaronstarmer.bsky.social AGENT: @michaelbourret.bsky.social PUB: Penguin Workshop, 2026 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #middlegrade #bookrec #mg

Hand holding a library book. The cover is primarily gray/steel blue.The font is hand drawn. The letters look like twigs and branches, to resemble a family tree. Inside every “O” is a portrait of a different person. The cover reads “You Are Now Old Enough To Hear This by Aaron Starmer.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Worth reading for good old-fashioned boy-and-his-dog hijinks. TITLE: Henry and Ribsy AUTHOR: Beverly Cleary AGENT: (never agented) PUB: @harperkids.bsky.social 1954 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #middlegrade #bookrec

Hand holding a library book with a primarily green cover. An illustration shows a boy in an orange shirt running with a stick in his hand. A brown dog with his tongue lolling is running next to him. The two are looking at each other as they run. The cover says “Henry and Ribsy by Beverly Cleary. There’s only one dog like Ribsy!”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Worth reading for a #MG book with a multitude of heavy conflicts, woven together nicely. TITLE: Auntie Q’s Golden Claws Nail Salon AUTHOR: @iamvanhoang.bsky.social AGENT: Mary C. Moore at Aevitas PUB: Roaring Book Press 2026 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #middlegrade #bookrec

Hand holding a library book. In the center is a dark haired girl wearing a purple t-shirt. She’s holding the brush of a nail polish bottle in one hand and resting her cheek in her other hand, which has a different color painted on each nail. Behind her are rows and rows of nail polish bottles in a variety of colors. Framing all of this is a fancy golden dragon with its claws clinging to a sign that reads “Auntie Q’s Golden Claws NAIL SALON”. At the bottom is written VAN HOANG.

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Worth reading for an extraordinary upper #MG with 14 y.o. boys. Absolute perfection! TITLE: This Could All Go Bad AUTHOR: Spencer Hall AGENT: Claire Friedman at Inkwell Management PUB: @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social 2026 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #middlegrade #bookrec

Hand holding a library book with blue hand lettering that reads “This Could All Go BAD by Spencer Hall.” The background has drawings of a ferret with a donut in its mouth, a skateboard broken in two, a golf cart, a sloshing drink cup, a deck of cards, a broken bone, lightening bolts, and other symbols. The top reads “One night will separate the bros from the boys.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Worth reading for a goofy yet smart #MG read with no dense walls of text. TITLE: The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks AUTHOR: @katiekirby.bsky.social AGENT: Chloe Seager @mmagency.bsky.social PUB: @randomhousekids.bsky.social 2021 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #middlegrade #bookrec

Hand holding a library book with a primarily aqua colored cover. Scattered across it are simple line drawings of a banana, a cell phone, a hamster, a bra, a piece of pizza, a unicorn, and lots of stars. The “o” in the word Lottie is a happy face. Between the author’s first and last name is a stick figure drawing of a girl with a ponytail holding a bra with a perplexed look on her face. The title is written in hand drawn block and puffy letters in bright yellow.

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Worth reading for a #MG book about female relationships without a “mean cool girl” antagonist. TITLE: The Girls of Skylark Lane AUTHOR: Robin Benway AGENT: @lisagrubka.bsky.social at UTA PUB: Emilia Rhodes @harpercollins.bsky.social 2024 #writersky #middlegrade #bookrec #BeAnAmbassador

Hand holding a library book. The illustration shows a cul-de-sac surrounded by palm trees, foliage, and a setting sun. There are some girls playing softball in the cul de sac.Two other girls are in the foreground, walking and pushing a bike. The cover reads in yellow “The Girls of Skylark Lane by Robin Benway.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Worth reading for realistic fiction (not fantasy) set in the Middle Ages. TITLE: Crispin AUTHOR: Avi AGENT: (current) Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman PUB: Hyperion Books for Children, 2002 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #middlegrade #bookrec #avi

Hand holding a library book. The primarily bronze cover has a circle cutout in the center. Inside is a drawing of a scared boy in the dark being pursued by men with torches. The cover says “Crispin, The Cross of Lead by Avi.” It has a round, gold Newbery Medal sticker.

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Worth reading for the anxiety-coping techniques woven into the story. TITLE: Crushed AUTHOR: @melanieconklin.bsky.social AGENT: @myrsini-s.bsky.social at Arc Literary PUB: Liz Kossnar at @littlebrown.bsky.social 2024. Cover art Dana SanMar #writersky #middlegrade #bookrec #mg #BeAnAmbassador

Hand holding a library book. The cover is primarily blue and shows a girl in the center holding her red cel phone to her chest. She does not look happy. She is being crowded on all sides by kids. The yellow title reads “Crushed” by Melanie Conklin.

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Worth reading for Carl Hiaasen being Carl Hiaasen. TITLE: Chomp AUTHOR: @carlhiaasen.com AGENT: Esther Newberg PUB: @aaknopf.bsky.social 2012 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #writersky #middlegrade #bookrec #carlhiaasen

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Worth reading for hyper-realistic dialogue in a graphic novel. TITLE: How It All Ends AUTHOR: Emma Hunsinger AGENT: @mollyoneill.bsky.social at Root Literary PUB: @marthamihalick.bsky.social at Greenwillow Books 2024 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #writersky #middlegrade #bookrec #mg

Hand holding a library book. An illustration of a girl sitting at a school desk with her thoughts zooming around her. There are flying creatures and people and they all appear to be in motion. The girl has her chin in her hand and a smirk on her face. The cover says “How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger, imagine the possibilities.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Worth reading for 13-year-old group texting capital D Drama. TITLE: Confessions From the Group Chat AUTHOR: @jodimeadows.bsky.social AGENT: @laurenmacleod.bsky.social Aevitas Creative Mgmt PUB: Mora Couch, Holiday House 2025. Art Liz Parkes #mglit #amquerying #writersky #middlegrade #bookrec #mg

Hand holding a library book. Illustration with a boy and girl glancing at each other. Both are holding their cell phones. The phones have speech bubbles coming out of them like ones that appear while texting. In the background is a school. Three other girls are looking at them in various poses. The cover says “Confessions From the Group Chat by New York Times bestselling author Jodi Meadows.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Worth reading for a very British, very R-rated forefather to Diary of a Wimpy Kid. TITLE: The Adrian Mole Diaries, Books 1 & 2 AUTHOR: Sue Townsend AGENT: Jonathan Lloyd @curtisbrownltd.bsky.social PUB: Grove Press (in US) 1982 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #middlegrade #bookrec #suetownsend #mg

Hand holding an older library book. Cover says “The Adrian Mole Diaries, by Sue Townsend.” A gold round sticker says, “Britain’s sensational bestseller 5 million copies sold.” There is an illustration on the bottom half of the cover. It depicts a hand holding a green pen writing in cursive on a lined piece of paper, “My father got the dog drunk on Ch.” The hand hasn’t completed the sentence yet.

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Worth reading for the raw, gritty, and astonishingly real emotions of middle school relationships. TITLE: The Moon Without Stars AUTHOR: Chanel Miller AGENT: Sterling Lord Literistic PUB: PHILOMEL @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social 2026 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #writersky #middlegrade #bookrec #mg

Hand holding a library book with a primarily dark blue illustrated cover. A line drawing of a girl holding a notebook is surrounded by random objects that have been connected by a single line drawn by a pen. The cover says “The Moon Without Stars by Chanel Miller.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 6mo ago

An #agentguide to THE SAVAGES HAVE ENTERED THE POOL Contemporary Realistic #MG | 44K Words | querying agents 📍Smart Humor 📍Authentic MG Internal Conflict 📍Social Media FOMO Garbage 📍Finding Your People #amquerying #agentsguide #middlegrade #booksky #mglit #kidlit

Six yellow sticky notes are stuck to the concrete surrounding a pool. Each note has a single word, writing THE SAVAGES HAVE ENTERED THE POOL. The slide also says “An Agent’s Guide, Middle Grade Contemporary, 44K words, by Megan Hirsch.”

The slide says “Pitch.” It shows a yellow sticky note stuck to the concrete surrounding a pool. There is water splashed near the note. The text reads: “Clara Brody is a lonely twelve-year-old until she meets a girl vacuuming her sidewalk.

For a rich kid, Clara has a whole lot of nothing. She’s invisible to her narcissistic mom, terrified of saying the wrong thing, and overtly bullied by her best friend, Macy. But Clara’s too busy scrambling to find a ride from her grandmother’s house to Macy’s big annual pool party to notice how awful things are. If Clara hopes to have any friends in eighth grade, she needs to be at this party. Or else.

But Clara just can’t get a break. Nobody will give her a ride, especially her icy-cold grandmother who communicates through sticky notes; her mom has run off to Fiji and left her with no credit card and no way to contact her; plus, Macy doesn’t even want her at the pool party. When Clara meets the nut jobs who live next door to her grandmother, along with her gardener’s son, Clara can’t see beyond the end of her nose. But if Clara doesn’t start thinking for herself and open her eyes to the escalating abuse from her so-called friends, then eighth grade at her fancy-pants private school is going to be one desolate year.”

The slide reads “Comps.” A striped beach towel has the book BUSTED by Gemeinhart and the THREE RANCHEROS series by DiCamillo placed on it. “Laugh-out-loud” dialogue similar to BUSTED, “authentic MG internal conflicts” similar to DiCamillo’s series, and “small details make characters feel human” similar to both comps.

Text is overlaid over swimming pool water. It is titled “Chapter 1 Snippet.”
It reads: “The spinner rack where the shoelaces dangled squeaked as Clara turned it. She kept her head down but lifted her eyes to see if anyone was watching her.
Binder’s Drugstore was small but had a little bit of everything. Old people said that when you mentioned Binder’s to them—that it had a little bit of everything. Clara didn’t know about that, but she knew they had the shoelaces she wanted.
The rack was shoved into the back corner of the store, crowded on either side by junk nobody wanted to buy. Her elbow bumped against a box holding fuzzy rabbit socks and plastic eggs, marked down on clearance. Clara nudged the box to give herself more room.
She forced the wobbly metal rack to turn. She was searching for the sparkly blue laces Macy had worn to school on Friday. Even though there was only one week left of seventh grade, Macy was still wearing new things to school.
The metal squeaked as she turned the rack. She spied the ones she was looking for and slid the package off the hook.
Clara glanced around again. She ran her thumb up and down the small, glossy plastic package in her hand. It fit snugly in her palm. She went back to slowly spinning the rack, pretending to look at all the different laces, but all she could think about were the blue ones tucked in her hand.
The door made its bing-bong sound as Clara left the store. In her pocket were the blue shoelaces.

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Worth reading for an authentic-feeling portrayal of growing up poor. TITLE: Gather AUTHOR: Kenneth M. Cadow AGENT: @gingerninja.bsky.social @curtisbrownltd.bsky.social PUB: Katie Cunningham @candlewickpress.bsky.social 2023 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #writersky #middlegrade #bookrec

Hand holding a library book. The cover has a background of trees in greens and oranges. There is a white paper cutout dog in the middle, walking in silhouette to the right. There is a round silver sticker that says “National Book Award Finalist.” The title is “Gather” and the author is “Kenneth M Cadow.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Worth reading for hilarious characters with emotional depth. TITLE: Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody AUTHOR: @patricknessbooks.bsky.social AGENT: @michellekassagency.bsky.social PUB: @walkerbooksuk.bsky.social 2024, Illustrations Tim Miller #kidlit #mglit #booksky #writersky #middlegrade #bookrec

Hand holding a library book. The primarily yellow cover has an illustration of a green lizard wearing blue shorts and a purple t-shirt. He has a red sash across his body that says “hall monitor.” He’s holding a composition book with the name Zeke on it. The cover says “Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody from award-winning, best-selling author Patrick Ness, Illustrated by Tim Miller.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Worth reading for squeee-filled lightness and a clever story. TITLE: The Wish Switch AUTHOR: Lynn Painter AGENT: @jmcgowanbks.bsky.social @bookendsliterary.bsky.social PUB: @littlebrownyr.bsky.social 2025 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #writersky #middlegrade #bookrec #lynnpainter

Hand holding a library book. The cover is primarily yellow, with a girl and a boy facing each other. The girl is wearing a pink t-shirt and she is blowing a dandelion toward the boy in a blue sweatshirt. The boy is putting his hands up to block the dandelion seeds. The cover says “The Wish Switch by Lynn Painter.” It also says “He stole her wishes. She wants them back.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Worth reading for a Shirley Jackson-esque Newbery winner from the late 70s. TITLE: The Westing Game AUTHOR: Ellen Raskin AGENT: (of her estate) John Silbersack at The Bent Agency PUB: @penguinbooksusa.bsky.social 1978 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #writersky #middlegrade #bookrec #ellenraskin

Hand holding a library book. The primarily black cover shows a house built out of $1,000 dollar bills with fireworks exploding behind it. The cover says “The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Worth reading for perfectly complementary dual first-person narration. TITLE: Save Me a Seat AUTHOR: @sarahweeks.bsky.social and Gita Varadarajan AGENT: Holly McGhee @pippinproperties.bsky.social PUB: David Levithan at Scholastic Press 2016 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #writersky #middlegrade #bookrec

Hand holding a library book. The cover is an illustration of two school lunch trays placed across from each other. One tray has traditional American food, the other Indian food. The cover says “Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan.” The cover art is by Mark Elliott.

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Worth reading for dialogue that snaps the characters into sharp focus. TITLE: The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl AUTHOR: @stacymcanulty.bsky.social AGENT: Lori Kilkelly @lkliterary.bsky.social PUB: Caroline Abbey @randomhousekids.bsky.social 2018 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #middlegrade #bookrec

Hand holding a library book. The bright orange cover is scribbled with algebra, geometry, and calculus math problems. Along with the title and author, it says “If you can survive a bolt of lightning, you can survive middle school…right?”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Worth reading for a cleverly plotted time travel story, à la @rebstead.bsky.social's When You Reach Me. TITLE: The First State of Being AUTHOR: @erinentrada.bsky.social AGENT: Sara Crowe PUB: Virginia Duncan at Greenwillow Books, 2024 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #writersky #middlegrade #bookrec

Hand holding a library book. The cover is in the orange color palette and shows three young people walking in a line toward the right. Cover says “The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Worth reading for a completely bonkers, creative ride. God bless your singular brain, Mr. Pinkwater. TITLE: Borgel AUTHOR: @danielpinkwater.bsky.social AGENT: (current) @literaticat.bsky.social @andreabrownlit.bsky.social PUB: @macmillanpubusa.bsky.social 1990 #mglit #booksky #middlegrade #books

Hand holding a library book. The cover says “Borgel by Daniel Pinkwater.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Worth reading to learn Newfoundland expressions and slang. TITLE: Benny on the Case AUTHOR: Wesley King AGENT: @secretagentbri.bsky.social at HG Literary PUB: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 2025 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #edusky #writersky #middlegrade #books #WesleyKing

Hand holding a library book. The cover says “Benny on the Case by Wesley King.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Worth reading for well-written horrible parenting. TITLE: The First Magnificent Summer AUTHOR: @racheltoalson.bsky.social AGENT: Rena Rossner PUB: Kara Sargent at Aladdin, cover art @svetlaradivoevaart.bsky.social 2023 #kidlit #mglit #booksky #edusky #writersky #middlegrade #books #RLToalson

Hand holding a library book. The cover says “The First Magnificent Summer by R.L. Toalson.”

Megan Hirsch is writing @meganhirsch.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Vintage @lapubliclibrary.bsky.social circa 2024. That’s an actual photo of me. #booksky #library

Frazzled orange Muppet with bulging eyes with the text “when all seven of my holds arrive at the same time.”