"Real, relatable, and fully dimensional, Marianne is a main character you will root for with all your heart." —Dan Gemeinhart, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Children

In this poignant middle grade novel, a struggling student joins her school's celebrated quiz team in a bid to avoid failing eighth grade.

Marianne Blume has always known she’s not smart.

After years of trying and trying at school, she’s mastered the art of getting by on a combination of luck, deflection, and her winning personality—that is, until she lands in the classroom of Mr. Garcia. Suddenly she’s at risk of flunking his class, repeating the eighth grade, and getting left behind by her best friend, Skyla. To receive much-needed extra credit and get into high school, Marianne makes the desperate decision to join her school’s Quiz Quest team, only to find out that her teammates have problems of their own—and that they need to win for her to get the credit.


Now Marianne will need to try—like, actually try—for the first time in her life, while also helping her teammates pull it together. Can Marianne learn to be smart? What does it mean to be “bright,” anyway? And will she be left in eighth grade forever?


Brigit Young (The Prettiest) has written an empowering story about bucking labels, overcoming preconceptions, and learning to hold your head—and hand—up high.