Mackenzie Blue by Tina Wells

Mackenzie Blue #1

by Tina Wells

Mackenzie is nervous about starting 7th grade without her BFF, Ally, who moved to Paris. But two new friends, Jasper and Chloe, help her keep an upbeat attitude. That is…until Zee’s diary is stolen and her deepest secrets appear on the black board in music class. Zee tries to focus on preparing for the big Teen Sing contest with the help of her new music teacher, Mr. P. But, when Zee begins to suspect Jasper and Chloe might have stolen her diary, the distractions are too much. Then Zee lands in hot water when Jasper and Chloe find out Zee’s suspicions. The mystery is solved at the big rehearsal for the competition. Resident mean-girl Kathi performs Zee’s original song! Kathi has the diary, and she’s been using Zee’s secrets against her. Zee creates a new song, one she can sing from the heart. She doesn’t win the Teen Sing, but with her newfound confidence and friendships back on track, she feels just great! 8 - 12

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Contemporary, Friendship, Romance

Hardcover

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

Tina Wells is the author of the best-selling tween fiction series Mackenzie Blue, and its spinoff series, The Zee Files. Tina lives on the East Coast but likes to travel and share her passion to encourage and uplift young people.

Reviews

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was asked to review this book series I have to admit I was a little hesitant. It's been forever since I have read middle grade books. I'm glad I took up the offer! Mackenzie Blue is a 7th grade student at Brookdale Academy. Like all girls this age, Mackenzie (aka Zee) worries about what others think about her. Mackenzie has a crush on Landon, but she is not the only girl that likes him. Her best friend Ally moves away to France and Zee has to start a new school year at a different school. Not only that but she has to make new friends. Her brother, Adam is a great brother to Zee. There is a little bit of a mystery that goes along with the book. Someone has stolen Zee's diary and does evil things with it. Zee is determined to find her diary and it might just cost her.
The other focus of the novel is that the school is preparing for the Teen Sing auditions. Zee dreams of becoming a rock star. I mean who hasn't ever wanted to become famous? The song Zee wrote for her audition was amazing because it came from the heart. She finds that she can not only express herself through her diary but through music as well.
I also liked how they put notes, texts, IMs, and diary entries in the novel. Also the pictures were fun to look forward to while reading. This book is also packed with lessons for readers to take with them. Although the book was a little predictable, Tina Wells does a great job with the first book in the series.

4 Stars!

[michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

younger me had *great* taste xo

[Sophia Pease · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots and lots of drama

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book was boring there was funny parts, but overall, it didn’t give me that “adventure” spark it just didn’t appeal to me mostly, it’s about growing up recommended for girls 12 and up.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a light fun read then Mackenzie is for you. It is a charming story of a girl who is starting the process of growing up and all the challenges that come with it. This story is like A Dairy of a Wimpy Kid for girls. Full of pictures and drawings that bring the story to life. Even though I am a little out of the age demographic for this book, I still really enjoyed it. I used to be in middle school and remember all too well the how hard it can be for a girl to deal with crushes, bullies, and losing your best friend. It is funny that at that age how the "little things" can make it seem like your life is over. Parents usually tell their children that when you get older this stuff will not matter. Like in Mackenzie Blue, you find that it is important. The way you deal with the “little" things shapes you into the person you need to be. It is a great story to share with any young girls you have in your life. If you are young at heart then you will love this story. To find out more visit Tina Wells website at www.mackenzieblue.com

~reviewed by Stacy~

[Reading Vacation · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW
It’s a Win, Win, Win, Win situation with Mackenzie Blue! I loved Mackenzie Blue’s Crew of friends, the drawings, the on-line chatting, and the diary entries. Yep, I liked it all.
I will break down what I enjoyed the most in each book -
Mackenzie Blue - Zee struggling to find the courage to take part in the Teen Sing contest.
The Secret Crush – Zee finding all sorts of crazy ways to get Landon’s attention.
Friends Forever? – Zee trying to keep the peace between her best friends who are having trouble getting along. Oh, and the Mountain Man who is out to get the girls!
I totally recommend this series to tween girls, especially if they are as into girlie books as I am. WINNER!
Thank you to Buzz Marketing for sending these books for me to review.
RATING
5 Plot
5 Characters
5 Attention Grabbing
5 Girlie Meter
4 Ending

24 TOTAL

5 STARS



Review posted on the Reading Vacation blog http://tinyurl.com/2esfqnw

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a girl who's friend moves away and she has to make new friends their is a new girl they are now friends. Also the main charecter makenzie she lost her diary and she was acuseing her friends of stealing it. They went to a party and they made friends again!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you want to find out the ending please read the book.

[Leah-Kate Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say, I read it when I was like nine

[Den Alessandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mackenzie Blue also known as Zee was far away from her best friend Ally. She had missed her very much and was sad without her bff. Zee was being bullied by Kathi Barney. Kathi has two big personalities to Zee - a nice one and a mean one. The nice one only comes out when she wants something or if she is hiding something.

Zee wants to be a singer and a songwriter. Her best friend Jasper isn't nervous about starting a new school. But Zee was nervous. She also made a new best friend Chloe. One day her diary was stolen. She got very worried and searched every room of her house to find her diary. She accidentally accuses Jasper and Chloe about stealing her diary. She felt very lonely and sad and wrote an apology letter. Jasper and Chloe accepted her apology and they all got back to being friends.

Suddenly she discovered Kathi stole her song and her diary. Zee's brother, Adam, found her diary and gave it back to her. Zee started a new song called "I'm An Open Book" She was glad everybody loved her song.

I gave this book five stars. When someone stole your song, face your fears, make up a new song and let the spotlight commence.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

You could not pay me to go back to middle school or as Zee calls it “Upper School”. This brought back so many memories of trying to fit in, figuring out how to navigate new and old friendships, crushes, and just learning how to live without being scared of being yourself. I am not the target audience for this series, but I am so glad I read this book and will definitely read more of this series. The pains of growing up were weaved well throughout the book. Changing is scary and that theme was like a lightbulb shining brightly throughout. The book has a good pace and short chapters which might serve some kids well. I would definitely recommend it to anyone in the age range of 12+ and I believe adults might learn a lesson or two as well.

P.S. my favorite character was Jasper. He was just the cutest kid with some of his lines.

[Terry]

There are a few things I like about the story, but mostly it reads like a script for a mashup of old Disney shows: iCarly, Shake It Up, Austin & Ally, Lemonade Mouth, etc. The plot is fairly predictable and the characters are fairly stereotypical

[Key'mya Adams · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nice book

[Crystal Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to read this! I think it would be... Fantastic!

[Deidre · Rating 4 out of 5]

love this book

[i · Rating 4 out of 5]

the plot was okay, predictable but still fun to read

[Daniela]

i love makenie blue

[mafe corcetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

só minha mãe sabe como eu amavaaa esses livros mwah mwah muito chique no ultimo

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook with the girls on our road trip! This was super cute and we all enjoyed it - will probably listen to a few more!

[ʚ kEke ɞ ૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა · Rating 4 out of 5]

SERUU SERUUU, 1st english book yg aku bacaa, dan sangatt mudah dipahamii, dann sukaa bgtt dengan kelakuan mackenziee kekk realistis sekaliii,, LOvE ITTTT💥💥🗯🗯🗯⚘️⚘️💕💕💓❤️‍🩹💋💋💫💫💫🤩🤚🤚😍😍😍😫😫🥰💞😘😘💥💥🗯🤚

[Juana Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing fantastic

[hm]

I loved these when I was younger 😭

[Khya Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mackenzie Blue is the first book in the series with the same name by Tina Wells.

Mackenzie Blue, Zee, is entering the seventh grade which means she will now go to the upper level of Brookdale Academy. She wouldn’t mind it that much but her best friend Ally moved to Paris. It does help some that Jasper and the rest of her crew will be there but that doesn’t stop her from missing Ally. Jasper is a recent addition. He moved from London the summer right before Zee will start going to the upper level. Apparently, so is Jasper.

Jasper and Zee are complete opposites. Jasper is very studious and quiet. Zee is full of energy and is always talking, yet the two of them are great friends. On the first day of school, Zee bumps into her crush Landon. Unfortunately for Zee, Kathi has sights on him as well. Kathi has two sides, the nice one…when she wants something or mean. Her lackey, Jen, is always nice to Zee.

Zee can’t believe it when she finds out that her favorite teacher isn’t teaching music class anymore. Now, Mr. Papademetriou, Mr. P, is. Soon after class, Zee bumps into another person, Chloe. It doesn’t take Zee long to realize it’s the girl who missed music. Zee and Chloe quickly become friends.

Zee’s first day of school goes pretty smoothly, but when she gets home, she realizes she can’t find her diary. The next day in music class she sees an embarrassing quote from her diary. Did Chloe steal her diary? Will Zee be able to survive the 7th grade without Ally?

I absolutely loved this book. There are illustrations scattered throughout the book. Before the story begins, there is even an illustration that shows Zee and the crew. It is predictable who stole her diary, but I still loved this book. I usually don’t love MG books. I like to read them but there’s not many that I love. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. Fans of the series are going to be pleasantly surprised. According to the Mackenzie Blue website, the author is currently working on more books about Zee and her friends. Right now there are four books out.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

  I liked this book because I could to relate to the teenage problems that the main character goes through. This book had a interesting plot. The author made it easy to follow and made sense. Also, the vocabulary was easy to understand, and so were the characters. The main character, Mackenzie Blue, is a 12 year old 7th grader who goes through a number of teenage problems. She is very creative at making jewelry and playing the guitar. In this book, Mackenzie's best friend, Ally, moves away to Paris, France. Mackenzie is devastated and so is Ally. The only way they can keep in touch is by email and texting each other. Mackenzie's first day of school is awful, but she does meet a new friend. On the way to school she meets Jasper, who is new to Brookdale Academy, and she shows him the way to school.  Everything goes great until Mackenzie meets Kathi. Kathi is a mean 13 year old girl who doesn't like Mackenzie because, on the first day of school, Mackenzie steps on Kathi's foot. Kathi screams and becomes very angry. Kathi continues to cause problems when they go to music class. The music teacher, Mr. P is new to Brookdale Academy and doesn't know all the rules of teaching music, so Kathi takes advantage of him. When Mr. P tries to make music class more interesting, Kathi responds with a groan, "Oh great, rock and roll oldies." (page 68). This is the beginning of Mackenzie's struggle to take on the school without her best friend.  I would recommend this book to my mom, because she likes graphic novels. I really liked this book and would hope to read more in the series.

[Shad]

"The Mackenzie Blue books by Tina Wells are chock full of fun. Mackenzie--or Zee, as she is known to her friends--is a bubbly seventh grade student at Brookdale Academy. Her best friend Ally has moved to France, but many surprises are in store for Zee as makes new friends and hones her skills as a singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Soon after readers first meet Zee, she loses her diary on the first day of school. When her secrets begin showing up on her classroom's white board as she prepares to compete in the Teen Sing contest, she struggles with the fact that someone--perhaps even a classmate she considers a friend--may have stolen it.

In the hybrid style popularized by Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid and other books for independent readers that blend traditional prose with visual elements, the pages of these books are enhanced with Zee's handwritten diary entries, lists, Instant Message conversations, and other illustrations. Zee's concerns about her friendships, crushes, and changing body are written by Wells with sensitivity and humor, and the conservationist actions Zee and her friends take throughout the books are thoughtful additions that add an element of environmentalism into the mix.

HarperCollins recommends this series to readers ages 8-12. I think Zee's experiences as a junior high student would hold the most appeal for kids on the younger end of that range who are curious about the adventures that lay beyond elementary school."

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why I read this: It looked like a series my students would love in 4th and 5th grade, so I had to check it out.

Plot: Typical realistic fiction plot set in middle school - there's a problem that by the end of the book turns out not to be such a bad problem. I really like these types of books that have the feel-good endings and sort of self-discovery that you want to see in kids that age. I love the drawings in the book - although I did feel like the kids looked a bit older than what I think of as 7th graders - more highschool-ish. I loved the mix of music and friendship and how everything works out in this first installment of what may be a many book series not unlike Abby Hayes or Judy Moody.

Characters: Mackenzie is so the typical happy go lucky 7th grader who is still a touch innocent while trying to seem mature. I really loved Mackenzie - she cracked me up and could definitely see a part of me in her when I was in middle school.

Relatability: I think this is a great book for middle school girls or even 4th and 5th grade girls. I think they can relate a lot to the relationships in this novel.

Cover Commentary: Very cute. I can see my girl students reaching for this one right away.

Read more: http://www.bookworminginthe21stcentur...

[Sophie Riggsby / allthingsequilateral · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I have an Almost-Tween daughter who loves a fun, realistic heroine. I mean, what could be worse, starting off 7th Grade with your best friend moving to Paris, losing your diary which may have the winning song for the Teen Sing competition in it or well, there is the matter of that boy, Landon, the one with "the sun-bleached hair that hung slightly over his eyes" (p. 209).

I loved how creative drawings of the characters, their IMs, notes and Zee's diary entries are interspersed within the prose of the book. The format will keep any tween, and even their mom, easily entertained and a reluctant reader would find it stimulating to follow the different formats presented.

I will say that both my daughter and I delighted in the book's lessons. It reminded both of us that it's important to be true to yourself, that your real friends will always be there for you and that yes, big brothers can be big bothers but they always have your back.

[Alea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was instantly attracted to MacKenzie Blue because the format includes illustrations (they are so sleek and cute!), journal entries, instant messages etc. I think these sort of things really help reluctant readers when taking on a book, but they are also fun for us that enjoy graphic novel elements and the like!

MacKenzie or as she calls herself Zee is a sweet and spunky little girl! Even though her best friend now lives in Paris she’s already made herself some new friends and takes on the new school year at the Upper School (her first year).

MacKenzie’s problems are pretty typical, new school, new friends, mean girls and a mystery (i love mysteries!) but it’s a fun story that’s sure to be the start of a cute new series!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Little Bookworm

This was an extremely cute book. It was so fun and lively and Zee was an awesome girl! She has great friend and is very talented and very enthusiastic so that was fun. The main plot is about Zee losing her diary but the subplot is about a music competition. Zee writes her own music and she doesn't know what to do when her diary is stolen. There is a lot of "be yourselfs" and "doing your bests" in this book (without being preachy) and I think it is a great book for middle graders. I can see this on the Disney Channel or ABC Family.

[Gmr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zee is a great character with all the worries attached to your typical 7th grader and then some. Between her best friend moving away last year, and the Teen Sing competition, she doesn't need anything new popping up. Oh wait, someone stole her diary! GASP!

Yes, yes I did finish this book in a blurring whirl of speed, but honestly...it was good! A middle-grade fiction novel by design there is hardly a person that can't take something away from this book. Whether it's the over all message of being true to yourself and showing the world the colors that make up you, or the definitely "green" push seen in both the school design and class projects, there's something for everyone.