Maple's Theory of Fun

Maple #1

by Kate McMillan, Ruthie Prillaman

Perfect for fans of Dork Diaries and Emmie & Friends, this first book in a diary-style illustrated middle grade series follows an anxious, science-minded sixth grader determined to become fun and win back her friend.

Sixth grade has been pretty disaster-free for aspiring astronaut Maple McNutt—which is impressive, given the number of worries and possible catastrophes that run through her head every day. (So far, Earth hasn’t been devoured by a black hole and a cockroach hasn’t crawled out of her toothpaste mid-squeeze. Phew!) But then her best friend of seven-point-two years, Sunny Gwon, accuses her of being unfun and starts hanging around with a new group of friends.

In order to win Sunny back, Maple decides to undergo a serious scientific transformation to become fun by 1. Doing extensive research, 2. Applying research to self, and and 3. Repeating until fun. It’s risky and groundbreaking research, but Maple has no choice if she wants to save her friendship.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Humor

320 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2024

Reviews

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this middle grade school book about space and science. I think it would appeal to both boys and girls. I like the way the book flowed with lots of illustrations and larger print than normal.

[Lyon.Brit.andthebookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was mine and Berkeley’s first go around together listening to an audiobook while following along with a physical copy and it was a huge success.

The diary style with minimal text and more illustrations and white space was attention holding and easy to follow along while listening. Loved the humor, the reality of be someone who is anxious and inspiring for a young girl interested in STEM.

Thank you Simon Kids 📖

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[Ag · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely middle-grade book that somehow has the vibes of Wimpy Kid (in the best possible way). The story is wholesome, yet it’s somewhat lacking in the art department. I was really expecting it to be more of a graphic novel, but it’s more like a picture book with not too much text.
The drawings are whimsical and cute though, and the story is one that middle-grade kids will enjoy.

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maple's one goal in life is to meet astronaut Jackie Grand. Until the day she and her best friend Sunny are at the actual location where they can stand in line to meet Jackie Grand. When the opportunity goes horribly wrong, Sunny accuses Maple of being unfun and Maple starts to think it might be true since clearly her mother and older sister believe the same. Maple embarks on a scientifically based experiment to become fun in an effort to win back her best friends, but the results are completely unexpected. I found the sly humor of the book and Maple's effort to learn how to be funny completely relatable and funny and appreciated how Maple's efforts both worked and failed spectacularly.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle school drama slams into science, friendship and anxiety in a way which hits home and brings more than a few laughs along the way.

Maple can't wait to meet one of her idols, an astronaut, and is just waiting for her best friend, Sunny, to show up and stand in line with her. Not only is he late but brings someone with him, which derails her entire plans and, worse, marks her as 'unfun'. After that, Sonny seems to be avoiding her, but luckily, a new girl might just be the science partner Maple's been missing...even if she's a little odd. If Maple can keep things together, she might even win the science competition but life has never been easy for Maple and things have a tendency to run out of control.

This is written in diary form with days and very distinct times. There are 'letters' and text exchanges also added in to liven things up and help with the story flow. The amount of text is heavier than I expected but still light enough to slide nicely into the higher side of the chapter book category or low middle grade. Illustrations are heavily sprinkled in, which add to the story and add a little humor too.

The problems surrounding friendships, changing interests, and acceptance create the main messages as Maple steers her way through sixth grade. Her anxiety level is always high and steers her reactions and decisions. To say she's high-strung is almost an understatement. But she's easy to root for and identify with problems, which will ring familiar to the age group. The parents add a supportive foundation with enough quirky attributes to mix with the humor, and the older sister adds relationship difficulties in very unexpected ways. So, there's always something going on. The science adds inspiration, information, and humor to show how interesting it can be.

It's an entertaining tale and mixes heart and humor nicely. The plot pacing did have me skimming at times as Maple loves her drama, and I was more than a little surprised that she wasn't more upset in the beginning when she missed her big opportunity, but it's a fun read and sure to delight fans of Ellie McDoodle and such.

[Kyle Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute, delightfully illustrated read, starring an important and unique character with the power to inspire young girls to become women in STEM. A relatable kids’ tale, “Maple’s Theory of Fun” looks at everyday situations and emotions through the lens of science and curiosity, and is perfect for getting kids of all genders thinking about science in a fun and relatable way. Like some childhood favorites such as “Phineas and Ferb” or “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” the story is packed with fun and quirky laugh out loud humor, but goes further by examining more modern truths about being a young girl interested in STEM. I know that my sister, who now is a successful NASA/JPL engineer, would have absolutely loved this when we were growing up, and I’m so happy that something like this now is available for kids everywhere.

Story aside, the illustrations are outstanding. Adorable character design, hilarious comic sketches, and heartfelt emotion pours out of each toony-illustration that moves the tale along in a truly enjoyable way.

I’ll definitely be adding this to my nephews’ book collection imminently! 10/10 would recommend.

[Teddi Chichester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly can't recommend MAPLE'S THEORY OF FUN more highly! Could we please have more than 5 stars here? Maple's voice (broadcast through her jam-packed diary) is precocious without being annoying, vulnerable without tipping into self-pity (well, once in awhile, but hey we love her all the same), effortlessly funny, and absolutely addicting. I love the world that Kate McMillan and Ruthie Prillaman have created, peopled with recognizable yet really original kids and parents who are conjured not just with strikingly fresh language, but also with super detailed illustrations that pop off the page. Check out page 123, where 11-year-old Maple diligently (and slightly resentfully) blow-dries mango slices (!!!) whilst 16-year-old sis Juniper (the names throughout are truly excellent) lounges on the sofa popping numerous snacks into a huge mouth that simultaneously grins and gapes. I was delighted and often truly moved by this story of self-discovery, self-invention, friendship and a middle-schooler's scientific methodology that is truly FUN. Bravo!

[Raven Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very modern take of children dealing with modern issues, yet staying with the classics of friendship and family. I am wondering if Maple might be on the autism scale as her worries/anxiety is very specific to this group of people. She is very focused with science and outside the box thinking is not always present for her. The art work is a slightly more fleshed out Diary of a Wimpy kid. I see a series with focus on each character dealing with their own issues.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Interesting to see a character with ankylosing spondylitis. This was a notebook novel, but still had a lot of text. More along the lines of Barshaw's Ellie McDoodle or Wells' McKenzie Blue, but with 2020's levels of anxiety.

[Natalina Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had this book as a kid — it would have made me feel less alone. (It's even great for anxious adults.)
I appreciate the authors' ingenuity and emotional intelligence in engineering this story; thank you for giving space to something that's so specific yet universal.

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this was at the Scholastic book fair when I was a kid, I would have been all over it. It still lands for me, even though I'm more than a little past that age. More important than that, my kid really likes it and wants more. I hope there's a sequel soon.

[Towntaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anxiety ridden middle school girl tries to learn how to be more "fun" to win back her best friend. She learns (painfully) about how to say no and enforce boundaries, and how to let go and allow new things in your life.

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[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book for kids!

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun, love the illustrations, super creative!!

[Susan Szabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done - perfect for fun loving kids!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun diary-style book about Maple’s plan to win back her best friend using scientific theory. Along the way she makes a new friend and does some cool scientific experiments!

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun graphic novel with a good lesson about friendship that I’m adding to my classroom library. Written by two of my classmates from Yale! Go Ruthie and Kate!

[blueygurl2016 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really fun! I really related to Maple.