Love, Maggie: The Chronicles of Third Grade

by Rae Marsh, Jenna Reed (Illustrator)

Roller-coasters, pizza parties, and skiing? Who would have thought third grade could be so much fun! Maggie Montgomery is an outgoing social butterfly determined to make this her best school year yet!

Love, Maggie: The Chronicles of Third Grade shines a spotlight on Maggie’s life through the lens of her personal diary entries. With belly-busting laughter and positivity, Maggie takes us into her world of new friendships, running track, and a, usually, responsible amount of ice.

118 pages, Paperback

Published September 16, 2022

Reviews

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a quick and fun read. We follow Maggie’s life as a 3rd grader with her diaries.

I felt it was authentic and realistic look at this age. Starting a new grade can be scary, but she has a supportive family and wonderful teachers.

I enjoyed how she explained real-life talk for this age. She touches on what kids go through at this age. Between her teachers and family she learns some valuable lessons. Try new adventures, ask for help, don’t be afraid to fail, talk to your friends and encourage them even when life is tough.

Thank you author Rae Marsh for this copy. I plan on passing it along to a friend who is a teacher that teaches third grade.

[Tbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 7 year old daughter enjoyed this book! She felt is was very relatable to her school experience and thought it had a fun plot. Very cute story!

[Sharon the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie is an energetic, spunky, and silly 3rd grade girl. The book is her diary- and it is like you are reading a diary of a young girl. She laughs a lot, gets frustrated with her mom often, introduces readers to her friends, talks about her ‘toots’ constantly, and explains all of the activities she is involved in; which are a MANY!

I did like the positive lessons, and reinforcing that talking to parents and teachers is good because they are there to help you. I thought it was great that she tried new things and even when they didn’t go well, she could laugh about it. Do your best with your homework, be thankful for the things people do for you, and be happy when good things happen to others.

There are more books in the series- you can follow her as she grows up. I got a copy of the books from the author- and will share them with 3rd-4th graders at my school.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was true depiction of a third grader.
Maggie shared a lot of her emotions when it came to her family, friends, school & her social circle.

She leaned throughout the year, all family’s are not created equal. Her Mom helped her understand the ups and downs of working parents, and how those dynamics affect their the children.

Maggie is a sweet, caring talented girl who loves life, her family & her puppy G.

Lessons are learned throughout the book for Maggie & her friends.

I highly recommend this sweet lovely story to all children third grade & up! It’s a winner!❤️

[Courtnee Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, Maggie: The Chronicles of 3rd Grade is the first book in the series by Rae Marsh. After her "best" summer, Maggie Montgomery shares her experiences at home and in third grade with her diary. Maggie discusses lessons about responsibility and hardships while adding a heavy dose of humor as she winds through her third-grade school year. She takes her readers through her days filled with adventures like skiing, a theme park, getting braces, playing soccer, and trying out for basketball, and she navigates through nervous gas and the additional requirements of her classwork. At the end of the book, Maggie provides twelve takeaways she's learned during the school year and expresses her excitement for fourth grade.

Told in Maggie's perspective through the lens of an eight-year-old child, Rae Marsh delivers Maggie's thoughts and feelings in a way children can understand and enjoy. Through the diary entries and cute pictures, children get to know Maggie, who may be just like someone they know from school or their extracurricular activities. The extraverted child is always a good friend to her classmates as they struggle with a grandparent who must move into a nursing home, parents who work different shifts, divorce, a friend who moves away, and disappointment. Marsh delivers good messages in the story, like always support your friends and ask your caregivers if you don't understand or you are bothered about something. Love, Maggie is a great selection for children who like conversational and comical stories with real-world topics that are handled delicately.

[Amanda Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an eight-year old, I would totally connect with Maggie. Her stream-of-consciousness writing feels authentic and many of her experiences are in line with what a child experiences, both in school and in social situations. As an adult, I struggled with the book. The “life-advice” from Maggie felt forced and not what an eight-year old would think to themselves, but I do love that it was included in the hopes that the kids pick up on the good advice. The rambling and quick change of subjects made it hard to stay engaged. Overall, it is a fun read for a kid, especially one entering third grade, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a read-aloud or read-share with parents.

[Runner Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Ava F · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great series, I really like the diary style of the book