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About The Book

Myka and her three BFFs have fun and work together in this fourth installment of the relatable and empowering The Invincible Girls Club chapter book series that fans of The Baby-Sitters Club will love!

Myka’s Gammy is coming to stay with her family for a few weeks, and Myka couldn’t be more excited! Her grandmother has always been the person who understands her better than anyone else, and Gammy’s visits include lots of quality time, fascinating stories, and Soul Food Sunday meals. But this time Gammy has a special surprise for her—a quilt that was created by and added onto by the women in their family for generations.

Myka is determined to carry on the tradition by signing her and Gammy up for quilting classes—joined by her best friends of course! But quilting turns out to be a lot harder than it seems, and Myka, who is used to being one of the best at each activity she tries, now feels like she’s the only one in the class who is struggling.

Will Myka be able to complete the family quilt before Gammy leaves, or is this one task that’s too hard to tackle? There’s only one way to find out…Thready, set, go!

Excerpt

Chapter One: On Pins and Needles

1 ON PINS AND NEEDLES
“She’s here!” I yelled, and pushed past my brother Remy, knocking him to the ground. “Gammy is here!”

Before Remy could complain of a concussion, I swung open the front door and raced toward her. I glanced back, catching a glimpse of Remy rubbing his head. When I turned around, I almost crashed into Dad, who was carrying most of Gammy’s bags.

“Easy now, track star.” Dad lifted the duffel bags over my head.

I didn’t stop sprinting until I reached the edge of the walkway.

“Finally!” I cheered.

I smiled wide, threw my arms around Gammy’s waist, and pulled her in for a big hug. One of those I-haven’t-seen-you-in-person-for-a-year hugs. Gammy smelled so good. Not like she’d been sitting on the plane for three hours but like she’d been baking peanut butter chocolate chip cookies instead.

“Took you long enough!” I joked.

“Guess I should stay away more often.” Gammy gave me a squeeze, a kiss on the cheek, and then a pat on the bottom.

“Gammy, I have so much to tell you. So many things to show you.” My words flew out a mile a minute.

I sure hoped Gammy had slept on the plane. We had things to do and people to meet—in person and not over a video chat. In real life no one gets frozen.

Mom helped Gammy up the last two steps into the house.

“First things first,” I said. “We have to go to the cupcake shop and meet up with the other Invincible Girls—”

“Sweetie, calm yourself.” Mom shot me the Myka, bring it down look. The one she gives me when I need to turn my energy down a notch—her words, not mine.

But I couldn’t help it—Gammy was here. That meant exciting outings, lots of laughs, amazing stories, and good food. Gammy was staying with us for five weeks. If I was lucky, I might convince her to stay longer.

“Gammy, did you bring anything cool? What are you cooking?” Questions fired out of me like I was in the three-point hoop contest and there were ten seconds left on the clock.

About The Authors

Photograph © Steph Bowles

Steph Bowles is a wife, mom, and high school English teacher in New Jersey. You’re likely to find her cheering, loudly, for her two daughters at cheer competitions; perfecting new recipes from Pinterest; sneaking in time to write books; or crafting up engaging lessons that make her students want to devour literature. Whenever she can steal a moment alone, she’s riding her bike, napping, reading, or binge-watching Netflix with her family. 

One of Rachele Alpine’s first jobs was at a library, but it didn’t last long, because all she did was hide in the third-floor stacks and read. Now she’s a little more careful about when and where she indulges her reading habit. Rachele is a high school English teacher by day, a wife and mother by night, and a writer during any time she can find in between. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where she writes middle grade and young adult novels. Visit her at RacheleAlpine.com.

About The Illustrator

Addy Rivera Sonda has loved creating characters and worlds on paper ever since she was a little girl, as everything was always possible there. Drawing was her magic power! Her favorite place is any bookstore that has that old book smell. Aside from drawing, her favorite hobbies are doing projects with her sister, who is a toy designer, and watching old Argentinian soap operas. It inspires her to think that stories and art are slowly but surely changing the way people understand themselves and perceive others, building empathy and a more inclusive world.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Aladdin (October 5, 2022)
  • Length: 160 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781665921398
  • Ages: 7 - 10

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More books from this illustrator: Addy Rivera Sonda

More books in this series: The Invincible Girls Club