The startup squad by Brian Weisfeld, illustrated by Nicole C. Kear

This is the first book in a new series featuring an entrepreneurial team of girls. Teresa, "Resa" wants to be a leader and has lots of ideas and interests. Unfortunately, she tends to not listen to other people, including her quieter, shy friend Didi. When their teacher assigns them - and all the other kids in class - to run competing lemonade stands as a fundraiser, with the winner getting special tickets to the amusement park, Resa is absolutely determined to win. But then the teacher pairs her up not only with Didi, but also with bouncy, excitable Harriet and the snobby new girl, Amelia.

The girls fumble their way through plans and projects, but their personalities get in the way of success at first. Resa refuses to listen to anyone else and her assumptions and bullying of Amelia, disdain for Harriet, and bulldozing over Didi, end up splitting the group. After some hard self-reflection, Resa stops fighting so hard to get her own way. She listens to Amelia's ideas, to Didi's reminders to be kind, and learns to use Harriet's enthusiasm.

The oddball group of girls includes Teresa Lopez (Afro-Latina), Harriet Nguyen, Indira (Didi) Singh, and Amelia Grant. Amelia is the only white girl. They're going up against the stereotypically popular and wealthy kids, who are involved in sports and have plenty of parental back-up. Weisfeld is a successful businessman, specializing in entrepreneurship, and founder of the girl-empowerment group The Startup Squad. Not a typical choice for a middle grade author.

But, sometimes it just works! This definitely works. It's realistic and honest, the writing is brisk and funny, and the diversity feels natural. What really sets this apart from other books featuring girls coding or involved in group activities is Teresa's flaws. She's shown as a normal sixth grader, struggling with friend drama and bad decisions. She makes snap judgments about the other girls but when everything falls apart she is forced to re-evaluate her own behavior with some gentle advice from adults. All the girls have supportive families who are there when they need them but also willing to let them try and fail. Although they finally get their act together and run a successful lemonade stand, they don't win the competition and there are consequences to the bickering and arguments. Not all their ideas work out, but they keep trying.

Verdict: This stands out in the field with its diverse protagonists and realistic depiction of character flaws, mistakes, and successes. The girls are sixth graders and the book comes in under 200 pages, making it even more stand-out in the field of massive middle grade tomes. An excellent series starter and one that is sure to attract readers who enjoy realistic fiction.

ISBN: 9781250180407; Published May 2019 by Imprint; Borrowed from another library in my consortium