Julie: My Journal

When fifth-grader Julie discovers that girls aren’t allowed on the basketball team at her new school, she’s determined to change the rules . . . but making new friends is harder, now that her parents are (shhh!) divorced.

Julie isn’t thrilled about moving to an apartment above her mom’s shop in San Francisco. She misses her old bedroom, her best friend, Ivy--and her dad, now that her parents are divorced. Then she discovers that her new school has a basketball team! But when Julie tries to sign up, the coach says the team is for boys only. Talk about unfair! Maybe she can’t do anything about the move, but Julie’s determined to find a way to change the coach’s mind.

Megan McDonald grew up in a house full of books, and her four sisters inspire many of her stories. When she was 10, her first story was published in her school newspaper. Megan vividly remembers growing up in the 1970s. She lives with her husband in Sebastopol, California, where she writes the Judy Moody series and many other books for young people.

Maike Plenzke is an illustrator from Berlin, Germany. She illustrates books, magazines, and more from a studio filled with plants. When she’s not creating art, she loves to walk in the sun or watch movies from her couch with her husband and dog.