Katryn Bury, Arree Chung, Lisa Moore Ramee, Elisa Stone Leahy

How does a middle schooler learn to fit in? In Lisa Moore Ramée’s The Everybody Experiment, Kylie takes a scientific approach to “become mature” by doing what everybody else does, while Ming Lee from Arree Chung’s latest graphic novel, Don’t Cause Trouble, uses middle school as an excuse to get a rebellious fresh start against his father’s wishes. Social chameleon Mallory Marsh, from Mallory in Full Color by Elisa Stone Leahy, finds out just what happens when one disobeys their parents after she faces the consequences of her secret identity as sci-fi webcomic author Dr. BotGirl. Sci-Fi proves to be a uniting factor for UFO enthusiast Sam Kepler Greyson, who sheds his identity as the “cancer kid” after meeting an unexpected friend in We Are Not Alone by Katryn Bury. Join this panel, moderated by Talia of Cinnamongirl Inc. and novelist Shanthi Sekaran, to embrace the awkward, the embarrassing, and the heartwarming moments that show us perhaps there isn’t a solution to fitting in—we can only grow into our true selves with time.