Hardcover edition

Shine!

“Shine! will put a smile on your heart. Read this book!”
—Jennifer L. Holm, New York Times bestselling
author of The Fourteenth Goldfish

Everyone deserves to shine in this sparkling new book from New York Times bestselling author Chris Grabenstein and coauthor J.J. Grabenstein.

“Who do you want to be?” asks Mr. Van Deusen. “And not when you grow up. Right here, right now.”

Shine on! might be the catchphrase of twelve-year-old Piper Milly’s hero—astronaut, astronomer, and television host Nellie Dumont Frissé—but Piper knows the truth: some people are born to shine, and she’s just not one of them. That fact has never been clearer than now, since her dad’s new job has landed them both at Chumley Prep, a posh private school where everyone seems to be the best at something and where Piper definitely doesn’t fit in.

Bursting with humor, heart, science, possibilities, and big questions, Shine! is a story about finding your place in the universe—a story about figuring out who you are and who you want to be.

Click here to check out the fun extras!

Awards & Accolades

Lamplighter Award Nominee 2021-22
“To encourage elementary and junior high students to read wholesome and uplifting books.”
William Allen White Book Award (Kansas) Nominee 2021-22
Mark Twain Award (Missouri) Nominee 2021-22
Lectio Book Award Nominee, 2021-2022
Volunteer State Book Award (Tennessee) Nominee 2021-22
Horned Toad Reading List (Houston, TX) 2020-2021
Amazon Best Books Ages 9-12

Praise!

“The Grabensteins’ writing is warm and humorous. This gentle book offers a wonderful reminder that kindness, generosity, and love far outweigh the importance of money, awards, and prestige.”
—Booklist

“This encouraging story of self-discovery celebrates friendship, kindness, and self-actualization, and readers will relate to the realistic middle school dynamic and well-developed characters.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Plenty of believable dialogue and humor . . . gratifyingly quirky.
A crowd-pleasing reminder that kindness pays.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Shine! will put a smile on your heart. Read this book!”
—Jennifer L. Holm, New York Times bestselling
author of The Fourteenth Goldfish

“Shine! more than shines, it GLOWS. My twelve-year-old summed it up in one word: ‘beautiful.'”
—Wendy Mass, New York Times bestselling
author of The Candymakers

“A reminder that nothing is more important than being a friend and being yourself.”
—Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal-winning

Co-authors of Shine!

Chris & J.J. Grabenstein on their way to the Hollywood premiere
of Nickelodeon’s Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library movie.

Click on the photo to read more about J.J. … and to see Chris’s fun shoes!

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