Winner of the 2018 ALA Schneider Family Book Award, Middle Grade Books category Sixth grade is coming to an end, and so is life as Macy McMillan knows it. Already a "For Sale" sign mars the front lawn of her beloved house. Soon her mother will upend their perfect little family, adding a stepfather and six-year-old twin stepsisters. To add insult to injury, what is Macy's final sixth grade assignment? A genealogy project. Well, she'll put it off - just like those wedding centerpieces she's supposed to be making. Just when Macy's mother ought to be understanding, she sends Macy next door to help eighty six-year-old Iris Gillan, who is also getting ready to move - in her case into an assisted living facility. Iris can't pack a single box on her own and, worse, she doesn't know sign language. How is Macy supposed to understand her? But Iris has stories to tell, and she isn't going to let Macy's deafness stop her. Soon, through notes and books and cookies, a friendship grows. And this friendship, odd and unexpected, may be just what Macy needs to face the changes in her life. Shari Green, author of Root Beer Candy and Other Miracles , writes this summer story with the lightest touch, spinning Macy out of her old story and into a new one full of warmth and promise for the future. Praise for Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess 2018 ALA Schneider Family Book Award, Middle Grade Books Winner 2021 Nutmeg Book Award nominee 2021 MYRA Maud Hart Lavelace Award: Division 1 and Division 2 nominee 2021 Lectio Book Award Winner 2020 Illinois Bluestem Readers' Choice Award nominee 2020 Kentucky Bluegrass Award nominee 2020 Utah Beehive Book Awards: Poetry nominee 2019 Virginia Readers' Choice Middle School List nominee 2019 Great Stone Face Book Award shortlist 2019 Rocky Mountain Book Award nominee 2019 Chocolate Lily Award: Novel Category nominee 2018 IODE Violet Downey Book Award shortlist 2018 Forest of Reading Silver Birch Fiction shortlist 2018 SYRCA Diamond Willow Award shortlist 2018 USBBY Outstanding International Books List, Grades 6–8 selection 2018 NCTE "Spring Into New Book Recommendations" selection 2019 IBBY Canada Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities selection 2018 Horn Book, "August 2018 Back-to-School Horn Book Herald: Intermediate" selection 2018 New York Public Library "How to Read Harder in 2019: A book by a woman and/or AOC (Author of Color) that won a literary award in 2018" selection 2017 Cybils Award, Poetry Book nominee 2017 Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids & Teens selection 2017 Junior Library Guild selection 2025 CBC Disability Pride Month Booklist "Green's free verse makes this a quick, accessible read, focusing on Macy's realistic reluctance to share her mother and her gradual acceptance of the changes in her life....Macy's deafness is a feature but not the focus..."―The Horn Book Magazine "This touching novel in verse makes clever use of space on each page, not only visually acknowledging Macy's deafness, but inviting all readers to understand and process language in multiple ways. Green's story confronts life's challenges with depth and realism, creating a narrative that is sparse yet impactful, with characters that are bursting with life."―Booklist "Macy's deafness is skillfully woven into the story, adding depth and complexity to her characterization and relationships with others....VERDICT Macy's coming-of-age anxieties, observations, and insights will resonate with middle grade readers. A strong purchase for public and school libraries."―School Library Journal "The verse trails down the pages in narrow bands leaving plenty of white space. Even characters that are barely sketched emerge fully realized through the spare yet poignant narrative....Macy's life lessons are realistic and illuminating; that she is deaf adds yet another dimension to an already powerful tale."―Kirkus Reviews "In this poignant verse novel, readers will be touched by the humor and heroism of Macy McMillian, who faces unwanted changes in her life...While Macy's deafness is a feature of the book, the focus is her gradual acceptance of the changes in her life. This novel in verse is an accessible read about the families we chose for ourselves and the power of stories."―ILA Literacy Daily, "More Poetry, Please" " Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess is brimming with charm and plenty of references to other great books to appeal to the story lover in all of us....this heartfelt story shines with genuine hope and the promise that, no matter what challenges lie ahead of us, there is always a bright destination if we keep ourselves open to the unexpected people and opportunities that can help us get there."―BookPage "One of the striking things about the characterization of Macy is that she is profoundly deaf, communicating primarily through sign language. Green's portrayal is highly authentic, and the various interactions Macy experiences are seamlessly introduced....Told as a verse-no