Published by Charlesbridge
Hardcover on sale date: Feb 18, 2025
8-14 years | ISBN 9781623543242
Paperback available: May 5, 2026
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When 6th grader Zella’s class prank flops, she’s given a second chance to leave a lasting impact in this middle-grade novel about redemption, friendship, and kindness.
A perfect book club pick to inspire discussion, 8–12-year-old fans of Katherine Applegate’s Wishtree will love this hopeful story about the power of connection.
It’s the end of 6th grade and Zella wants to be the one who thinks of the best class prank—a long-held tradition that administrators allow, with parameters. In alternating chapters told by Zella, best friends Bowie and Janea, Shelby the school sleuth, and the town of Kettleby, Zella's story reveals her quest to uphold her image as class clown and bask in the spotlight.
As a result, she loses sight of what’s going on in the lives of her two best friends and begins to cause more stress for her mom—who manages their family's failing ice cream shop while also caring for an aging parent. Zella doesn’t mean to cause trouble, but being twelve is hard. Everything is changing, and everyone seems so much cooler and better understood.
When her prank doesn’t go as planned, the entire class is punished, and Zella is to blame. But when Zella's given a second chance, her small, subtle acts of thoughtfulness begin to grow. It turns out that redemption, friendship, and a remarkable chain of kindness tastes even sweeter than her family's famous raspberry ripple ice cream.
With humor and heart, The Ripple Effect's themes of kindness and connection will inspire young readers to even greater compassion and generosity in their own lives.
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ADVANCE PRAISE & REVIEWS
“An uplifting story of personal and community transformation.
The takeaway message—‘kindness is its own sort of magic’—is reminiscent of Kelly Barnhill’s The Ogress and the Orphans. A touch of something inexplicable and joyful brightens the tale.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A charming multiple-perspective novel featuring character growth and the power of community.”
—School Library Journal
“A heart-expanding blueprint for creating big change through small kindnesses. Readers will delight in sixth-grade prankster Zella’s journey of self-discovery, which concludes in the sweet triumph of spreading acts of generosity throughout her town.”
—Elaine Dimopoulos, award-winning author of The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow