Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth
by E. L. Konigsburg
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 720L (~4th grade) · 144 pages · 1999
Why we'd hand it over
A deceptively quiet book about how friendship survives betrayal—Konigsburg trusts kids to notice what Elizabeth misses, and the resolution actually earns its emotional weight.