Teens own expensive, high-status items like Alexander McQueen sneakers, and their school is so far out of reach for most that it might as well be Hogwarts. John isn’t spelled “Saint John.”) Zee has a lively voice that makes her sound like a friend any teen would like to have, although few readers will be able to relate to the characters’ wealthy lives. (Some references are off target for example, the name St. Transplanting Zee to England allows for a fresh array of challenges and adventures, and American readers will likely enjoy learning about cultural differences with Britain. Wells (now writing with Smith) continues the Mackenzie Blue series under a new umbrella title. Ally, too, has been mysteriously distant, canceling a planned Paris rendezvous for unclear reasons.

But hurdles remain, such as staying in touch with Chloe across time zones. Unexpectedly, she is taken into the charmed circle of Izzy Matthews, a popular YouTuber, and hits it off with the school’s hottest ninth grade boy, the posh Archibald “Archie” Saint John the Fourth, a fellow songwriter. Despite her anxieties, Zee makes several friends quickly. Plus, her Brookdale friend Ally Stern now lives in Paris, just two hours away. She can concentrate on her singing and songwriting while studying academic subjects. That’s a bit intimidating, but the school has some huge advantages, especially its focus on the arts. Another big change is that Zee will be attending a boarding school, The Hollows Creative Arts Academy, in the Cotswolds. Besides leaving behind sunny skies for London fog, Zee must say goodbye to Chloe Lawrence-Johnson, her best friend from Brookdale Academy.

Now a year older and in the eighth grade, the red-haired, blue-eyed, olive-skinned Zee faces a major life change because her father’s job is taking the family to London from Los Angeles. Previously, 12-year-old Mackenzie Blue Carmichael, called Zee, detailed her seventh grade escapades in the five-volume Mackenzie Blue series. When her family moves to London, an American teen adjusts to a new school in this middle-grade novel.

Princess of the midnight ball series