The Mighty Macy by Kwame Alexander

e-ALC, 01:00:23
Narrated by: Imani Parks
Release Date: February 3, 2026
Published by: Hachette Audio
Read from: February 6, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received this ALC free from Netgalley and the publisher. This did nothing to influence my review!)
Content Warning: N/A
For Readers Interested In: Children, Middle Grade, Most Anticipated, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Realistic Fiction, Books about Books, Own Voices, Tear-Jerkers, Verse Novel

    A young girl finds her voice— and discovers the power of speaking up for herself and her community— in this sweet and humorous chapter book by award-winning and #1 bestselling author Kwame Alexander, perfect for fans of Ivy + Bean and Ruby and the Booker Boys.
     When Macy gets book one of The Mighty Zora series for her birthday, she stays up until 11:34pm finishing the book. But the next day, when Macy gets to her school library, eager to check out book two, she finds the door locked with a sign explaining that the library will now only be open a few days a week due to budget cuts. Even worse, she finds out her father won’t be home to help her figure out what to do, as he will be traveling to a museum in Montgomery, Alabama to read a poem about civil rights. With help from her fellow third graders, support from her mom, and encouragement from poems written and hidden for her by her father, Macy must find her voice and learn the power of advocating for herself and her community.
     Can Macy learn to be Mighty?

*MY THOUGHTS*

When I started this I was not expecting to love it and cry as much as I did. And that’s entirely on me because what in the world was I expecting to happen as I read a Kwame Alexander book? Even with it being short and “free verse,” it still packed a punch. I loved it.

So basically Macy speaks up when the school tries closing down the school library because of lack of funding. And the person who helps her all the time won’t be there to help her. I hate to say it, but that felt extremely real. And even though this is a short book and I finished it within a day, I STILL felt so much while reading this. There was even a point in time when they were talking about the librarian trying to hide her sadness from the kids and man that touched a part of me. As a librarian trying to hide her sadness and madness about book banning from the world, that part just broke me.

The rest of the book just talks about the way she was so brave and had to take on those people to let them know she was no ok with the library’s new hours. And man if I tell you I wanted to stand up and applaud her. She was the sweetest and so so brave. I don’t think I would have done what she did. Hell SHE didn’t think she could do it either, But with the help of her mom, the community, and her classmates, she took on the people that were trying to take her favorite hobby from her.

I know it seems basic, but I think the fact that it seemed so real is what got to me. I could see many of my old library teens in Macy and I got so immensely proud of them all over again. I hope many kids read this and feel the same and be proud of themselves. This book is sure to inspire all the kids who pick this up!

Overall, I give this