
Fans of the bestselling Mackenzie Blue books will love this spin-off series that follows Zee's new adventures across the pond--in London!
MOM'S CHOICE AWARDS(R) Gold Recipient
2021 American Fiction Awards Finalist, Young Adult category
Winner, 2022 IndieReader Discovery Awards
Mackenzie ("Zee") Blue Carmichael has never eaten fish 'n' chips, never slept away from home longer than a few nights, and knows nothing about London. But after her family relocates for her dad's new job, 13-year-old Zee leaves her old life in California behind for a new one in England.
Zee lands in London and at her new boarding school, The Hollows, hoping to find new friends and jump-start her music career. All of that proves difficult between a chilly roommate, a BFF who's gone MIA, and distractions from the poshest--and cutest--student in her grade. Will Zee thrive in her new environment, and will London end up not being so bad after all?
What readers are saying about The Zee Files:
★★★★★ "My daughter read this in just over a day!"
★★★★★ "Got this for my daughter for her 10th birthday! We read it together and absolutely LOVED the book!"
★★★★★ "We gave this book to my niece, and she loved it! She can't wait to see what happens next in the second book."
Featured on Reading Middle Grade's 100 Middle Grade Books to Read in 2022
"An enviable hero and appealing wish fulfillment that's spiced with teen-friendship drama."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Mackenzie 'Zee' Blue Carmichael has just been uprooted from California to London with her family and then sent off to boarding school alone and for the first time. This thirteen year old must try to juggle long-distance friendships (the only kind she has at first) with her new home, new boarding school, new friends, and her musical talents. . . 4/5 stars."
--Youth Services Book Review
"In this character-driven series starter spun off from the Mackenzie Blue series, California girl Mackenzie 'Zee' Blue Carmichael and her family are moving to London, and red-haired, olive-skinned Zee is headed to year nine at an English boarding school. Tina Wells's slice-of-life plotting, told in text message exchanges and a sometimes formal voice, focuses on character introductions, holding some arcs' wrap-ups for the next installment."
--Publishers Weekly
"Tina Wells has done a nice job giving the characters personalities that make them unique and intriguing. This makes it good to know that another story in Zee's life is on the way. The story is well-crafted, interesting, and will leave readers wanting more."
--YA Books Central
"Adding humor, life's rollercoaster, and a good amount of heart, this is a cute beginning to what promises to be a soon loved series. Zee is a lively girl. . . Her energy radiates from every page, but she's by no means overly bubbly or silly. Her decisions are thought out, she tries not to break any rules, and she's always thinking of others. She's the kind of girl everyone like and gets along with. Even the situations she faces, while being in London and, therefore, a bit more 'exotic', are the type many middle graders will be able to relate to and understand."
--Bookworm for Kids
"Tina Wells's The Zee Files is a story about Mackenzie Blue, who relocates to the UK and thereby experiences a new culture, makes new friends, and faces the realities of long-distance friendships. Brimming with energy and charm, and accompanied by wonderful illustrations by Veronica Miller Jamison, this book will warm the hearts of young readers."
--IndieReader