• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

After a lifetime of New Age “adventures” with her weirdo hippie mom, fifteen-year-old Maddie is realizing a lifelong dream and visiting New York City.

Armed with her 130-item to-do list, Maddie hits the streets of New York with her friend Anna and Anna’s brother, Thomas. Maddie drags her friends around on an epic quest for the ultimate art show outfit, oblivious to the fact that they don’t share her passion for vintage clothing. Three days into the trip, a most unwelcome surprise—the arrival of Maddie’s mother—threatens to derail the entire adventure. As her mother’s obsession with dietary trends and fortune-tellers takes center stage, and everyone’s tempers get thin, Maddie has to face some ugly facts about how she’s been treating her friends.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

Christy Goerzen has been writing since the age of two, when she forced her parents to be the scribes for her long, convoluted stories about sheep and faeries. Passionate about everything to do with reading and writing, Christy holds a Master of Arts in Children's Literature from the University of British Columbia. She has worked as a book reviewer, copywriter, marketing consultant, television writer, bookseller and writing mentor. She is currently the communications manager for the North Vancouver District Public Library, where she is blissfully surrounded by books and gets to work with the coolest children's librarians ever. She loves daydreaming, dancing in the kitchen, wearing costumes, and goofing off with family and friends. Born and raised on the West Coast, Christy lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her wonderful husband Joshua and two funny cats.

Christy Goerzen's profile page

"Thanks to the book's convincing teen dialogue and believable characters, readers will identify with Maddie's palpable excitement at her taste of freedom...A quick paced, lighthearted yet insightful romp about a girl and her emotional, quirky, New Age mom...Deftly tackles important issues such as the boundaries of friendship, dangers of self-pity, the value of self-awareness, and the healing power of forgiveness."

Quill & Quire

"There is complexity in the characters that encourages the reader to reflect on Maddie's critical attitude. This is evident when Maddie takes control of Anna's trip without considering her friend's wishes...While the novel is a sequel to Farmed Out, readers unfamiliar with the previous story will have no problem starting with The Big Apple Effect and will be left hoping for a sequel after a possible love interest and developments in Maddie's art career are introduced late in the novel."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials