A Celebration of Books,
Writers & LIterary Excellence

Save the Date


Gaithersburg
Book Festival

May 16, 2026

10am – 6pm

Bohrer Park


Nicole Melleby

Featured Title: Brady Mason's Perfect Fit
Brady Mason's Perfect Fit

What happens when a sporty foster kid from the suburbs meets her glamorous birth mom in the big city? This slice-of-life novel is perfect for fans of Judy Blume and Wendy Mass.

Brady Mason couldn’t care less about fashion. She likes what she knows: baseball, comfortable clothes, and pork roll with egg and cheese. When Brady’s friends notice that she looks strangely like fashion editor Elena Lavigne, they start the rumor that Brady is Elena’s long-lost daughter. They’ll make a few TikTok videos, get some fun buzz online about their similarities, and that will be the end of it.

But when a DNA test confirms that Brady is Elena’s long-lost daughter, she’s summoned to Manhattan to live with her. The only problem: Elena’s high-fashion life clashes with Brady’s tomboy antics, and Elena doesn’t know how to be a mother any more than Brady knows how to be a daughter. But the more time passes, the more Brady sees what they have in common, and she starts wondering…if she and Elena are both searching for a family, could the two of them be the right fit?

Balancing humor and heart, here is a winning story of hard-fought growth and found family.  

About Nicole Melleby

Nicole Melleby, a New Jersey native, is the author of highly praised middle-grade books, including the Lambda Literary finalist “Hurricane Season,” ALA Notable book “How to Become a Planet,” “Camp QUILTBAG” (co-written with A. J. Sass), and “The House on Sunrise Lagoon” series. She is currently on the faculty of the Hamline University M.F.A. for Writing for Children and Young Adults, and lives with her wife and their cats, whose needs for attention oddly align with Nicole’s writing schedule.

Nicole will be presenting “Brady Mason’s Perfect Fit.”

Instagram: @nicolemelleby