Scott’s wacky life always plays out in totally unexpected ways. His excitement to be a freshman, finally, is overturned by the horrible reality where he’s whacked on the head on the bus, his spare change is stolen, he’s totally ignored by all females and he constantly suffers being the lowliest of the low. Even at home, things have turned upside down with older hunky brother’s return to base and Mom’s surprise announcement of a new sibling to come. Scott nicknames the new arrival Smelly—a combo of Sean and Emily appropriate for either gender, and writes a “NOT a diary” journal with advice and tips for the future. Lubar’s gift is in his presentation of the horrors of daily life and the humor that sneaks in as real-life lessons are inadvertently learned. The mystery is who the true friends turn out to be, and the comedy is inherent in how hard it is to learn to go with the flow. Fresh, funny and perfectly plausible as a demonstration of various writing exercises for classroom use, but only if you like laughter. (Fiction. YA)
