No middle schooler wants to face a month at summer enrichment camp, but many will enjoy watching Charlie Joe work harder...
Charlie Joe Jackson learns that “being a perfect student is just really, really hard.”
Charlie Joe’s parents mean business: He must earn all A’s (he negotiates for one B) in his last quarter of school or he’s headed to Camp Rituhbukee for summer school. Charlie Joe has spent so much time avoiding schoolwork and causing problems that he now has to spend any free time earning extra credit. Luckily, he has great friends who are willing to help him learn to be a student. He still needs help, so he asks his art, drama and PE teachers for some extra credit. While it’s clear no one thinks Charlie Joe has what it takes, these three teachers come up with inventive ways to assist. In art, he poses for the art students (and meets future girlfriend Zoe). In drama, he uses his schmoozing abilities to land the lead role in the school musical. And in PE, he joins student government. But things do not always turn out as planned. Snappy, sarcastic middle-school humor lifts this overlong book, and the spot drawings and occasional very short pithy paragraphs are a pleasant surprise.
No middle schooler wants to face a month at summer enrichment camp, but many will enjoy watching Charlie Joe work harder than he has ever worked before to avoid it…even if he fails. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-59643-692-3
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A successful marriage of art and poetry.
Will Chambers wrestles with fat stigma, self-loathing, disordered eating, and the ultimate desire to be accepted.
Lerner’s illustrated verse novel opens on Will’s fourth grade year. It’s the first time the word fat is hurled at him as an insult, the first time he understands that the rest of the world sees something wrong with his body. Three years later, shame-filled Will is eating less and less. It’s Markus, his kind, cool skateboarder friend, who helps Will when he eventually breaks and who is there as he works on piecing himself back together. Lerner uses the format to great effect, as the staccato lines of broken verse are well matched to Will’s honest, disjointed inner thoughts. The setup makes for an effective portrayal of Will’s painful mental battles. The black-and-white illustrations mostly depict Markus; Will’s crush, Jules, a skinny girl; and a prickly, monsterlike version of how Will sees himself. Peppered throughout are balls of black scribbles representing Will’s anxiety, fears, and the anger he directs at himself. The diary feel adds to readers’ understanding of Will. Lerner writes very affecting scenes that will resonate with some readers and provide insight for others, shedding powerful light on boys’ body image struggles. All characters appear White.
A successful marriage of art and poetry. (Verse fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781665905152
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
A fresh, heartwarming take on self-acceptance and true friends. Huzzah!
After two meteors collide, Tiffany is able to take on another person’s talents, but she has to learn how to use her powers for good.
Tiffany lives in a mobile home with her single dad. She used to be more colorful and expressive, but since her grandmother passed away, she’s felt cursed. The 12-year-old hides in the shadows, trying to avoid mean girl Candace’s bullying. Her social life consists of her school’s online video game club and a few old friends at Sunny Vistas Assisted Living who really are old—in their 90s! Maybe her new ability is a corrective measure sent by her grandmother from above? Mimi always called Tiffany her Shining Star, and after all, Tiffany does need help. If she wants to win the fundraiser contest that could save the dilapidated planetarium where her father works, she has to enter the spotlight. There’s a lot of heart and humor in this book; Tiffany is a quirky, honest narrator. Initially giddy about her strange new capabilities, she soon faces the ethical consequences of taking another’s talents—but talents freely given are another matter. With the support of her gaming club and the shared life experiences of her elderly friends, Tiffany finds her voice and reclaims her confidence. Readers will laugh out loud and be moved to tears as Tiffany proves to be the Shining Star Mimi always said she was. Main characters default to White.
A fresh, heartwarming take on self-acceptance and true friends. Huzzah! (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-77102-5
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
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