Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles by Karen Romano Young

Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles by Karen Romano Young is about Dodo (Doreen), a middle schooler who has discovered how to curb her ADD with doodling.  The problem is, the teachers at her new school are not willing to accept doodling as the solution to Dodo's behavior problems.  When Dodo and her family moved from L.A. to San Francisco, she was not convinced things would work out.  They were temporarily staying an her father's old friend's apartment and taking care of Sven, an ornery cat who seemed as unhappy with the living arrangement as Dodo.  Momo (Maureen), Dodo's sister had a pretty good outlook on the situation until she was denied a position in the school choir.  Determined to show the school what a talented singer she was, Momo took matters into her own hands and hijacked the morning announcements to sing "Oh, Beautiful" and even stowed away on the choir bus without telling anyone!  Despite all of the trouble with her teachers, Dodo made some really good friends who support her doodling and her efforts to help Momo earn a position on the choir.  In the end, a plan is hatched and everyone works together to change the minds of the teachers at school about Momo's singing and Dodo's doodling.

This was a very cute book!  The story is entirely told through Dodo's doodles.  The author cleverly used specific symbols for each character for parts with dialogue.  I think middle school girls will find this book particularly relatable, although anyone who has ever been misunderstood will enjoy the doodles and the compelling story!

 

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb is about Oliver, a dumb, 7th grader who isn't who everyone thinks he is. He's actually a genius who just so happens to be the 3rd richest person in the world. Even his parents don't know about Oliver's vast empire, all of his minions, inventions, and secrets. Oliver has never really cared for his father, who runs the local public television station. His father's big claim to fame was winning his class election for presidency of his middle school. When Oliver's class election rolls around, he gets nominated to run as a joke. At first, he declines, but then he changes his mind. Oliver decides this is the perfect opportunity to show his father that even he, a stupid, fat, idiot could win a class election. Thus, his father would feel worthless, and Oliver would have a renewed sense of power over his father. Things don't play out the way Oliver thought they would, however. He bribes, bullies, and rigs his way through the entire process, all in effort to tear his dad down. What happens in the end is both a wonder and a surprise!

This was a really interesting book. Oliver has everything he could possible want, and if he doesn't have it, he has people who can get it for him. What he doesn't have, is the respect of his father, which turns out to be more important to him than he ever could have imagined. I'd recommend this book to just about any middle schooler!

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Smile by Raina Telgemeier is a graphic novel of the story of what happened when the author broke her front teeth in 6th grade. Poor Raina can't catch a break. One her way home from Girl Scouts one night, a friend challenges her to a race. Raina trips and falls, knocking out both top front teeth. Thus begins the painful (both physically and emotionally) middle school experience for Raina. She endures one dental treatment after another in an attempt to recreate the appearance of healthy, normal front teeth. Throughout her three years of middle school and all of these procedures, Raina is plagued by a mean group of friends. While she feels like she fits in with them, they go out of their way to tease Raina and make fun of her. Once, even de-pantsing her in front of the entire school! Fortunately, when she enters high school, Raina is at the end of her dental procedures and close to a perfect smile and she finds a new group of friends who accept her for who she is - crazy teeth and all!

I absolutely loved this book! The author and I are about the same age, so it was easy for me to slip into Raina's shoes. My favorite part of the book was when they were showing off their retainers and Raina's friend had one with a picture of Joey McIntyre imprinted on hers. That's how I knew we were in middle school at the same time period - Joey was my favorite New Kid on the Block, too! My husband and I took turns reading a chapter a night to our son, and all three of us really enjoyed the story. I would recommend it to anyone who is in (or has ever been in) middle school.

Big Nate in a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce

Big Nate in a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce is about Nate, a wise-cracking, mischief-making 6th grader who just can't seem to catch a break. That is, until he opens a fortune cookie and finds out that this one day only, he'll "surpass all others". The entire day at school Nate focuses on that fortune, trying to figure out what special talent he has, or record he can break, or SOMETHING he can do to surpass all others. All that ends up happening, though, is Nate gets in trouble in all of his classes and ends up with detention slips from every teacher - including the principal!

This book was hilarious! It's told through text and comics, similar to the style in The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Fans of that series will definitely like Nate. You'll have to read to find out if Nate does indeed surpass all others!

If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko

If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko is the story of Kirsten and Walker. Both are 7th graders, struggling with grades, friends, pressure at home, etc. Kirsten has recently lost all of her friends. One moved away over the summer and the other is suddenly a part of the popular group of girls who's mission it seems is to make everyone else miserable. She is also dealing with a family in crisis as her parents can't seem to even talk to each other without yelling. The way she copes is to eat, which is something her mother constantly points out. Walk is the only African American student at Kirsten's expensive private school after transferring in from his inner-city public school. He lives with his single mother who does her very best to make sure Walk will have a bright future. Walk also deals with pressure from his cousin Jamal and his old friends from City. Through a series of seemingly unrelated events, Kirsten and Walk become friends. But then, Kirsten learns a secret that could turn all of their worlds upside down.

I really enjoyed this story. It is told through the alternating perspectives of Kirsten and Walk. The author does a great job of showing how miserable middle school can be, but also shows how some of the smallest things can make it all OK.

Hear the first chapter courtesy of Random House Audio's Listening Library:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is about Greg Heffley and his adventures (and misadventures) as a middle schooler. The story is told via Greg's journal (NOT a diary), and is complete with his own illustrations! Poor Greg - when he's not protecting himself from getting the "Cheese Touch", he has to deal with getting chased by high schoolers bent on stealing his Halloween candy, getting kicked off of safety patrols for chasing the kindergartners with fresh worms, having his dad smash up his snowman head (after he kicked his younger brother's snowman at his brother's head), or having his mom substitute for his teacher. These are just a few of the hilarious events that happen throughout this hilarious book about a wimpy kid.

OK, so this book is so funny that I burst out laughing during the middle of silent reading time and completely disrupted the entire library!! I have seen so many of my students reading the entire series, but this is the first time I've read any of them. I finished the book in a matter of a few hours, simply because it was so amusing and engaging! I totally understand why kids like this one!

The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo

The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo is about Matt Stevens, Franklin Middle School's one and only private investigator. Things at the Frank are run by a particularly foul bully named Vinny, who has a whole host of "employees" to do his bidding. Up until recently, one of these employees was Nikki Fingers, hit-woman extraordinaire. Her aim and speed with a cat-pee filled squirt gun was unparalleled at the Frank, sending many a victim to join "The Outs" after having been sprayed in the pants. At the beginning of 8th grade year, Nikki went back to being Nicole and tried to leave Vinny's crew - supposedly to set a good example for her 6th grade sister. Too bad she took something of Vinny's with her when she went. Vinny hired Matt to retrieve the item, a hula girl good luck charm. Unknowingly, Matt only served as a distraction... when they were talking, someone snuck up on them and "hit" Nikki with the squirt gun. The crowd in the hall was thrilled at seeing the most feared member of Vinny's crew taken down - Nikki was no longer feared, in fact, she was immediately a member of "The Outs", the shunned group of kids at the Frank. Now Matt's job is to find out who put the hit on Nikki... suspects include nearly everybody at Franklin Middle School! In the midst of his investigation, Matt discovers he may have feelings for two different girls, considers his old elementary school friendships with both Vinny and his new right-hand-man Kevin, and wrestles with how to do the right thing for himself, Nikki, and the Frank.

This was a really funny mystery! It reminded me of The Sopranos for adolscents! Vinny was the big boss-man who controlled all of the illegal activity at school (writing phony passes, selling candy, etc.) and took down anyone who crossed him using cat pee and a squirt gun. The author used a lot of hilarious similes to describe the situations.