Guy Friday-- I Represent Sean Rosen

Baron, Jeff. I Represent Sean Rosen.
19 March 2013, Walden Pond Press
ARC provided by the publisher
Also reviewed at Young Adult Books Central

Sean has a great idea for a movie, and is bound and determined to get the attention of a big company to produce it. He reads the Hollywood Insider and knows that he needs an agent and a manager, so he sets out to try to find one. When he is turned away everywhere he turns, he invents an agent for himself, Dan Welch, and has "Dan" contact that big company. Because he can't leave the Midwest and travel to Los Angeles, he arranges a Skype visit and manages to favorably impress Stephanie, the president of the company, who sends him a contract optioning his movie. The deal is for a measly $500, which Sean does not think is enough after checking with some people, so he tries to negotiate for more money. Real life goes on as well, of course, with his cousin's bar mitzvah, physical fitness tests at school, and other middle grade drama.
Strengths: It is very difficult to find funny books for boys, and this is amusing enough and has a very appealing cover. The web site mentioned in the book actually exists and has podcasts. This will be popular with fans of The Fourth Stall, I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President,  and The Fizzy Whiz Kid.
Weaknesses: I had trouble connecting with this one. I can never buy into the story line when it's just highly unlikely, although the boys seem to like this. This is the problem with never actually having been a twelve year old boy. Definitely buying for school, though!