MMGM- Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Planet Girl

First of all, you should head right over to the Cybils Website and check out whether you have what it takes to be a Cybils judge! Do you read a lot of books? Blog about them? Recommend them to children? The Cybils would be a great experience for you. We can't guarantee that you'll be accepted (trying to balance teachers, librarians, writers, etc. can be tricky, no matter how much we might love to have an applicant work with us!), but if you don't apply, you definitely won't be!

http://www.cybils.com/2015/08/2015-cybils-call-for-judges.html


Greenwald, Tommy. Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Planet Girl
August 25th 2015 by Roaring Brook Press
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Charlie Joe is not having the best time of his life in middle school, mainly because he doesn't have a girlfriend and all of his other friends (except for Katie and Nareem) do. Desperate for advice, he heads to the library to consult Mrs. Reedy, who gives him A Communication Guide to Boys and Girls, which has a boy and a girl on the back cover who "were dressed like they were from a different planet". Oddly enough, Charlie reads the whole book, and even more oddly, it's actually interesting. He helps one of his friends with his girlfriend problem by quoting the book, and before he knows it, fellow students are lined up to get his advice. The problem is that Charlie can't follow his own advice. He is caught in an ill-advised kiss with Hannah by Katie Friedman, and after that, he comes to the realization that it's really Katie whom he likes. He tries to reconnect with her, but she won't answer her texts. During a Camp Rituhbukkee reunion in New York City, Charlie gets himself involved in a typical caper, and never can quite manage to talk to Katie in the way the book recommends. Finally, under the advisement of the drama adviser, he realizes that his charisma is a valuable asset and that he's been hiding it. An ill-conceived plot involving Katie's rock band and chickens ends with an opportunity for Charlie to finally approach Katie and say those beautiful words "Yeah, we're going out."
Strengths: As much as teachers and parents want to claim that middle school students "don't date", they do declare boyfriends and girlfriends, sometimes at the rate of one a week. I remember chronicling this in middle school (sorry, Jon!), and while I don't see much of it where I teach, I think it is still a biological imperative for tweens to want to feel that they are attractive enough that someone wants to "date" them. Oddly, few books for middle graders are willing to address this. Leave it to Mr. Greenwald, for whose work I have an unabashed love, to go there with Charlie.
Weaknesses: Charlie will often engage in at least one scene that seems unrealistic to me-- this time, it was declaring his relationship with Katie in front of the school. I don't see that students would be given an opportunity to do that, and doubt that there are souls brave enough even if the chance presented itself. Since the rest of the book rings true, we'll forgive that scene.
What I really think: I want to work with Mrs. Reedy. We'd be totally awesome together, and it sounds like she might need some help weeding her collection!


I actually had the book on the left from 1996. Not that long ago to ME, but what's with the hair? I have always giggled at the Rosen Everything You Need to Know Library, and this volume on Falling in Love from 2001 would be just what Charlie would need. My favorite was Everything You Need to Know about Pregnancy and Childbirth. In 112 pages!






Tashjian, Janet. My Life as a Gamer (My Life #5)
April 7th 2015 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

If you have fans of Charlie Joe, this series is another great one. PLUS, there need to be a lot more books about video gaming, if I look at the sort of hobbies my students have!

From Goodreads.com
"Derek Fallon gets the chance of a lifetime--to participate in a gaming company focus group and to test out a new video game called "Arctic Ninja." Together with his friends Carly, Matt, and Umberto, Derek thinks his gaming talents will be showcased. But he soon realizes that everyone has got him beat, including whiz kid El Cid. On top of that, school reading tests have begun and Derek feels doubly off his game. Isn't there anything he's good at?"