The Shade of the Moon

Head over to Green Bean Teen Queen for an interview with yours truly about what ten books would make me cry should children lose them. Thanks, Sarah! It's just in time to help me convince all of my new 6th graders that I really am FAMOUS!
 
Pfeffer, Susan Beth. The Shade of the Moon
13 August 2013, Harcourt Children's Books
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Just four years after the moon is knocked out of alignment and death and despair settle over the earth, Jon is doing okay in Sexton, a protected enclave. He is an excellent soccer player, so his "job" is to play soccer.  He's not really a "claver"-- someone who has a skill needed for survival in the current condition, like doctors and botanists; he is a "slip". He's only in the enclave because Julie's brother, Alex, had a pass, and Julie died. Jon's mother, Alex, and Jon's sister Miranda all live in the "grub" town of White Birch. They have jobs like teaching, driving a bus, and working in the greenhouse. Jon lives with Lisa and his stepbrother Gabe. Lisa places domestic workers in claver families. Jon meets Sarah, whose father runs a medical clinic in White Birch, and starts to question the more comfortable world in which he lives. When Miranda becomes pregnant (something rare since the problems began), everyone's comfortable world falls apart, and Jon must go on the lam.
Strengths: I love this series, but I always read the books when horrible weather is predicted. I can't tell you the number of times this has resulted in me overstocking the basement with peanut butter! The best part of this was seeing how quickly people accept "grubs" as a lower class and think that they are worthy of special treatment.
Weaknesses: This one is more YA. There is discussion of rape, and of the use of grubber girls by claver boys; one scene depicts a boy cutting a bar of soap into four pieces even though he could "get" a girl for an eighth of a bar. Certainly realistic, but not conversations I want to have with middle school students. There are also several violent deaths. Very good, just a bit beyond middle school at this point.

Get ready for the Cybils!

Hope over to Cybils.com to review past winners, FAQs, and category organizers. Remember, I am the Middle Grade Fiction Organizer, so if you want to avoid me, you'll have to apply for a different category.

Want to apply to be a Cybils panelist? There are lots of options, so find one that best suits your talents and reading preferences. If you're not sure, go back and look at the list of 2012 Cybils Winners to get an idea about what was considered the best book in each category.
Please note these changes for this year: Nonfiction categories are split differently with the Elementary/Middle- Grade Nonfiction category replacing the Nonfiction Picture Books category and including picture books. Also, Fantasy and Science Fiction has been  changed to Speculative Fiction.
For Book Apps, it is important that panelists have consistent access to an iPad.

For the 2013 Cybils, here are the categories for which you can apply:
Book Apps
Easy Readers/Early Chapter Books
Fiction Picture Books
Graphic Novels
Elementary/Middle- Grade Nonfiction
Young Adult Nonfiction
Poetry
Middle Grade Fiction
Young Adult Fiction
Elementary/Middle- Grade Speculative Fiction
Young Adult Speculative Fiction

MMGM/Nonfiction Monday-- Make the Grade, Spy Camp

Martin, Lesley Schwartz. Make the Grade: Everything You Need to Study Better, Stress Less and Succeed in School. 
9 July 2013, Zest Books
Copy provided by the publisher

We used to teach study skills in middle school, before standardized testing took such a stranglehold on our day. It is all too easy to forget that study skills are just that-- skills. They must be taught, practiced, and reinforced before students really have a grasp of them. When I had my 75 student study hall last year, I had to tell students that really, they had to read their text books chapters. And reread their notes. That they DID need to take in class! This book would be good to go over with children at home, since there is no time in the day for this kind of instruction in the class room, and handing it to a child in study hall probably wouldn't be that effective. Still, for parents, this would be a good resource to help teach these skills.


Gibbs, Stuart. Spy Camp.
2 April 2013, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Looking forward to a summer at home after his event filled year in Spy School, Ben is dismayed to find that he only gets a weekend at home, and must go to a wilderness survival camp for the summer, along with his classmates. Also dismaying is a note from SPYDER. The group eventually demands that he join them or die, and they send Murray Hill, who is supposed to be incarcerated, to encourage him. Ben's a good guy, though, and doesn't even consider it. Things quickly go south when he is at camp, but he has the help of the brilliant and talented (not to mention pretty) Erica Hale. Her father, Alex, is assigned to keep Ben safe; it's just too bad that Erica is more equipped to deal with the situation than the acclaimed spy! When the bus they are on gets highjacked by SPYDER, Ben, Erica and Alex escape into the wilderness and decide to figure out whether Murray is really in the juvenile detention center. That's just their first mistake-- SPYDER is four or five steps ahead of them at every turn, and it's clear that they are not really after Ben. The romp continues with lots of twists and turns, as well as a stint in a Civil War reenactment. The group manages to save the day... for now.
Strengths: The first book has been popular in my library-- the covers are spot on for middle school. This book had all of the action and adventure of the first, awesome twists, and was somehow more believable than the first. A touch of goofiness, a hint of romance, but really good spy details. Enjoyed this very much, especially Erica's character.
Weaknesses:  Found it slightly hard to believe that SPYDER had such a jump on Erica, and would have liked a tiny bit more of Ben's family, but this was good stuff.


It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts. It's also Nonfiction Monday, with the Round Up this week at Prose and Kahn.

Crushes

Darling, Angela. Maddie's Camp Crush
7 May 2013, Simon Spotlight

Maddie is a bit leery about going away to camp for six weeks. In the past, her father made the trip there fun, and encouraged her to enjoy it, but since he passed away, Maddie worries about her mother being alone. Her friends at camp have changed a bit too-- the girls in her cabin start getting up early and doing their hair and make up because they see the boys at breakfast. Maddie has her eye on Gabriel, a very cute British boy, but all of the girls seem to like him. He makes some overtures to her as well, but she's just not sure what to make of them. First crushes can be difficult under the best of circumstances, and Maddie is dealing with enough change that she's not ready to act on her crush.
Strengths: Well, who wouldn't be crushing on Gabriel? He sounds dreamy. And the camp friendships seem very realistic for middle school. This will be a popular series in middle school (See #1, Lauren's Beach Crush) because they are light, easy to read, and show a good understanding of how middle school girls think.
Weaknesses: Less satisfying romance than the first book, since Maddie and Gabriel never have their moment of standing in the sunset hand in hand. A bit more angsty, what with Maddie grieving for her father. Not a bad thing, just a bit sad for a romance.

Darling, Angela. Lindsay's Surprise Crush. 
23 July 2013, Simon Spotlight

Lindsay and Nick have been friends since birth, since their mothers were in a "pregnant-lady-exercise class" together. They've been out of touch over the summer before 7th grade, though, and when Lindsay sees Nick on the first day of school, she's really surprised. He's grown six inches and gotten really cute. He's now the star of the soccer team and apparently dating Cassidy, who is also a good soccer player, very cute, and rather stuck up. Lindsay misses Nick, but she's also mad at him. He's not answering her texts, and seems to be enjoying his new found popularity a bit much. He surprises Lindsay by telling her that one of the 8th graders on his soccer team, Troy, wants to take her to the school dance. Lindsay is trying to find her own way in 7th grade, has some friend problems, but thinks about more than just herself when she introduces Mexican exchange student Claudia to Cassidy in the hope that Claudia will be able to play soccer, as she had done at home. Will Lindsay go to the dance with Troy, or is there someone else who is interested in taking her... someone she has known her whole life?
Strengths: Again, very realistic interchanges between middle school students, and appealing characters. I liked that Lindsay took an interest in other people, and was shown as being very compassionate to Cassidy even after Cassidy was mean to her. Lots of good soccer details, as well.
Weaknesses: Probably a scenario that happens very few times in the real world, but an appealing thought. I don't know that there are any middle school foreign exchange students, though.

The End of Summer

 I love going back to school. I really do. It's my favorite time of year. But there's something about every summer that starts with such promise, especially when one is in high school. How is it that the sense of disappointment goes away every winter? Must be the sunshine. This was a perfect read for this time of year.

Dessen, Sarah. The Moon and More.
4 June 2013, Viking Juvenile

Emaline has a comfortable life in her small beach community. She's spent her entire high school career dating Luke, a super hot boy who also cleans pools for her family's rental business, frequently while shirtless. Even though her mother was in high school when Emaline was born, her mother has always been supportive, and there's her grandmother, dad, and stepsisters who are also close. Then there's her father. She didn't meet him until she was ten, but the two connected over education, and he even promised to pay for her college. When she gets into Columbia, however, he is oddly silent, saying only that he can no longer afford it. Emaline makes plans to go to a lesser known college with Luke, and prepares to spend her last summer at home. When her father and step brother show up, things get rocky. She and Luke break up, and she starts dating Theo, the assistant to a high strung woman renting one of the family's properties while filming a documentary on a local artist. Emaline is attracted to Theo because he is different from everyone that she knows. He sets up elaborate dates, and makes her feel that there is life outside of her small town. As the summer comes to an end and college looms, Emaline knows she must make peace with all facets of her life before she will be able to move on.
Strengths: Dessen always does such nice but complicated romances. Her depiction of families that have problems but are strong despite them is always solid. She gets summer, and is able to encapsulate that feeling. It is no surprise that my 8th grade girls are so fond of her work.
Weaknesses: I wish there were not so much casual drinking in this, and there is one page early on that almost made me send the (gulp) two copies of this I ordered before reading it up to the high school. Emaline and Luke have obviously been intimate, and there's some discussion of this, but nothing... instructional or graphic, so I think it will be okay. Still, the book would have been fine without this.

Guy Friday- Little League

Christopher, Matt. Play Ball! (Little League #1)
Actually written by Stephanie True Peters
5 March 2013, Little Brown and Co.

Cousins and neighbors Liam and Carter, who live in Pennsylvania, are really close, and are glad to be on the same baseball team. After a very tense championship, Liam disgraces himself, mainly because a boy Carter met at a baseball camp, Phillip DiMaggio, managed to distract them both. Liam's disgrace is all over the internet, but it just gets worse-- Liam's family decides to move to Southern California. Both boys take it badly. Carter doesn't want to befriend the boy who moves into the house, Ash, even though Ash plays ball and his mother runs the local indoor ball complex. Liam ends up on a team with Phillip, and his fame has preceded him. Still, both boys love to play ball, and while things are difficult and they miss each other, they manage to pull themselves together to continue in the game they love.
Strengths: I'm torn about the continuation of the Christopher franchise-- there are some of the titles that are feeling rather dated, so I'd almost rather that Peters write under her own name. This book is certainly up to date, with a good mix of sports and problems that is always successful with students who want baseball books.
Weaknesses: A little too much angst. Between the emotion of the move and the disgrace on the field, Liam and Carter spend a lot of the book being unhappy. I don't know that most 11-year-old boys think about life in quite as much depth, but they will probably enjoy reading about it.

The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe

Poblocki, Dan. The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe

30 July 2013, Scholastic Press

E ARC from Netgalley.com

Gabe family moves in with his grandmother, a famous book illustrator, after a fire destroys the family home and his father’s puppet studio. Gabe is just as happy—he meets Seth, a neighbor, and has a great role playing game going in the woods. When school starts, he meets Mazzy and Felicia and gets accepted into a popular crowd, which is better than being taunted as “puppet boy” back home. Seth is no longer welcome in the group, although he once was, since his brother David’s disappearance. Soon, strange things start happening in the area. Children feel they are being stalked, a rocket is set off at a school bake sale, and Gabe starts to fear that the game he and Seth were playing has more serious ramifications. After consulting with his grandmother, he decides that they are in trouble. His grandmother had a friend, Mason, who went a bit off and now seems to be haunting the woods. Around Halloween,  Mason starts stalking the boys so they continue to play his wicked “game”; Gabe’s small sister Miri is kidnapped and almost dies in a fire. The boys are eventually able to stop Mason but figure out the mystery of David, but only at a terrible cost.

Strengths: Poblocki always writes very good horror, and this dark tale, set in the cool dark of autumn in the woods near a small town, is ultra creepy. I loved that he referenced a former book, The Nightmarys, and dedicated the book to Gory and Bellairs!

Weaknesses: This got off to a bit of a slow start, which  is unusual for Poblocki, and the role playing game was confusing at first. It made sense eventually, but I wouldn’t have lingered on it so long.  I don’t know that I would put any of Poblocki’s books in an elementary library; a major character does die. 

World Wednesday-Gaby, Lost and Found.

Cervantes, Angela. Gaby, Lost and Found.

30 July 2013, Scholastic Press

E ARC from Netgalley.com

Gaby is living with her father, since her mother, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, was rounded up by immigration officials at her work and deported. Gaby would like to live with her friend Alma’s family, since her father doesn’t seem to be able to keep a job or care for her properly, but he won’t let her. She would also like a cat, so is glad when the students at her Catholic school pick an animal shelter as their community service project. She uses her writing skills to write biographies for the pets, and takes a great interest in the animals, especially a cat named Feathers who was abandoned by his yuppie owners, who now want to reclaim him. She hopes that her mother, who is saving money to pay a coyote to help her get back to the US, will be home soon. When she realizes that Feather’s owners are going to reclaim her, she takes the cat home, which gets her in trouble with everyone. Eventually, Gaby comes to realize that her mother is not going to make it home, and that she needs to advocate for her own needs and stand up to her father in order to get the kind of life she needs.

Strengths: This has very good details about a child living in poverty, but is not overly sentimental. Gaby has some support structure, and is not afraid to use it when needed. This will also appeal to students who like animals, since there are lots of loveable cats and dogs. There is also a little middle grade girl drama, but Gaby has a good friend in Alma and is able to triumph over it.

If you

Weaknesses: It is rather sad that Gaby has no one from Social Services checking on her, but 6^th graders are able to hide a lot about what is going on in their families, so this is rather realistic.

Marciuliano, Francesco. I Could Pee on This and Other Poems by Cats
15 August 2012, Chronicle Books

Marciuliano, Francesco. I Could Chew on This and Other Poems by Dogs
30 July 2013, Chronicle Books

If you're looking for poetry books, these two might not be the best choices, but if you are looking for FUNNY books, they are great. Once I get over my surprise that this author also writes the comic strip Sally Forth, I may debate purchase. Great gifts for the dog/cat lover in your life who likes poetry!

Doll Bones

Black, Holly. Doll Bones
7 May 2013, Margaret K. McElderry Books

Alice, Poppy and Zach have an elaborate game that they've played for years. Using some dolls, but mainly their imagination, they go on quests and construct elaborate worlds and missions for their characters. Now that they are in middle school, however, they feel somewhat awkward about playing, so when Zach's father throws out all of his action figures, he tells the girls that he can no longer play. In order to entice him back, Poppy says that she will bring out the Queen from her mother's china cabinet. The old doll might be valuable, and the children have long been forbidden to play with it. The doll has appeared to Poppy in a series of dreams, and she and Alice are convinced that the group needs to take her from Pennsylvania to East Liverpool, Ohio. The doll is really the ghost of a little girl names Eleanor Kerchner, who died in mysterious circumstances, and the children believe the china in her face is made from the bones of Eleanor, and the body of the doll is filled with cremains. Setting out at night, the group get a bus most of the way, but run into many snags in getting to East Liverpool. Upon reaching the town, they break into the local library to get information about cemeteries. When they are found by a kindly but firm librarian, can they manage to find out Eleanor's secrets and bury her in order to appease her ghost before they are sent back home?
Strengths: This was a well-paced middle grade novel with lots of different facets. It had decently spooky ghost parts, some action and adventure, and some friend drama. Nothing is overdone, and I never felt that the story lagged. I liked the inclusion of the pottery history. It was difficult to get a copy of this since everyone seems to absolutely love it.
Weaknesses: Maybe the hype ruined some of this for me, but I felt it could have been a stronger story. If all of the children had creepy dreams, I would have believed their willingness to go on the long trek, plus it would have made the ghost component creepier. The dreams are not described very vividly or in a spooky way. While I understood the unwillingness for the children to grow up, I don't know how much this will resonate with readers in the target demographic. I'm glad I have a copy and I can see it being popular-- I just thought the book would be super awesome.



Here was the excitement in my house yesterday-- a new kitchen sink AND garbage disposal. We will just not look at the ugly line of rust/caulk/nastiness that remains. It's better than the nasty beige ceramic and fiberglass sink that was there previously!

I also got seven boxes of books from Baker and Taylor, and there was only one box of books that I hadn't read, so I've been working my way through those. This was especially timely because I was completely out of things to read.

Oh! Best news ever! I am not in charge of any study halls, although one will be meeting in the library during third period, which is 6th grade lunch and SSR. Better than I expected-- I can always travel to classrooms if I need to!

MMGM-- Made You Look

 And now that I have, here's a reminder that the Cybils Awards will take applications for panelists from 15-31 August! At that time, you'll have to head over to Cybils.com and fill out the form, whereupon the organizers will sweat out which people to have read a TON of books and decide which books should win.

I'm the organizer for Middle Grade Fiction again this year, as well as the blog editor. Last year, MGF had seven first round panelists who tried to read as many of the almost 150 nominations as possible and decide on the top 5 or 7 books to send to the second round panelists. Those five people had to read the finalists and decide on the ONE winner, which I think is a far harder job.

If you are a blogger who reads a lot of Middle Grade Fiction, think about applying to be a panelist. Each category has a different organizer, and I'm sure they all have different qualities for panelists in mind. Here are some of the things that I look for in a panelist, because I think that people who have these qualities make for a more pleasant and successful panel. These are my own thoughts and not reflective of any official Cybils' qualifications:

1. Your schedule should not be overly full between 1 October 2013 and 14 February 2014. If you are moving, having a baby, starting a new job or have some other life altering event, chances are good that it will be hard for you to read 150 books. First round panelists need to be free for an online chat right around Christmas, and second round panelists around the first of February.
2. You need to be fairly tech savvy and willing to check e mail twice a day during the busiest

Bubble World

Snow, Carol. Bubble World. 
30 July 2013, Henry Holt and Co. 
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Freesia's life on the island of Agalinas is perfect-- her classes are more concerned with sips and nibbles than school work, she can shop as much as she wants, and her mother brings her coffee in bed every morning. She can check on her friendlies with her bubble, and even find out what her enemies are up to. She has good friends, and every day is a party. When frequent black outs turn ugly, she finds herself in a beige house in Arizona, where a woman who looks like her mother (but less shiny), refers to her as "Francine". Francine isn't as pretty or well dressed as Freesia, and she soon figures out that Agalinas is part of a virtual world that she is able to live in with the aid of drugs that help her forget reality. Bubble World is the brain child of a man who is trying to get parents to turn their children over to his virtual school, which supposedly has fun but in-depth lessons on everything from Latin to Physics. When Francine recuperates from the medications she's been taking and goes back to the virtual world, she tells others about the "real" world and gets herself kicked out. Her mother, a technology vlogger, is not happy about this. Freesia/Francine has to learn to survive in the "real" world, even though Agalinas is much more appealing. When her mother is determined to send her and her younger sister back, Francine has to decide between friends and ways of life and do what is best for both of them.
Strengths: Certainly the most innovative and thought provoking fantasy book I've read in a long time. Could virtual reality be used in this way by parents who can't deal with their children? Could people who want to make money off it gives kids what they want even if it's not good for them? Very good world building, intriguing switches between the two worlds, and some heartbreaking moments with some of the friends, especially Ricky.
Weaknesses: I'm not sure about the audience for this. There's not anything that makes it inappropriate for middle school, but I'm not sure to whom I would hand it. The cover and fashion details are going to put off the readers of dystopia who would find the second half of the book fascinating. Will deliberate. 

Sew Zoey: Ready To Wear

Taylor, Chloe. Ready to Wear (Sew Zoey #1)
4 June 2013, Simon Spotlight

Zoey is really excited because her school is doing away with uniforms. Zoey loves fashion and can't wait to express her individuality in her outfits, but when she goes shopping, she can't find exactly what she wants. Her aunt Lulu has lots of fabric samples, and takes her to the fabric store to pick out patterns. She also helps her get her mother's sewing machine running; Zoey's mother had loved to sew but has passed away. Zoey's friend Priti is somewhat interested in fashion, but her friend Kate is lucky to get out the door in jeans and a tee shirt. There are the requistite mean girls at Mapleton Prep who make fun of Zoey and sabotage her efforts at the school fashion show, but they also serve to push new, fashion forward student Libby into becoming friends with Zoe. Zoey keeps her wits about her by writing a fashion blog.
Strengths: The supporting cast is the winner here; older brother Marcus, Aunt Lulu, Jan at the fabric store, and even a principal interested in fashion, who supports Zoey's efforts. This is a series of at least four books, and will be very popular with that small group of girls who are interested in fashion, or who like the meanness of Harrison's The Clique series. Sewing is portrayed realistically as something that is no longer inexpensive!
Weaknesses: I would have probably liked this in 8th grade, when I started sewing my own clothing, mainly because it was cheaper (99 cent a yard table!) and I could make clothing no one else had. Of course, my attempts always were more misguided than Zoey's. I can't get 100% behind books that encourage girls to focus on what they look like, but this was okay. Ordering whole series.

The one thing that REALLY annoyed me on a personal level was that Zoey is portrayed as creating a blog and then getting thousands of hits, but that's just because I am often beset by Blogger Bugaboo. I've been blogging for nearly eight years. Why do I ONLY have 241 followers? Shouldn't I have more comments? What am I doing wrong? So seeing teen bloggers become popular so quickly strikes me as very unrealistic. Either that, or my blog is not good. You see my conundrum.

Guy Friday-- New Gordon Korman Series!

Korman, Gordon. The Hypnotists: Book One
30 July 2013, Scholastic
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Jackson Opus has always felt a little strange—his eyes change colors, and people feel oddly compelled to do what he asks them to do. His friend Tommy notices this, but because of his color blindness, is immune to Jax’s effect. Jax manages to come to the attention of Dr. Elias Mako, who runs Sentia, a companying where children with hypnotic powers are being trained. Jax seems to have stronger powers than many, which irritates former golden boy, Wilson, who undermines Jax at every opportunity. Jax isn’t exactly sure what Sentia does, but he works with the company because his parents, both of whom are from stong family lines of hypnotists, think it is best. Axel Braintree,the founder of a support group for hypnotists, the Sandmen, is a bit alarmed by Mako and asks Jax to think about what Mako is really trying to accomplish. After Mako blackmails Jax into making a hypnotic video in support of a presidential candidate, Jax knows he is evil. Every time someone is hypnotized by his remote suggestion, Jax feels the effects, and is woozy with them. With the help of Tommy and Braintree, he manages to thwart Mako, but this forces the entire family in to hiding. This is the first book in a trilogy, and I can’t wait to find out what happens in book two.

Strengths: Jax is a truly likeable character, and his friendship with Tommy is brilliantly portrayed. I almost cried at the last chapter! The parents are fun, Mako is evil, and Braintree is an unlikely savior. Even New York City takes a fun turn as the vivid setting. Lots of action and adventure, and I believed the hypnotism without question. The history of the families was fun, too.

Weaknesses: I guess it makes sense that no one question Mako’s intentions very much, since he can control people, but it seemed a bit odd that everyone just went along with it. A little more explanation of what he purported to be doing would have helped me.

Thursday Blather

Am I the only one who gets plunged into a "deep dark midnight of the soul" kind of mood at the end of summer? It's not that I don't want to go back to school, although having to NOT wear tennis shoes is always kind of a downer, but I'm dreading a variety of stuff. Will I have a study hall? Will the library be used for something NOT library related a huge portion of the day? Will the teachers schedule classes without me beating them about the heads? Will I have a study hall?

Spent about four hours in the library cleaning... summer school had trashed the place. I put out a call for volunteers to help dust and shelve, because I still need to do a bulletin board and, you know, the entire library schedule. But not until August 6, because it's not ready. School starts the 14th, and I just haven't been in all summer, mainly because I'm still mad about... the study hall. (Which closed the library to classes for 1/3 of the day.) So now I'm behind! So behind!

I also worry about dressing myself, memorizing all the new students' names, and getting everything done that needs to be done, which seems less and less possible every year. But then, I worry that no one will come to the library, so the principals will decide I should have... a study hall. Seeing a theme here?

It all works out. This will be year 16 for me. I love the first week of school, with all of the students so eager to get into the library and check out books. It will be a great year, once it starts.

To soothe myself, I turned to some "comfort reads". Since no one needs to read these, I'll skip the synopsis and discuss how they hold up.


Emery, Anne. Dinny Gordon: Freshman (1959)

Dinny would be almost 80 by now! Her absolutely favorite thing is Latin and reading about ancient history, so I adored her when that was my purpose in life. Dinny is a little scared of her Latin teacher, Miss Grimm, who graduated in 1912! Wow! I could only stay in the field for four years, so I hate Miss Grimm just a little. While Dinny's great love is academic, she feels herself being distracted by her friends, who are all tremendously interested in BOYS. It's sad, though, because they are all so ugly. (According to themselves.) Sue is slim, but has pizza-face acne. Melinda is cute, but it's just too bad that she's so freaking fat. Blythe is also thin, but who will date such a giant, since she's 5'8"? Dinny is the cutest all around, but she's socially inept and just doesn't want to date. So, of course, a SENIOR, Clyde, wants to date her. Her friends are thrilled; she's just annoyed because she'd rather be working on her science fair project.

Cannot tell you how many times I wanted to slap these girls. And Clyde, because he's supercilious to the point where you kind of wonder if he's on the spectrum. All that really matters is going to the dance, even if you're not wild about the boy who asked you. While I'm glad that Dinny had other interests, she was obnoxious about them as well.

Oddly, I feel compelled to read the rest of the books to find out what happens. What I really want is Dinny Gordon, Unemployed Latin Teacher (1985).

Du Jardin, Rosamond. A Man for Marcy (1954)
Also reviewed at Charlotte's Library

As Marcy heads into her senior year, life is SOOOO HARD! Her steady, Steve, is off to college with her older brother Ken, so Marcy and her friends have to date boys who are the same age as they are. Shocking, I tell you! Marcy would rather pine after Steve than go for Cokes with loud mouthed Bix, so she's glad when her friends get a group together to meet on Friday nights-- they call themselves The Widows. Even worse-- Marcy's mother goes back to work as a nurse, and Marcy has to help around the house. You could just curdle! Steve comes back for Thanksgiving, but he talks about another girl at the U. It's nice to have him to snuggle up with, but ANOTHER GIRL? The gall. Eventually, since her parents are worried about her, Marcy chats up other boys, who immediately ask her out. They're okay, but they're not STEVE. This was a little more comforting than Dinny. While Marcy doesn't seem to have any interest other than dating, she doesn't seem so desperate and down on herself. I may just find myself continuing this series (yes, I own them all!) if things get stressful.

And since my kitchen sink was taken out on Tuesday and won't be put in again until Monday, and since I have both the cross country garage sale AND the neighborhood picnic at my house this weekend, it may be a tiny bit... challenging. The bathroom is right off the kitchen, though, so it could be worse.

Here's hoping everyone else is handling their stress well!