Thirteen-year-old Capricorn "Cap" Anderson has only left the Garland Farm Commune (founded 1967) with his grandmother ("Rain") a few times for supplies. He doesn't know what TV is like, and he's never held money in his hand. When Rain falls from a plum tree and has to spend two months in the hospital, Cap gets his first real taste of the confusing, "real" world of 2007. Fortunately, his caseworker Mrs. Donnelly spent a few of her childhood years at Garland, and she knows what he's in for. Unfortunately, there's this tradition at Claverage (C-average) Middle School in which the eighth-grade class elects the strangest kid and biggest nerd to be Class President. They don't come any stranger than Cap, and Zach Powers and his clique do their level best to make Cap's life hell. Claverage gets a taste of peace, love and understanding it won't soon forget. Korman's novel narrated by the good, the bad and the only slightly involved is his usual smart, funny, slightly skewed realism. Tweens will definitely identify and could view their grandparents in a whole new light. (Fiction. 9-14)
Starting middle school is hard, end of story. You have to find your way to new classes, with new teachers, in a new building, all while trying to not trip over your suddenly huge feet in front of someone really cute. Besides homework, hormones, bullies, and parents, middle schoolers also have to deal with the […]
Middle school is that magical time in our lives…Okay, who are we kidding? Middle school can be tough! And awkward! But fear not, there are a lot of books that are perfect for middle grade readers who are anxious about beginning this next chapter in their lives. What books are you using to encourage and […]
It’s fall, and time to head back to school! There are lots of books about making the transition into kindergarten, but what about those veterans who have mastered the elementary school halls and are moving on to *gulp* middle school? Below are eight books about surviving that next step:
Starting middle school is hard, end of story. You have to find your way to new classes, with new teachers, in a new building, all while trying to not trip over your suddenly huge feet in front of someone really cute. Besides homework, hormones, bullies, and parents, middle schoolers also have to deal with the CIA, […]
Some middle grade novels are easy to digest; stories about vacation adventures, silly school hijinks, or get-rich-quick schemes gone wrong. Their characters make us laugh and remember the best parts of childhood. And then there are those that deal with tougher issues. Issues that we really wish didn’t exist, but which are often part of a young […]