15. Smile

Smile by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic, 2010).

Genre

Graphic Novel

Review

Smile details Telgemeier's encounters with a variety of dental specialists in late 1980s San Francisco.  The backdrops of middle school and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake provide both literal and metaphorical context for the weight that self-image plays in middle school and early high school.  Raina races friends home one night after a Girl Scout meeting; she falls, knocking out one tooth and impacting another.  The rest of the story deals with the various attempts to replace and correct her teeth.  After having a cast placed on her teeth to keep them in place while they heal, her dentist discovers that the the teeth have fused to the jawbone and aren't properly descended.  This brings about quite a dental ordeal.  Her dentist decides to extract her fused front teeth, temporarily install artificial front teeth, and use braces to bring her remaining teeth into the gap left by her two front teeth.  The book externalizes Raina's feelings of self consciousness by detailing crushes she develops on two different boys at school and by detailing the teasing she endures from her friends.

Opinion

As a victim of orthodontics myself (my dentist told my parents I had an overbite, which was probably not accurate; after 3 years and 4 appliances I asked my parents if I could stop; I never took braces and my teeth are still slightly crooked from all the orthodontia), I walked away from the book with my teeth hurting.  That's meant as high praise!  Telgemeier draws an accurate portrayal of advanced dentistry from the patient's perspective (my sister-in-law, a dentist, was shocked by the procedures they used in the book, perhaps suggesting that practices have changed since Raina and I received our treatments; we would have been receiving our treatments at roughly the same time).  This can help other children to see that they aren't alone in their use of orthodontics.  The book also presents a strong message about selecting your friends.  Raina eventually confronts her friends for their teasing, discards them, and makes new friends.

Ideas

The book details how The Little Mermaid inspired Telgemeier to pursue a career in art.  This book could in turn inspire youth to take up art to tell their own stories.  It could be used in a program on creating graphic novels.  The book would also make a great selection for a tween bookclub; it's a fast read and deals with issues that are universal to tweens.  Used in a middle school setting, the book could reveal that children arent' alone in their use of orthodonture.  Also they may be able to follow Raina's example and surround themselves with friends who accept them for who they are.  For these reasons the book also makes it into my (imaginary) Middle School Survival Kit.

14. The Dunderheads

The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman illustrated by Davis Roberts (Candlewick Press, 2009)

Genre

Picture Book/Heist

Review

The Dunderheads follows a group of uniquely talented children who appear to be of approximately middle school age.  Their teacher Ms. Breakbone confiscates a cat figurine from Theodore (aka Junkyard) and sets into motion an elaborate heist.  Breakbone is known to sell off the confiscated goods, and Junkyard had planned to give the cat to his mother for her birthday.  Each child plays a special role: Einstein has an uncanny ability for planning; to retrieve her address, Wheels tails Breakbone home on his bicycle and he later operates the get away bicycle; Pencil has a photographic memory and artistic talent; Spider can climb quickly; etc.  On the night of the heist Ms. Breakbone is having a party which complicates matters.  The group has to rely on the talents of all ten members of the team. 

Opinion

Much of the fun is derived from seeing each child use their talents in unique and startling ways.  Giving away all of the talents would be giving away too much of the fun.  The book also does a nice job of subverting some common middle school assumptions: each child is valued for what makes them unique, not labelled as weird.  The children form a partnership based upon their differences and individual strengths.  The illustrations by David Roberts are appealing; by making the group look older and making each individual child unique, he ensures that older children will enjoy the book and not dismiss it as a picture book for babies.

Ideas

The book's art style is so compelling that one fun use of the book might be to create a program wherein the book is used as inspiration for tweens to create their own heist story.  The narrative is so simple that it wouldn't be difficult to replicate; but because the events hinge upon the talents of the children, it would also be easy to personalize.  You could ask the children to draw on the unique talents of their friends and classmates or to invent some unique talents.  The stylized art style could also encourage children to try their hand at drawing.  Used in a middle school setting, the book could also encourage students to see one another's differences as benefits not oddities; for this reason the book also makes it into my (imaginary) Middle School Survival Kit.

12. Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems

Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems by Kristine O'Connell George; illustrated by Debbie Tilley (Clarion Books, 2002).

Genre

Poetry

Review

A series of poems detailing one student's first year of middle school.  O'Connell George touches upon all of the anxiety and adventure of middle school.  The poem "Identity" sees the narrator trying hard to determine what name she'd like to go by, while "School I.D. Card" captures the feelings of anxiety over body image that many middle school students experience.  But the narrator also begins great friendships, finds mentors among her teachers, and starts a romantic relationship. 

Opinion

The poems are simple yet evocative of the range of feelings experienced by middle school students.  O'Connell George does a superb job of showing how the small pressures of middle school can feel enormous (and also lead to immense happiness).  The poem "Math" is a wonderful example:

5
5 squared
5 to the second power

Mrs. Bollo hands back my math quiz.
doom
doom squared
doom to the second power 

Mrs. Bollo explains, making it clear --
says, "I'm glad you're in my class this year.
Your work shows potential."
Happiness
Happiness squared
Happiness exponential! (p. 26)

O'Connell George's poems also present students with free verse works (even though they occasionally rhyme, O'Connell George's poems do not appear to follow traditional metric patterns).

Ideas

The book would be an easy introduction to free verse poetry.  It would also make a wonderful part of my (continuing) Middle School Survival Kit display; the emotions and situations it deals with are nearly universal to middle school students.  At the same time, it deals with them in an entirely different way than Are You There God? It's Me Margaret or Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life.

References

O'Connell George, K. (2002). Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems. New York: Clarion Books.

 

8. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret.

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume/Read by Laura Hamilton (Listening Library) 2008

Genre

Coming of Age

Honors (for the novel; not the audio book)

Nene Award 1975
Great Stone Face Children's Book Award 1980

Review

Margaret and her family move from New York City to Farbrook, NJ.  Margaret spends the novel hoping to fit in and be normal.  This takes on many meanings: from the mundane (not wearing socks with her loafers), to the biological (hoping she'll get her period and develop a bust), to the social (trying to fit in with her friend Nancy and the other girls in the secret club the Four Preteen Sensations), to the romantic (though she has a crush on Moose, she always tells her group of friends that, like them, she likes Phillip Leroy best) to the religious (she continually addresses God throughout the book, but struggles to find a religion that is right for her).  She also learns about trust throughout the novel.  While her friend Nancy is never portrayed as a villain, it becomes clear that Nancy lies.  And her lies sow the seeds of many of Margaret's conflicts.

Opinion

Blume is quite masterful at capturing the feeling of peer pressure and worries about body image that accompanies entrance into middle school.  Having not had precisely the same experience, it struck me as odd how all the little girls longed to have their period.  But thinking back, I do remember a sense of hoping that puberty would come at the appropriate time, so I wouldn't feel out of place.  Laura Hamilton, in her reading of the book, recreates the voice of an 11-12 year old very well.

Ideas

The book would make an excellent entry on a series of books about entering middle school.  There seem to be many books centered on this theme.  In the late summer before school starts, a display like this might be very attractive for all the former 5th graders (or 6th depending upon how the grades are divided).

4. Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

Middle School The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson and Chris Tebbets; illustrated by Laura Park (Little, Brown and Company, 2011).

Genre

Humor, Coming of Age

Review

Rafael (Rafe) Khatchadorian decides that his best bet for getting through sixth grade is to break every rule in the Hills Village Middle School Code of Conduct.  He and his best friend (who midway through the novel turns out to be imaginary) call the challenge Operation R.A.F.E. (Rules Aren't For Everyone).  Rafe spends much of his time and energy coming up with clever ways to break school rules, earning points along the way.  He also works hard to avoid Miller the Killer, the school bully, and his mom's boyfriend -- who he calls Bear.  He also works to catch the eye of Jeanne Galletta, whom he has a crush on.  The result of Operation R.A.F.E. is mostly that Rafe's grades plummet to the point where he's in danger of failing.  Worse yet, Miller the Killer gets a hold of Rafe's notebook (in which he's tabulated, plotted, and illustrated all of his adventures) and promises to give it back for one dollar a page.  But once Rafe's bought the book back, Miller leaves a Xerox of the whole thing on Rafe's doorstep, causing a huge amount of fallout for Rafe, his mom, and her boyfriend.  Rafe's great plan to get through sixth grade just might force him to repeat it instead.  His final rule-breaking scheme, another secret about his imaginary friend, and a possible solution to all of his problems take up the last quarter of the book.

Opinion

The book is charming and liberally illustrated in the style of its cover.  The various confessions about Rafe's best friend Leo caught me a bit off-guard, which was fun and means the book is likely to surprise its readers.  Mostly, I appreciated how even while Rafe was breaking rules, he remained charming.  Patterson shows that trouble makers aren't always ogres and that sometimes they just need a different direction.

Ideas

If I were putting together a middle school survival kit, this book would go right next to Are You There God? It's Me Margaret.  They serve wildly different purposes and come at 6th grade from wildly different angles.  But I think there is a bit of Margaret and a bit of Rafe in many 6th graders.  The pairing would help create a well rounded image of middle schoolers.