Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Have you read Svetlana Chmakova’s Berrybrook Middle School books?  I went in to the first one not knowing how I was going to like it, but Awkward proved to be excellent and Brave was as good or possibly even better.  Crush came out this fall and finally came in at our local library a week or two ago; I wasn’t sure how much of an enjoyable plot the premise would provide, but I shouldn’t have doubted Chmakova.  While Raina Telgemeier’s Drama just made me desperately glad that I was OUT OF JUNIOR HIGH, Crush involved me in the characters and felt relatable for me as well as my two older girlies.  That might be due to the personality of the protagonist–Jorge is likable and self-confident in the kinds of ways that make him a good friend and his own person–but I also think it’s the kind of story being told.  Drama works for its audience in a wholly different kind of way; Crush is relatable for just about everybody.  I didn’t actually know what I wanted from a book called Crush, to be honest with you, but really, this was better than I could have imagined.  Each book in Chmakova’s group is fully capable of standing alone, but if you haven’t read them all, you should absolutely do it–they’re ALL fantastic!  In the meantime, a fourth book hasn’t been announced yet, but my girlies and I are hoping!