Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I just finished Booki Vivat’s second installment in the Frazzled series–Ordinary Mishaps and Inevitable Catastrophes–and I was completely delighted with it.  Abbie Wu’s aversion to change was me all over, as well as her tendency to panic whenever she is faced with (horror of horrors!) unexpected change.  Her reaction to her school’s first ‘Invention Convention’ would have been mine as well, and learning that you can be friends with people who are incredibly different from you, well–that’s a universal theme, right?  Vivat’s art fits her characters, and her stories are a nice reminder that middle schoolers are still dealing with regular kid problems, even in a world where many of them are forced to deal with so much more.  As Abbie learns to deal with changed expectations, scary assignments, and a (possibly) maniacal cat, you can’t help cheering for her every step of the way.  Latter elementary to middle schoolers, don’t miss this one!