Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

That’s my story for why I missed all of last week, anyway. To be fair, SEPs (what I called parent/teacher conferences when I was a kid) for three different schools did take up a fair amount of after school time; add to that helping with the teachers’ meal at the elementary school, the current madness of Monday night piano lessons and group therapy, more jam making (of course), and no school on Friday, and you get an interesting week.

The GOOD news, of course, is that here I am! There may be more jam this week, but (after today, anyway) my days should be generally less busy. Which is good, really, because I finished three books last week–or rather, in the last week. (I finished a read-aloud with my 14-year-old yesterday.) I’m picking Jordan Sonnenblick’s The Boy Who Failed Dodgeball for today’s review for the highly scientific reason of proximity (yes, I can reach two of the three books without getting up, but I’d have to bend down for one of them), and so–here we go!

Remember how I loved The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell? Sonnenblick’s sequel detailing his 6th grade year is just as good. He manages to be both hilarious and relatable much of the time, but there is poignancy when you least expect it. He also captures the sheer mercuriality of 6th graders with a wry but compassionate empathy that I’m hoping my son, for one, will enjoy. If you’re looking for a book that covers dental mishaps, middle school band directors, Hebrew school, classmate fight etiquette, and stinky editions of Dicken, you’re in luck; if you’re looking for a middle grade book for boys that will make them laugh without relying on potty humor, don’t miss this one.

Hmmm. Was that a vague and slightly boring review? I think I must be out of practice…or it’s just the sort of book that’s hard to quantify without giving too much detail. It’s GOOD, however, and that’s what matters. Here’s to a productive week!