Synopses & Reviews
Hamlet Kennedy just wants to be your average, happy, vanilla eighth grader. But with Shakespearean scholar parents who dress in Elizabethan regalia and generally go about in public as if it were the sixteenth century, thatas not terribly easy. It gets worse when they decide that Hamletas genius sevenyear- old sister will attend middle school with hera and even worse when the Shakespeare project is announced and her sister is named the new math tutor. By the time an in-class recitation reveals that our heroine is an extraordinary Shakespearean actress, Hamlet can no longer hide from the fact that shealike her familyais anything but average.
In a novel every bit as funny as her debut, Erin Dionne has created another eighth grader whose situation is utterly uniqueabut whose foibles and farces will resound with every girl currently suffering through middle school.
Review
"An excellent choice for middle school readers." -
School Library JournalReview
“Fourteen-year-old Sarah discovers first love and family secrets in this sweet-as-a-cookie Dairy Queen companion for slightly younger readers.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A sweet story about family and love, which should appeal to tween readers of Wendy Mass.”—Booklist
"[A] funny and sweet coming-of-age story from the author of Dairy Queen. . . [Sarah’s] narrative voice, a winning blend of humor, enthusiasm, and insecurity, will resonate strongly with tween girls, and the journal format will also appeal.”—School Library Journal
“Sarah’s voice is tart and inquisitive, and her observations make the pilgrimage come alive.”—The Horn Book Magazine
“Sarah tells her story in the form of journal entries, and her voice is authentically tween as she tries to sort through the complicated turns her life is taking. . . . Give this to fans of Frances O'Roark Dowell and the younger siblings of those who enjoyed the Dairy Queen trilogy.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Synopsis
In a novel every bit as funny as her debut, "Models Don't Eat Cookies," Dionne has created another eighth grader whose situation is utterly unique--but whose foibles and farces are sure to resound with every girl currently suffering through middle school.
Synopsis
All Hamlet Kennedy wants is to be a normal eighth grader. But with parents like hers - Shakespearean scholars who actually dress in Elizabethan regalia . . . in public! - it's not that easy. As if they weren't strange enough, her genius seven-year-old sister will be attending her middle school, and is named the new math tutor. Then, when the Shakespeare Project is announced, Hamlet reveals herself to be an amazing actress. Even though she wants to be average, Hamlet can no longer hide from the fact that she- like her family - is anything but ordinary.
Synopsis
Family secrets, first love, and the magic of Rome take center stage in Catherine Gilbert Murdocks newest novel for middle grade readers.
Synopsis
“[A] sweet-as-a-cookie Dairy Queen companion for slightly younger readers.”—Kirkus Reviews
Fourteen-year-old Sarah Zorn intends to spend the summer with her “boyfriend” Curtis, waiting for a dead calf to decompose in time for the science fair. Her plans are upended when her fake-boyfriend strategy goes awry just as her hippie Grandma Z invites her on a last-minute Roman holiday. As Sarah explores Italy’s ancient wonders, she can’t stop “boy-liking” Curtis . . . or puzzling over her grandmother’s odd behavior. Sarah must learn to navigate the murky waters of first love, friendship, and family with heart and good humor.
About the Author
Erin Dionne is an assistant professor of liberal arts at a small college north of Boston, where she teaches freshman comp, lit classes, and some creative writing electives. When not actively promoting her writing with great humor and enthusiastic understanding of the magic and miseries of middle school, Erin reminisces about her days in high school and college marching band. She lives with her husband and daughter in Framingham, Massachusetts.