As parents, we have to be careful about what our kids are ingesting in the media and even in print. However, most of us want our kids to read, and that involves letting them read what they like. Here are some Cybils Middle Fiction nominees that feature some dudes with attitudes. They don’t like school, they might not like their classmates, and they let you know it! That said, for the most part, these guys are harmlessly entertaining, and will likely appeal to tweens who are reluctant readers or those who like to laugh at the exploits of others.
Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts did not grab me at first. Rafe Khatchadorian calls one of his teachers the Dragon Lady, he clearly has contempt for his mom’s live-in boyfriend Bear (who honestly is pretty contemptible), and he’s on a campaign to break as many of the school rules as possible. Oh yeah — and he’s assisted by Leo, someone who his mom doesn’t like him to talk to — because we find out that he’s not real! A 6th grader with an imaginary friend? That was about the point I totally lost it. However, I kept listening, and while this isn’t my favorite book of the year, I will say that it all came together. Leo was explained in a believable and sweet way, his scorn for Bear was vindicated, and yes, he learned his lesson (in a way that will be accepted by kids without making them feel they are being preached at). I can recommend this book, but it’s probably better digested by those able to apply some discernment and not likely to idolize or emulate Rafe the rule-breaker.
AUDIO NOTES: Bryan Kennedy almost over-performed parts of this. His reading in Rafe’s voice is pretty over-the-top, which sort of drew me in and almost turned me off at the same time. However, I think that kids will like it. I also enjoyed some of the effects, such as the modulation when someone was supposed to be speaking over the school PA. This is one of those books that features drawings throughout, and the audiobook producers made sure that listeners won’t miss out, by including the PDFs on the disc that are seamlessly referred to in the reading of the story.
Liar, Liar by Gary Paulsen features another rule-breaker. In the first sentence of the book Kevin, 14, claims to be the best liar you’ll ever meet. The story is creatively structured, with him sharing examples of “he Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Deception,” as the subtitle describes. The voice here is strong and mostly true. He’s fairly likable, even though he’s a self-professed liar. By the end of the story, he’s issuing apologies to those he’s deceived, and he doesn’t get off scot-free, but I wouldn’t say that this is a moral tale about the evils of lying. My biggest concern was not with the theme, but with the deception of who this book is aimed for. There’s some content that is definitely more appropriate to 12 and up (He mentions his 16-year-old sister shouting curse bombs, and he says that he “read Lady Chatterly’s Lover because he heard it was dirty, but couldn’t find the sex parts.”). But the cover looks fairly juvenile — appealing more to a 10-year-old than a 13-year-old, and the 120 page length might also cause older kids to discount it, though it might be the perfect title to put into the hands of a reluctant 8th-grade reader for this very reason.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Ugly Truth is actually my first attempt to read this mammothly popular series by Jeff Kinney. I was expecting a dude with a major ‘tude who was very crude. I was pleasantly surprised, to be honest. Yes, there’s some crude humor (farting boys, and a few mentions of butts and specifically a boy who uses the urinal with his pants pulled down so that you can see his butt), but I wouldn’t really call 7th grader Greg Heffley a bad example. In fact, there was a lot more emotional depth in this book than I expected. This story deals with the awkwardness of puberty, Greg’s search for a new best friend because he and Rowley have had a huge fight, and family relations (specifically with his Gammie and his loser Uncle Charlie on the occasion of his 3rd wedding). I wouldn’t put this in the hands of my 2nd-grader right now, I’d really be okay with him reading them this summer or next year, though I think that the themes and humor would best resonate with those 10 and up.
Though I am a Round I panelist in this Middle Grade fiction category for the Cybils, my opinions are solely my own and are not meant to reflect the final outcome.
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Though it’s a challenge, Jennifer Donovan can’t imagine one more fun than reading as many of the nominees as she can in this 2 1/2 month timeframe. That’s one reason she doesn’t blog at Snapshot so much anymore.
Very cool list. I am always on the lookout for good “boy books”. Thanks for these. :O)
Yeah, these definitely fit that category.
There’s more to come too — so stay tuned! One of my very favorites so far is definitely a boy book (but my 13 year old daughter loved it too).
I would agree on holding off on Wimpy Kid, I made Alex wait until this year (third grade) to read them.
I’ve only listened to a small handful of middle grade books, but I’ve found the narrators tend to be more over the top than with adult books. I guess they feel kids need the extra emphasis but I find it grating.
It’s funny, because I find that some are over-the-top (maybe because the characters are — in this case, that’s probably true), but others are sort of soothing bedtime storyish.