Pack of Dorks by Beth Vrabel

Lucy thinks she's going to be one of the coolest girls in the fourth grade after kissing Tom during recess. However, she misses the next day of school after her mom delivers a baby sister, and things change in a big way. The new baby has Down's Syndrome, and the family must make adjustments. When Lucy returns to school, she finds the other kids are now making fun of her, and her best friend won't speak to her. Lucy is forced to talk to the nerdy kids and partners up with Sam to do a research project on wolves. Things go from bad to worse when Sam gets bullied and won't come back to school. Lucy learns a lesson about life from the wolves, and decides to form her own pack.

Many books have been written about getting along with classmates and friendship, but this book added the issue of mental handicaps. The author shared Lucy's frustrations as she slowly realized she needed to change. Her parents needed time to deal with a handicapped infant. Lucy's grandmother was a fun character, as she had no trouble speaking her mind. She also told Lucy that she had teased other kids when she was young, so she was able help Lucy with her problems.