Ungifted by Gordon Korman

I was attracted to this book when I saw some of my students reading it, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. Donovan Curtis is always getting in trouble; he doesn't think about consequences before he does things. If he did, he wouldn't have whacked the statue of Atlas and sent a huge ball crashing through the gym doors. The superintendent catches him, but Donovan is mistakenly placed into the building for gifted students before he can be punished. Donovan is definitely not gifted, but he finds the new school is a great place to hide out. His classmates and teachers know he doesn't belong, but they never consider that the district might have made a mistake. Donovan is able to help his classmates in ways they'd never expect, and he is the best controller for Tin Man, the school's entry into the robotics competition. Donovan has mixed emotions about the geeky kids at his new school, and he's getting razzed by his best buddies from the old school. Will the good he brings to the gifted school outweigh the problems he creates? How long will it take before the superintendent finds him again or he's discovered to be ungifted?

The plot of this book provides humor as Donovan does his wacky antics. His classmates sense that he's not gifted, but he makes them feel kind of normal. Noah is a great character. He has an IQ over 200, but does his best to fail. He almost becomes obsessed when Donovan introduces his to Youtube. The night of the school dance, he shows up dressed like a WWE wrestler. The author presents the story from different points of view (Donovan, Noah, the superintendent, teachers, etc.), and it works. I liked how all of the personalities came together for a surprising conclusion to the plot.

Chomp by Carl Hiaasen

This book was written by the same author as Hoot, Flush, and Scat, and I gave it a rating five out of five. Wahoo Cray's father owns a farm full of exotic pets: alligators, snakes, raccoons, and other critters. His father received a concussion from an iguana that fell from a tree after a rare freezing spell in Florida. The family needs money after that, so Wahoo accepts an offer to allow a reality, survival television show to film at their farm. The host of the show is a self-centered fraud, so this creates a conflict with Wahoo's father. Things don't go smoothly during the filming, but the producers of the show still want help from Wahoo's father to do some filming in the actual Everglades. To complicate matters, one of Wahoo's classmates runs away from her abusive father and goes along with them. Things get real bad, real quick, when her gun-carrying, alcoholic father finds them.

The plot has a mixture of adventure, humor, and suspense. Life in the Florida backwoods provides the adventure, the misadventures of the obnoxious television host provides the humor, and the crazy, abusive father provides the suspense. I really enjoyed how Wahoo's father always got the best of the host, although the host always came back for more. The addition of Wahoo's classmate increased the excitement, and the plot quickly shifted its attention to her dangerous father.

Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

I found this book on the list of recommended books at my local library, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Amal is an eleventh-grade, Muslim girl, born in Australia, and she decides to wear her hajib, the Muslim head scarf, full time. She gets some of the negative attention and comments that she expects, but she's almost overwhelmed by the curiosity of her classmates. She isn't sure how to deal with Adam, a cute boy at school, since she isn't allowed to date. The mother of her friend, Leila, is trying to get her daughter married, and another friend has taken up smoking to lose weight. Then, Amal signs up for the debate team, and she's afraid of how other people will react to her. Her elderly neighbor doesn't seem to like her no matter what she does. And what will people do after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and in Bali? Amal does her best to stay true to her faith, but she feels her hajib makes it harder.

This book is probably written more for a female audience. The girls discuss boys, fashion, their mothers, and gossip. The plot teaches a lot about the Muslim faith, although Amal actually went to a Catholic school when she was younger. I enjoyed her talks with her neighbor as they both learned about each other's cultures. I wasn't sure where the plot was headed throughout much of the book, but all of the different conflicts were resolved in the end.

For What It's Worth by Janet Tashjian

This book was recommended by our school librarian, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. The setting is in Los Angles, in 1971, and Quinn is an obsessed, fourteen-year-old expert on rock music. He meets Caroline on the first day of school, and she becomes his first girlfriend. He sometimes wishes there was a handbook on how to talk to girls, but he consults with his Ouija board instead. He discovers that the Ouija board is connecting him with the spirits of Club 27, famous rock stars who died at the age of 27. He frequently calls on the board for advice. Quinn loves to spend his time buying new albums, playing his guitar, and starting a rock band. Then, Caroline's brother is drafted into the Vietnam War, and Quinn meets one of his sister's friends, a draft dodger trying to flee to Canada. Quinn realizes there are more important things in life than rock music.

If you don't like classic rock music, then you won't like this book. I do. Almost every page has references to rock musicians and their songs. The template for the plot is not unique; a teenage boy finds his first love, and some important event threatens their relationship. However, most of Quinn's problems are created by himself, although the Vietnam War becomes a major issue in their lives. In the end, he makes some life-changing decisions to resolve his problems. It was fun to see Frank Zappa and Mama Cass Elliot included as actual characters.

Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead

This book was on a recommended list for 2012, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Georges (the S is silent) moves into an apartment building after his dad loses his job. He discovers a note about a spy club posted in the basement, and he meets a boy named Safer. Safer and his sister, Candy, do not go to school, and Safer asks Georges to help him spy on a resident named Mr. X. Mr. X always dresses in black, and Safer has seen him doing some suspicious things. They're not sure what the man is up to, but murder is not out of the question. Georges isn't sure how far he'll go to help Safer, but he's the only friend he has right now. When Safer asks Georges to help him break into the man's apartment, Georges wonders if that's too dangerous and illegal.

The plot was interesting, and Safer is an eccentric character. He never leaves the building, and he's discovered different ways to spy on other residents. The plot offers a twist later in the book when Georges discovers a startling secret about Safer. Their relationship takes a dramatic turn but helps to solve the mystery.

Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger

This book is the second in the Origami Yoda series, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Type Origami Yoda in the search box at the top-left of this screen to read about the first book. Origami Yoda is back giving advice, but he's in big trouble. Dwight, the voice of the paper Yoda, has been suspended and may be sent to a school for students with severe behavior problems. Tommy leads a campaign to persuade the school board that Dwight, and Yoda, are not behavior problems and that they have helped many students with their own issues. Yoda/Dwight help the student body raise money without selling any of the disgusting popcorn for the school fundraiser. They help a girl with body odor survive the school play and help a "profoundly deaf" girl feel normal. However, Harvey and his origami Darth Vader do everything in their power to get Dwight out of the school. Why is Harvey being so mean, and will Tommy and his friends be able to save Dwight?

As in the first book, this book contains a collection of funny, realistic problems that most students have probably experienced. The students in the book come to Yoda to get his advice, and the results always work out. It's fun to see how the students relate to Yoda; they're not sure if he actually has any real power, but they trust him with their lives. This book is not high-end literature, but it will be fun reading for most people.

I Funny: A Middle School Story by James Patterson

I read an advance copy of this book, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. I just saw a commercial for the book on television today. Jamie Grimm is in a wheelchair and uses humor to deal with his life. "Did you hear about the karate champion who joined the army? First time he saluted, he nearly killed himself." He compares his home life to Harry Potter living with the Dursleys. He lives with his aunt, and her family doesn't express any emotions. The school bully also happens to be his stepbrother. Then, Jamie's uncle, who he does not live with, suggests that Jamie enter a young comedian contest being held in New York City. He's not sure that he's funny enough, but his good friends at school tell him he's hilarious. Jamie enters the contest and learns a lot about himself in the process. His classmates and family learn a lot about him too.

The book is funny. Jamie is constantly making jokes, even in serious situations. It gets to the point where Cool Girl, a lovely girl who befriends him out of the blue, forces Jamie to go five minutes without being funny. She actually times him. I was wondering where the plot was headed, but I began to suspect that Jamie hadn't really accepted being crippled. He didn't talk about his parents either, so I suspected he had been involved in a tragic accident. The author did a nice job of mixing the humor with seriousness. The first half of the book was filled with the funnies, and the second half of the book got into the serious message of the book. However, the humor continued throughout. His last joke in the book? "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?"