| Donna Gephart is a friend of a friend, and I’ve been meaning to check out her books for ages. I recently read two of her books. I started with As If Being 12 3/4 Isn’t Bad Enough, My Mother Is Running for President, which I really enjoyed. But then I moved on to How Survive Middle School (Delacorte, 2010), and I was blown away. I love this book! Take swirlies, fights with best friends, bullies, cute girls, videos on YouTube, a Jon Stewart obsession, and a hamster named Hammy, and spin them all around in a hormone-filled blender, and you’ve got David’s life. David is funny, angry, and totally lovable, and I was rooting for him from that first day of summer on.
Donna fills both books with the hobbies and minutae of the contemporary teen’s life, but both also deal with the huge theme of parents who aren’t able or aren’t around to give their kids what they need. These two books are totally different and yet totally satisfying in mixing up engaging plots with deeper themes. Check ’em out! |
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