Skip to main content

Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf - Jennifer L. Holm

By
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff
By Jennifer L. Holm
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2007. Unpaged. Chapter book.

Jennifer L. Holm has given us a different style novel this time. Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff is full of exactly that, stuff. It is not your standard novel with lots of words and a few illustrations. The entire story of Ginny Davis' 7th grade year is revealed to the reader through report cards, classroom assignments, notes from her mom, postcards from her grandpa, cartoons drawn by her brother, refrigerator magnets, receipts and many, many more things.

It is truly amazing how much you can learn about a person from their stuff. This book made me laugh, it made me cry, it brought back both good and bad memories from my own junior high years. Although this book is written in an unconventional way, it still conveys all the up and down emotions of a typical 7th grade girl.

Comments

curlyq said…
This book was wonderful. I had a hard time transitioning from elementary to junior high and this book certainly brought back memories of those two years, good and bad. The book's design is excellent and makes it very fun and entertaining to read. Although it's set up almost with the feel of a diary/scrapbook, you forget that you're not just reading a novel due to the pull of the story. Check this book out--it's definitely better than meatloaf (which I happen to like).
October 31, 2007 at 4:20 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Display: Out of this World Books Found Here

By
Hello By Aiko Ikegami Berkeley, CA: Creston Books, 2019. Picture book. In this wordless picture book, an alien visits Earth, makes friends with a little girl, and returns to his home planet to share his experiences. - Publisher We Are Definitely Human By X. Fang Toronto: Tundra Books, 2024. Picture book. When three mysterious visitors from "Europe" crash-land in Mr. Li's field, he does what any good host would: he invites them back to his farmhouse and offers to help fix up their "car". No, there's nothing strange about these guests at all. Just like other humans, they "make business", "play sportsball" and "wear hat". As the townsfolk also come to the aid of the visitors and the gathering turns into a little party, interplanetary relations reach an all-time high. - Publisher Greetings Floof! Written by C.J. Hong Illustrated by A.J. Smith Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2024. Picture book. Floof from planet Ploof has landed! And it...
Post a Comment
Read more

If You Like...Dungeons and Dragons

By
Great news for adventurous, imaginative tweens: we are starting a Dungeons & Dragons program! Nine- to twelve-year-olds are invited to join a tabletop role playing quest in the Story Room on Monday September 14 from 6:30-8:00PM. All experience levels are welcome. Registration opens on September 1 at 9:00AM. In the meantime, here are some books to inspire your upcoming campaign!  The Lionharts Written and Illustrated by Mike Lawrence New York : Abrams Fanfare, 2026. J Comic. 233 pages. The Lionhart family is in the business of adventuring. Alder and Flynt are desperate to be included in the dragon-fighting and monster-slaying quests. When their parents Lenna and Gerard go missing after accepting a mysterious job, the boys set out to save them, soon followed by their famous questing Grammy and Baba to help keep Alder and Flynt out of trouble. The journey brings challenges and opportunities, magic and mystery, but it also reveals a troubling family secret that threatens to tear th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Mixed-Up Owl

By
The Mixed-Up Owl  Written by Marzena Sowa Illustrated by Joanna Lorno New York : Hippo Park, 2025. Picture Book. When Owl can't sleep at night, he heads off to see if any forest animals can help him understand why, and even more so, how to fix it!  Unfortunately, all the animals Owl runs into at night are asleep and all the animals he meets during the day are too rude or too busy to answer him.  Will Owl give up or will a chance meeting with a grumpy hedgehog provide all the solutions Owl was looking for? The premise of an owl trying to stay awake during the day because all the other animals around him do is very fun. Kids who know that owls are nocturnal will get a kick out of Owl's confusion and be quick to try to tell him what's going on.  Readers who don't know many facts about owls (or nocturnal animals in general) will get a brief introduction to the different ways animals sleep. The illustrations are charming, especially cute Owl and his expressive body langua...
Post a Comment
Read more