Guest Reviewer: Mister B is reading…The Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney

The more things change, the more they stay the same. In the case of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, that actually is a good thing.

The latest entry in Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid series is “Cabin Fever” and I found it to be enjoyable. I admit I didn’t laugh out loud as much as I did with the early books, but I still managed many smiles.

Greg Heffley’s adventures are still the wacky, outrageous ones you’ve read before. There are the battles with his parents, the run-ins with his big brother and new experiences with his younger brother Manny. In fact, one of the funniest moments had to do with a bad winter storm and an enterprising Manny. He is growing up!

I would recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and isn’t looking for a new twist on the story.

Short and Sweet Summer Summary…Smile

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

The author relates her own dental drama in this graphic novel. She was 12 when she fell and knocked out her 2 front teeth. For the next 4 years, she lived through surgery, braces, false teeth and headgear. At the same time, she was dealing with typical teen drama -- friends, mean girls and boys. Will Raina ever feel “normal” again and will she ever find a reason to smile?

Short and Sweet Summer Summary…The Accidental Genius of Weasel High

The Accidental Genius of Weasel High by Rick Detorie


Looking for something similar to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books? This just may be the book for you!

Larkin Pace is an aspiring movie-maker. Or at least he will be once he earns enough money to get the camcorder he wants. In the meantime, he can tell you everything about every movie he has ever seen, including the director, the cast, the plot and more. He can even recite large pieces of dialog from his favorite scenes.

While he’s waiting to make his own movies, he shares his stories through his personal notebook blog. Some of the people he writes about include:
-Kelly, his thug-of-a-sister, who makes his life miserable
-Brooke, his best friend who he thought might be his girlfriend. Turns out she doesn’t like him that way
-Freddie, his weird, non-verbal friend who eats pickle cracker sandwiches and dresses like an old man
-and Dalton Cooke, his nemesis and the school bully, who seems to have captured the attention of Brooke

Mrs. B is reading…Reasons to be Happy

Reasons To Be Happy by Katrina Kittle
Looking at the cover of this book, I was expecting a light, fluffy chick-lit story. I had no idea it would have such an impact on me!

Hannah was a happy girl. So much so that she kept a list of all of the things that made her happy. She was even excited to start her 8th grade year in a new school. How quickly things change!

Hannah was always okay with being the plain-jane, ordinary daughter of two of Hollywood’s most glamourous stars. But on the first day at her new school, she unintentionally became part of the mean-girls clique. This led her to doubt everything about herself, including the things that made her the most happy, like her artwork and running. Suddenly she felt ugly. She was afraid that she’d never be able to live up to her parents expectations. Worst of all, her mom got sick.

Hannah had to find a way to deal with it all. She thought she had found a secret remedy, but was it really helping or only making things worse? What happened to the girl she used to be and how could she get her back?

Reasons To Be Happy was touching and inspiring. It made me smile and it made me cry. It took me back to when I was in middle school. I wish this book had been around for me then. If you’ve ever worried about fitting in, follow Hannah on her journey and she just may inspire you too.

My reasons to be happy:
-Learning something about myself when I least expect it
-Knowing that our library has the perfect book for just the right person waiting to read Hannah's story

Short and Sweet Summer Summary…Red Kayak

Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings

This is a book I have been wanting to read for a long time, but I kept forgetting to bring it home with me. Well, I finally remembered, and I’m glad I did! This book turned out to be as good as I had hoped.

Brady Parks is celebrated as a hero after the dramatic rescue of his young neighbor. But soon, a tragedy and a secret change everything. As Brady pieces things together, he realizes that he must make some tough decisions.

“…I knew that once I said something, I could never take it back. And that everything -- and everyone -- would be changed by it.”

This is a suspenseful story of deception and lies and deciding between what is easy and what your heart tells you is the right thing to do.

Cover2Cover - Final Thoughts for the Year

Well, the second year of the Cover2Cover book club has come to a close and it was a big success!

We had our last meeting on May 16th, when we discussed the book Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman.  Fun was had by all!


The book club members participated in Grimm Legacy-related activities. They created their own mad-libs fairy tale. And even though students avoided being shrunk by Ms. Badwin’s magic wand, they turned themselves into figurines. And as always, there were some tasty snacks!


We want to make next year’s Cover2Cover book club even better, so students gave their input on what they liked about book club and what they would like to see at future meetings. In addition, Mrs. Barbarino introduced an exciting new summer reading program!  Check out the Mid Macs Read Summer Challenge wiki for more information.

Mrs. Barbarino would like to thank Mrs. Gaetano, Mrs. Ramsey, Mrs. Wolf and Mr. Nairn for being part of the Cover2Cover team. Thanks for always going above and beyond! And thanks to all our student members. With everything that competes for your time and attention, you continue to make reading a priority. You rock!!!