Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

It’s not easy being the younger brother of a high achieving older brother who is great looking,  tall, athletic, and smart.

Nate Foster is thirteen while his brother Anthony is sixteen.  Nate doesn’t like sports, is barely five feet four inches tall, and prefers singing and acting to sports.  Nate is constantly under attack from bullies at school. 

Luckily for Nate his best friend Libby appreciates his theatrical abilities and makes life bearable in Jankburg, PA.

When Libby finds out there is going to be an open casting call for E.T. The Musical in New York City, together they hatch a bold plan for Nate to take a Greyhound bus into the Port Authority in NYC so he can get to the casting call while his parents are away celebrating their 17^th wedding anniversary.

One stumbling block is Nate’s small size and his young looks.  Not to worry!  Libby has figured out all the details that Nate will need to use to navigate this daring escape from Jankburg, PA to the Big Apple.

What adventures await Nate once he gets to New York City by himself? How do his plans change when his parents end up coming home early due to a serious sports injury for his older brother Anthony?

Read Better Nate than Ever to find out!

Note: Nate’s next adventure is Five, Six, Seven, Nate!

I Funny by James Patterson

Jamie Grimm is a comedian. He’s also a middle school student who has been adopted by relatives who are without the least bit of humor. Jamie’s arch nemesis is none other than his new step brother--Stevie Kosgrov.  Jamie jokingly refers to his new parents as the Smiley’s.

Jamie is in a wheelchair.  His dad’s brother, his Uncle Frankie, encourages Jamie to enter a comedy contest at the Ronkonkoma Comedy Club in Long Island.

Will Jamie be able to overcome his fear of choking up on stage? Will Stevie and his two thug friends really throw Jamie out of his wheelchair and dare to steal it? Will Jamie ever reveal what happened to him and his real family?

Read this very humorous account of a boy who bravely learns to face his fears.

 

Liar, Liar by Gary Paulsen

This highly humorous book is considered realistic fiction because it could happen! 

Kevin, 14, lives with his brother Daniel, 15, and his older sister, Sarah, 16.  Their mother works a lot of hours and their father travels extensively for business and is never home.

Kevin is highly ‘inventive’ in his response to teachers, parents, siblings, and even his fellow classmates.  Another word for inventive could be liar or master manipulator.

Kevin is paired with Katie for a class project.  He can’t stand the idea of spending a week working with her.  His whopper of a lie involves medical problems.  Then Kevin instantly falls in love with Tina.  The lies keep coming from Kevin.  He’s trying to make room in his school day to be with Tina.

Will he ruin his chance with Tina?  Will his parents ever trust him?  Will his friends ever believe him again? Will his lies lead to failing grades? 

Read Liar, Liar to find out!

Crush by Gary Paulsen

Fourteen year old Kevin Spencer is on a mission.  He wants to find out how to meet and make friends with girls- especially one particular girl--Tina Zabinski.  This companion novel to Liar, Liar  and Flat Broke  has a humorous spin.  Its subtitle is The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Love.

Kevin decides to conduct scientific experiments to analyze how other couples behave.  In true Kevin style, he manages to botch the best of intentions!

Read about Kevin’s attempt to create the perfect date for his parents.  Will his attempt to get a blind date set up with Gooper and the former homecoming queen be a bust?  Will he succeed in getting six hockey players to match up with six girl figure skaters?  But lastly and most importantly to Kevin, will he dare to speak to Tina?



The Middle School, Get Me Out of Here

I haven’t read the first one in this series—Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life-- by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts. This title is the second one by the two authors and is entitled Middle School, Get Me Out of Here.

Rafe Khatchadorian thinks he has it made in seventh grade. Sixth grade was a horror for him; never had he been in so much trouble in his life as in sixth grade! Rafe's been accepted to art school. When his mother loses her job after the restaurant she works in has a fire, Rafe, his sister and mom move to the city to live with his grandmother.

Rafe’s new art school in the city is highly competitive. Rafe needs to find a way to turn his boring life around. “Operation: Get a Life!” is what Rafe thinks will do the trick to help inspire him in his art. In the same hilarious genre as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Patterson’s book is sure to bring an easy smile to many middle school boys. There are nearly 100 illustrations throughout the book!

How to Survive Middle School

Warning! This book is very funny!!!!! If you want a fun book to read, this is a perfect choice!

David Greenberg definitely has talent for a boy about to enter middle school. Dave and his best friend Elliot have created a "Jon Stewart-type Daily Show" for middle school kids entitled Talk Time.

Hammy--Dave's hamster--always has a starring role in each of the Talk Time shows. Dave's top 6 1/2 thing about many different topics are part of the show's lineup. Dave's older sister Lindsay is also featured in the videos, however, without her permission. She "stars" as the zit-weather report--a very unflattering role for a girl about to enter high school!

Dave's uncle scares him with horror stories about middle school.

As the first day of school approaches, Elliott, Dave’s best friend, decides to join forces with Tommy Murphy, an arch enemy and totally mean-spirited kid. This leaves Dave to fend for himself in the cafeteria and hallways on the first day. Disaster lucks as Elliott, with inspiration from Tommy, sets Dave up for a very terrible first day.

This book is a riot to read! Boys will especially enjoy it and rejoice when Dave's Talk Time goes viral on YouTube much to the dismay of Tommy and Elliott.