KATIE FRIEDMAN GIVES UP TEXTING! (AND LIVES TO TELL ABOUT IT.)

Name: KATIE FRIEDMAN GIVES UP TEXTING! (AND LIVES TO TELL ABOUT IT.)
Author: Tommy Greenwald
ISBN: 978-1-59643-837-8

From the Charlie Joe Jackson series , Vol. 5

by Tommy Greenwald ; illustrated by J.P. Coovert ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 17, 2015

With wit and perception, Greenwald reminds readers that there is communication beyond their electronics.

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A texting gaffe leads to tumult for middle schooler Katie.

The tale opens with a wry glimpse at Katie’s technology-driven existence, documenting the flurry of texting, posting and so on that consumes Katie’s time. Disaster occurs when Katie accidentally sends a text meant for BFF Charlie Joe containing careless remarks about her current boyfriend, Nareem, to Nareem instead. An aspiring songwriter, Katie transforms her remorse into the lyrics of a new song. When hometown rock star—and Katie’s favorite musician—Jane (of Plain Jane fame) learns of Katie’s predicament, she proposes a challenge. If Katie can convince 10 friends to join her in eschewing their phones for one week, the group will be invited to Jane’s concert, where she will play Katie’s song. Greenwald explores the complications inherent in relying upon technology as a substitute for genuine social engagement, comically highlighting both the pitfalls and the benefits of modern communication practices. Katie’s project ultimately brings together a disparate group of middle school students whose efforts to get by without their phones result in meaningful discoveries about one another and themselves. Coovert's illustrations convey Katie's spunky personality, capturing both her mishaps and triumphs. Fans of the Charlie Joe Jackson series will enjoy the evolving changes in Charlie Joe and Katie’s friendship.

With wit and perception, Greenwald reminds readers that there is communication beyond their electronics. (Fiction. 10-13)

Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-59643-837-8

Page Count: 240

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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THE RESCUES BEST DAY EVER
by Tommy Greenwald & Charlie Greenwald ; illustrated by Shiho Pate

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THE RESCUES FINDING HOME
by Tommy Greenwald & Charlie Greenwald ; illustrated by Shiho Pate

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THE ULTIMATE GOAL
by Tommy Greenwald ; illustrated by Lesley Vamos

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A YEAR DOWN YONDER

From the Grandma Dowdel series , Vol. 2

by Richard Peck ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2000

Year-round fun.

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Set in 1937 during the so-called “Roosevelt recession,” tight times compel Mary Alice, a Chicago girl, to move in with her grandmother, who lives in a tiny Illinois town so behind the times that it doesn’t “even have a picture show.”

This winning sequel takes place several years after A Long Way From Chicago (1998) leaves off, once again introducing the reader to Mary Alice, now 15, and her Grandma Dowdel, an indomitable, idiosyncratic woman who despite her hard-as-nails exterior is able to see her granddaughter with “eyes in the back of her heart.” Peck’s slice-of-life novel doesn’t have much in the way of a sustained plot; it could almost be a series of short stories strung together, but the narrative never flags, and the book, populated with distinctive, soulful characters who run the gamut from crazy to conventional, holds the reader’s interest throughout. And the vignettes, some involving a persnickety Grandma acting nasty while accomplishing a kindness, others in which she deflates an overblown ego or deals with a petty rivalry, are original and wildly funny. The arena may be a small hick town, but the battle for domination over that tiny turf is fierce, and Grandma Dowdel is a canny player for whom losing isn’t an option. The first-person narration is infused with rich, colorful language—“She was skinnier than a toothpick with termites”—and Mary Alice’s shrewd, prickly observations: “Anybody who thinks small towns are friendlier than big cities lives in a big city.”

Year-round fun. (Fiction. 11-13)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2000

ISBN: 978-0-8037-2518-8

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BEST MAN
by Richard Peck

- BOOK REVIEW
THE MOUSE WITH THE QUESTION MARK TAIL
by Richard Peck ; illustrated by Kelly Murphy

- BOOK REVIEW
SECRETS AT SEA
by Richard Peck illustrated by Kelly Murphy

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GIRL'S BEST FRIEND

From the Maggie Brooklyn Mysteries series

by Leslie Margolis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2010

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In this series debut, Maggie Sinclair tracks down a dognapper and solves a mystery about the noises in the walls of her Brooklyn brownstone apartment building. The 12-year-old heroine, who shares a middle name—Brooklyn—with her twin brother, Finn, is juggling two dogwalking jobs she’s keeping secret from her parents, and somehow she attracts the ire of the dogs’ former walker. Maggie tells her story in the first person—she’s self-possessed and likable, even when her clueless brother invites her ex–best friend, now something of an enemy, to their shared 12th birthday party. Maggie’s attention to details helps her to figure out why dogs seem to be disappearing and why there seem to be mice in the walls of her building, though astute readers will pick up on the solution to at least one mystery before Maggie solves it. There’s a brief nod to Nancy Drew, but the real tensions in this contemporary preteen story are more about friendship and boy crushes than skullduggery. Still, the setting is appealing, and Maggie is a smart and competent heroine whose personal life is just as interesting as—if not more than—her detective work. (Mystery. 10-13)