Ginny has ten items on her big to-do list for seventh grade. None of them, however, include accidentally turning her hair pink. Or getting sent to...
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Dec 30, 2011
Amanda
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Ginny's seventh grade to-do list includes ten items, including lofty goals such as "Get a dad." and "Get the role of the Sugarplum Fairy in the Nutcracker.", as well as more mundane goals like "Ignore horoscopes whenever possible." Unfortunately for Ginny, it does not mention having the dog eat her science fair project or breaking the jacuzzi jets with watermelon bubble bath.
The unusual format of this book allows the reader to follow Ginny's year throug More...
The unusual format of this book allows the reader to follow Ginny's year throug More...
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Apr 25, 2011
Barky
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Aug 23, 2010
Patrice
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GENRE: Fiction, realistic fiction, humor.
SUMMARY: Ginny hopes that her mom gets remarried, worries over her older brother Henry, and is frustrated with the antics of her younger brother Timmy. Plus there is her ex-best friend and her new best friend, her to-do list, and her New Year's resolutions that concern her. All of Ginny's life during the entire 7th grade is told through crumpled up notes, report cards, newspaper articles, cartoons, tests, and more "stuff."
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SUMMARY: Ginny hopes that her mom gets remarried, worries over her older brother Henry, and is frustrated with the antics of her younger brother Timmy. Plus there is her ex-best friend and her new best friend, her to-do list, and her New Year's resolutions that concern her. All of Ginny's life during the entire 7th grade is told through crumpled up notes, report cards, newspaper articles, cartoons, tests, and more "stuff."
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Jun 25, 2010
Sue
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Ginny Davis keeps a scrapbook of her 7th-grade year of school as she embarks on the strange new world of Middle School with excitement and expectation. The scrapbook begins with Ginny's school shopping list, her class schedule, and "Ginny's Big To Do List!!!"
Each page records a moment in Ginny's life. There is the note about Mary Catherine Kelly, her former "best friend," who conveniently forgets to return Ginny's favorite pink sweater and then spreads a rumor More...
Each page records a moment in Ginny's life. There is the note about Mary Catherine Kelly, her former "best friend," who conveniently forgets to return Ginny's favorite pink sweater and then spreads a rumor More...
Oct 27, 2009
Sarah
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Ginny Davis keeps a journal throughout her year in seventh grade, and what she writes and adds to it is all the reader gets. She includes random thoughts, report cards, comics, post-it notes, and more…all of which help tell her story.
Seventh-grade is certainly not what Ginny had hoped it would be! Not only does she have problems in school, but she also has trouble in dance class. Home life isn’t so great, either. Her mom gets remarried, her older brother is a trouble-maker, and h More...
Seventh-grade is certainly not what Ginny had hoped it would be! Not only does she have problems in school, but she also has trouble in dance class. Home life isn’t so great, either. Her mom gets remarried, her older brother is a trouble-maker, and h More...
Oct 14, 2009
Rachael
rated it:
Short and funny. I read this while the kids napped. My absolute favorite part: Ginny's poem to her therapist ("How do you feel about that?")-- it reminds me of what my husband's said about my therapists after sitting through one session with me...
I've enjoyed Holm's previous books, and when I saw the title, I *had* to read it. (For the record, I like meatloaf the way my family makes it, but it's one of those things I don't trust from other sources!) I think the middle sc More...
I've enjoyed Holm's previous books, and when I saw the title, I *had* to read it. (For the record, I like meatloaf the way my family makes it, but it's one of those things I don't trust from other sources!) I think the middle sc More...
Apr 27, 2010
Cindy
rated it:
I'm starting to wonder about myself as I find fourth grade reading level stories more satisfying than "adult contemporary literature".
I honestly picked up this book because I personally loathed junior high and still detest meatloaf. This is a cute and fun read. I liked the creativity Holm used to tell a 7th grade girl's story. Rather than the typical whiny narrative, she used Ginny's "stuff" to let the reader know what was going on. Stuff means store receipts, More...
I honestly picked up this book because I personally loathed junior high and still detest meatloaf. This is a cute and fun read. I liked the creativity Holm used to tell a 7th grade girl's story. Rather than the typical whiny narrative, she used Ginny's "stuff" to let the reader know what was going on. Stuff means store receipts, More...
Feb 24, 2010
GenreGroup
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Reviewer's Name: Kelly Urtz
Summary:
Are you a nosy person? Do you like reading notes and journals? Are you a detective? Can you figure out things by looking at pictures and making links? If so, you will love Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf. You will learn the story of Ginny Davis’ seventh grade year through stuff. You will read and examine her “stuff” includes her notes, report cards, bank statements, journal entries, homework assignments and newspaper articles. It’s More...
Summary:
Are you a nosy person? Do you like reading notes and journals? Are you a detective? Can you figure out things by looking at pictures and making links? If so, you will love Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf. You will learn the story of Ginny Davis’ seventh grade year through stuff. You will read and examine her “stuff” includes her notes, report cards, bank statements, journal entries, homework assignments and newspaper articles. It’s More...
Apr 11, 2011
Lauren
rated it:
This book got 3 stars for being clever and original. Kids will love looking though this scrapbook style collection of notes and objects to figure out the story.
However, I think the format of the book causes the book to become dated VERY, VERY quickly. The IM chat screens looked ancient. The pop culture references via magazines and the interests of the girl also made the book feel dated. Example: The girl wants to be the Sugar Plum Fairy in a ballet production. Comes off as very More...
However, I think the format of the book causes the book to become dated VERY, VERY quickly. The IM chat screens looked ancient. The pop culture references via magazines and the interests of the girl also made the book feel dated. Example: The girl wants to be the Sugar Plum Fairy in a ballet production. Comes off as very More...
Feb 25, 2009
Cornmaven
rated it: 
It's too bad this is limited to middle school, because a lot is still relevant through high school,imho.
Almost an altered book thing, and that's what makes it very interesting. My daughter, who does not like reading all that much, kept peeking over my shoulder each time I turned the page, and got into it enough to pick it up when I finished it. So it's not going back to the library just yet.
The images are wonderful, the writing is perfectly average middle school. Middl More...
Almost an altered book thing, and that's what makes it very interesting. My daughter, who does not like reading all that much, kept peeking over my shoulder each time I turned the page, and got into it enough to pick it up when I finished it. So it's not going back to the library just yet.
The images are wonderful, the writing is perfectly average middle school. Middl More...
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Oct 28, 2009
Holly
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This would probably appeal to lots of middle-school girls. The story is told entirely through photos of notes, magazine articles, objects, receipts, lists, school assignments, drawings, IM screens, etc., many written by the main character (Ginny) and various people in her life, such as her mother, her delinquent older brother, her best friend, and some of her teachers. This gimmick got a little tiring to me--it seemed that she communicated almost entirely through notes with her family members, t
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Jun 05, 2011
Karen
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This is a completely different type of storytelling -- it's "a year told through stuff." Ginny is a 7th grader who is loves ballet and wants to improve lots of things about her life. The book is set up like a scrapbook or portfolio of very ordinary things: post-it notes from her mother, lists, shopping receipts, a few newspaper clippings, school assignments (my favorite was the "write 3 haikus" one where she wrote three about the school lunch meatloaf), and other assorted i
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Mar 07, 2011
Christina
rated it:
Genre: diary
I loved this book because it was told in a diffent was than most books... it was told in order of journal entries. It was about a girl woho makes her way through middle school and shows the andventures she had, its fun to compare my middle school experience to hers. it included things like sticky notes on the fridge, movies tickets, bus passes, school papers, and bills that helped the story get more interesting like reading a diary.
I disliked this book becau More...
I loved this book because it was told in a diffent was than most books... it was told in order of journal entries. It was about a girl woho makes her way through middle school and shows the andventures she had, its fun to compare my middle school experience to hers. it included things like sticky notes on the fridge, movies tickets, bus passes, school papers, and bills that helped the story get more interesting like reading a diary.
I disliked this book becau More...
Dec 30, 2008
Elizabeth
rated it:
Meet Ginny Davis, a seventh grader trying to deal with all the self esteem issues facing a middle schooler in modern day America. The reader follows her seventh grade journey through a hybrid visual diary meets scrapbook format. The illustrations and layout are as much a part of the story as the text. We see instant messages, horoscopes, receipts and family refrigerator notes. Piled on top of the middle school mixture of emotional development and physical growth is the delinquency of Ginny's old
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Apr 21, 2009
Carter
rated it:
So I finally got around to reading this and like most great books--what the heck took me so long? What a great reading experience. I wasn't expecting there to be so much emotional depth to this... and story! But there is and it's so very good. Highly recommended.
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Dec 03, 2011
Suzy
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MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WORSE THAN MEATLOAF is funny and witty and it is more of lists and notes and a compilation of things that Ginny the girl in middle school writes on or uses throughout the year. Like every so many pages there is her bank statement for the month telling how much she put in and took out, it pretty much evens back out every month. But I found it is a really fun book. It is in the juvenile section at our library and I think that many can relate to it with things happening in school o
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Nov 30, 2011
Leann
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This is a cute book for middle school or upper elementary girls. I know it is categorized as a graphic novel because there pictures in it, but it does not really flow like a graphic novel. It is not set up with frames of graphics and corresponding text. It's written as a series of notes and lists that seem to be sitting on the kitchen table, a desk, or attached to the refrigerator. The pictures are of knick-knacks and and advertisements that might be lying on the table, desk, or attached to the
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Jan 26, 2011
Kati
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Jennifer L. Holm tells the story of a middle-schooler's life "through stuff". Each page is different -- entries include school assignments, report cards, notes back and forth between the main character Ginny and her mom, others between Ginny and her friend Becky Soo. You get a feel for how Ginny sees life and deals with various situations through these documents, as well as her "Big To Do List" -- which changes as the year progresses. There is a bit of a story that happens
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Oct 24, 2010
Chloe
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This book is totally amaze!!! My favorite part is when Ginny gets the card from grampa joe and he signs it, Love Grampa Joe (The old guy in flordia). AHHHHH this book is SOSOOOSOSOSOSOSO goood!!!!!! ;B
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Feb 22, 2012
Ashley
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Ginny's scrapbook is full of to-do lists, school assignments, newspaper clippings, notes from her mom, and cartoons from her brother. Through all these collectible objects, Ginny tells her story of her first year in middle school.
This book has some funny points (haikus about meatloaf), and the story actually moves along really well even though there isn't a real narrator. The humour is pretty generic with no real lough out loud moments, and the story has a pretty typical arc with the r More...
This book has some funny points (haikus about meatloaf), and the story actually moves along really well even though there isn't a real narrator. The humour is pretty generic with no real lough out loud moments, and the story has a pretty typical arc with the r More...
Nov 30, 2011
Jan
rated it:
Who would have thought that a whole story could be told using Instant Messages, Post-Its, to-do lists, personal notes, receipts and school assignments?
Ginny Davis is a 7th grader who collects all the bits of stuff in her life in a scrapbook. Through it, we find out about her rivalry with Mary Catherine Kelly, her worries about her brother, and all the hilarious and painful ups and downs of 7th grade. There's more story here than you would think from the outward appearance. A fast, e More...
Ginny Davis is a 7th grader who collects all the bits of stuff in her life in a scrapbook. Through it, we find out about her rivalry with Mary Catherine Kelly, her worries about her brother, and all the hilarious and painful ups and downs of 7th grade. There's more story here than you would think from the outward appearance. A fast, e More...
Jul 24, 2009
Debbie (Readerbuzz)
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Holm writes Babymouse, so I was pretty much expecting this book to be exactly what it is: Wimpy Kid for girls. A friend since childhood deserts our main character for a more popular group…problems in the family, including stepparents and juvenile delinquent brothers…a mom who just doesn’t understand…teachers who are clueless…mean fellow middle schoolers….I would guess this would be very popular at my school among fourth and fifth graders, just because of the fun format and situations to which mo
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Jul 19, 2009
Inge
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A la the KIise sisters' "Regarding the..." books, "Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf" is a story told through "stuff". Instead of standard paragraphs with plot exposition and dialogue, Ginny's story is conveyed through ephemera: report cards, memos, newspaper clippings, etc. Unlike the Klise tales, Holm's story runs much deeper. Ginny deals with the loss of a parent, estranged friends, failing grades, and a dangerously rebelling sibling.
Perfect for relucta More...
Perfect for relucta More...
Dec 22, 2011
Jennifer
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Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
I have to admit that this is one of the most intriguing books I've come across so far this year.
This isn't a normal novel, in that, although the book does contains actual words, the story isn't told in regular story format. Rather, as the full title suggests, it's a story that describes a year in the life of Ginny Davis, a seventh grader at Woodland Central, through stuff.
Stuff, as in notes from the principal. Stuff, as in More...
I have to admit that this is one of the most intriguing books I've come across so far this year.
This isn't a normal novel, in that, although the book does contains actual words, the story isn't told in regular story format. Rather, as the full title suggests, it's a story that describes a year in the life of Ginny Davis, a seventh grader at Woodland Central, through stuff.
Stuff, as in notes from the principal. Stuff, as in More...
Apr 06, 2008
Laura
rated it:
Upper elementary and middle school girls will love this book about Ginny Davis—a seemingly average 7th-grader just trying to make it through middle school. The author cleverly tells the story without any prose, instead giving us a visual tour of all Ginny’s stuff, from sparkly nail polish to notes passed in class. The images of everyday items like notebooks and report cards are colorful and bright, with enough interest and subtlety that readers will notice something new every time they read this
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Mar 12, 2008
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf by Jennifer Holm
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf is a book that captures a year of Ginny’s life through little scraps of paper, notes, mementos, and drawings.
Each page lets you know that Ginny is starting Middle School, and that she has definite needs, things we all worry about. Number 4 on list – Do something with hair to make nose look smaller. Color? Perm?
And Ginny’s bank account is always suffering, as are most of o More...
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf is a book that captures a year of Ginny’s life through little scraps of paper, notes, mementos, and drawings.
Each page lets you know that Ginny is starting Middle School, and that she has definite needs, things we all worry about. Number 4 on list – Do something with hair to make nose look smaller. Color? Perm?
And Ginny’s bank account is always suffering, as are most of o More...
Sep 17, 2007
Elizabeth
rated it:
I remember being 13 or so and talking with a much older cousin of mine. When he asked me what grade I was in I told him seventh and he chuckled to himself. "Man, that was the worst." Was it? At the time I couldn't quite figure out what he meant. Sure middle school was awful but sometimes it's hard to separate yourself from what you perceive as "normal". Looking back on it now, I can see clearly just how awful that age is for a whole bulk of humanity, but who has the guts to g
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Aug 12, 2010
Shazzer
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The more I read of Jennifer Holm, the more she is quietly becoming one of my favorite contemporary middle grade authors. She can be ridiculous, inventive and empathetic, all at the same time, and is a keen observer of environment, whether it be Babymouse's imagination, Ginny's miscellaneous paper trail of her year or life in Depression era Key West in "Turtle in Paradise". Definintely an author on which I intend to keep a close eye. Now I need to go dig up the Boston Jane series. :)
Nov 08, 2007
Becky
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Observe Ginny Davis's 7th grade year as deduced from her stuff (photographed in full color): refrigerator notes, detention slips, ticket stubs, IM conversations, notebook poems, and Valentines. Don't forget her to-do list, outlining grand plans such as "Try to be friends with Mary Katherine Kelly" and "Get a dad." Well, that list goes through a lot of revision during Ginny's rocky school year. Mary Katherine gets cast for the ballet part that Ginny wanted; Ginny's mom gets re
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