I liked Jack Gantos’ semi-autobiographical novel about being 12 years old during the summer of 1962 in a small Pennsylvania town -- but I didn’t love it. It’s quite funny in parts and effectively depicts how different life was for teens in that time period as compared to now. The quirky characters are interesting and likeable. The story meanders without much of an arc though, and I’m not sure if too many middle school students will have the patience for it or be able to relate to the time period. In many ways this is certainly better written than lots of popular YA books – but unfortunately our teens are used to more action and faster moving plots. However, this would be a good choice for anyone who liked Gary Schmidt’s Okay for Now and The Wednesday Wars.