How Not to Gossip

The middle school years are tough. Friendships are so important, and some kids will do most anything to have friends. Sometimes a girl may have the wrong idea about what a friend is.

In 30 DAYS OF NO GOSSIP, middle grade/tween novel by Author Stephanie Faris, seventh grader Maddie Evans is Editor of the “Troy Tattler,” Troy Middle School’s unofficial gossip newsletter. If you want to know what’s going on in school or in other student’s lives, ask Maddie, AKA “the queen of gossip.” She just wants to be popular and she believes that gossiping about others is the way to do it. She even plays matchmaker for her best friend, Vi. But Vi has had enough, so she challenges Maddie to stop gossiping for 30 days. What follows is the story of a girl who discovers what makes a true friend.

The author has created characters that might be found in most any middle school in the country. I like Maddie because she’s so true-to-life. A seventh-grader’s heart is easily broken. Most everything is a major catastrophe at that age. I was really cheering her on to succeed in her attempts to do what her best friend asked of her. This book would make a great addition to middle school libraries, where young readers might see themselves or their friends in the same situation that Maddie and her friends are in. I highly recommend 30 DAYS OF NO GOSSIP. Moms and Dads might enjoy the story, too, and understand their children’s behavior a little better.

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