Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child

Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child #1

by Maria T. Lennon

It's Mean Girls for tweens in the tradition of Paula Danziger's Cat That Ate My Gymsuit and Judy Blume! Watch out, world: here comes Charlie C. Cooper-computer whiz, reformed bully, and so-called middle child-in this seriously funny debut tween novel from screenwriter Maria T. Lennon.

Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child stars the hilariously cheeky reformed bully and tween hacker Charlie Cooper as she tries to ditch her middle-child reputation and make cool friends at her new school in Los Angeles. But being cool isn't as easy as it looks. Charlie has to face down the mean girls and decide between right and wrong once and for all when she learns the terrible truth behind Marta the Farta's bad attitude and loner status. And Charlie has to do it all in outfits meant for the runways!

Maria T. Lennon has created a fresh and fun story that brings Mean Girls to the tween level, peppered with snarky asides, major attitude, and advice to spare from Charlie-whether you asked for it or not.

Check out an excerpt:
"Her name was Marta the Farta, and you could see her from space, she was that bad. She had a beard, teeth the color of butter, and a nest of hair that defied gravity and provided homes for small animals; and yes, she loved to fart. But she was also the most talented gymnast I'd ever seen in my life. We're talking Olympics time. So anyway, this is the story of how I changed her life, and yeah, all right, fine, how she changed mine."

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Family, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 27, 2013

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child by Maria T. Lennon follows Charlie C Cooper who loves fashion and is an expert at computer hacking. She pulled off a cruel prank that found her in a new school and seeing a shrink who makes her befriend the most lonely, hated girl in the whole school.

This is a great book with different characters and unexpected twists. It's hard to put down and was finished quickly.

Appropriateness: I would recommend this book to girls 9-13. It's got some period talk that will make boys and younger kids go ick but besides that there's no adult content.

Review Copy Provided by Amazon Vine

[Isabella C C1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main charecter is having some friend problems. She wants to be friends with the popular kids but her therapist wants her to befriend the biggest loser in the school. What will she do? Listen to her therapist or go make friends with the popular girls.

[Meryem Matar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story Confessions of a "So-Called Middle Child" was written by Maria T. Lennon. It was on modern times and in Los Angeles. The main character was Charlie C. Cooper, with the other important characters consisting of Trixie, Babette, Marta, Penelope, Felix, her mom and her dad. In the beginning of the story, Charlie the main character introduces herself and talks about how she got expelled and the horrible summer she had with her mom, forcing her to read all day. Also, Charlie gets to a new school where she gets to know her classmates especially some of the important characters. The middle of the story was when Charlie starts becoming best friends with Trixie but is still following Marta, the bullied girl with bad hygiene, yellow teeth and uncombed hair. The end of the story was when Trixie blackmailed Charlie and Marta because her plan failed of getting Marta expelled from the team. And this was because Charlie helped Marta and warned her about the devilish plan Trixie has. The theme was that if you help bullied people, you will be the winner at the end. The element of fiction that goes well with this story is flashback.
This story was well developed throughout the author's use of flashback. During the story, we learn well about Charlie's life and this is because she tells what happened to her before. One of the quotes that show this is:"I was the one who'd been wronged. I was the one who'd been dumped dropped, and practically left for dead when that girl, Ashley Stronza, came to my school from stuck-up old London with her fancy accent and her off-the-rack Topshop wardrobe and stole my best friend in the world, Roxy." She is talking to the reader about her old school and how her ex-best friend was taken from her. She started remembering the time when Roxy started hating her. Trixie kept on saying to Roxie that Charlie changed but she never wanted to listen to her. Finally, when Trixie blackmailed Charlie, the reader remembers how she got expelled from her old school. These are the reasons that show why this story was well used for flashback.
I would recommend this book to middle schoolers. The reasons why are because this story is mainly about problems of a middle-child would have at school and how they are solved. It also is about a girl in middle school and she gets along many difficulties to solve her conflicts. The theme teaches us that good always wins against evil. As one can see, "Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child" is considered a very exciting book because of the author's use of flashback.

[Meryem Alami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meryem Alami
girlEnglish 6(1)
Good Reads #1

Confessions of a so-called Middle Child is an exciting novel written by Maria T.Lennon.The story takes place in Los Angeles where the main character, Charlie C.Cooper, lives with her family.The story began when her doctor told her to help a bullied girl and be her friend.The problem arose when Trixie told her to get rid of Marta by getting her expelled from school.The first thing Charlie had to do was to save Marta from Trixie’s traps.Next, she would get rid of Trixie by betraying her and telling the truth to Marta.Finally, she went to her house and hid in a tunnel in her house.In order to save Marta,Charlie told the truth to her parents,teachers and students.Lastly,Marta had to accept the fact that she had to go to the orphanange, and promised to Charlie to text her everyday.
The main character is Charlie.She is an outstanding and helpful person.Charlie treats the other characters nicely.At the beginning of thestory, she was mean to classmates but because she learned that Trixie is trying to get Marta expelled from school,Charlie becomes a very nice person.From the actions of the main character, the reader learns to be truthful and help others who are bullied.All of this made the plot of the story interresting becauseit would make you read more.
The most exciting episode in the story is when Charlie pulls Marta into a tunnel until the adults told her to get out.However, the most disappointing moment in this story happened when she was in Marta’s house.I would recommend this story to new-to-school girls because it would help get them to be helpful and help people being bullied.I think that these students would enjoy Confessions of a so-called Middle Child.

[LAWonder10 · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child’ is truly humorous! It is an ideal book for the very young and older YA, too. This story centers on the second child in a family of five…you are correct – the middle child!

Having been expelled from one school, her family moves to a different location where her father was able to get a job he enjoyed and Charlie was to cause no problems and visit a therapist every week. When the long summer ends and a new school year begins, Charlie will agree to almost anything to discontinue the therapy. Will she live to regret it? The therapist’s requirement was almost more than she could bear! Can she really succeed in such an impossible task?

The reader will experience the “roller-coaster” of events that evolves. It will be especially enlightening to any of you “middle” children. Charlie tries to “walk a middle line” but soon discovers it is not at all easy to do that.

I personally have seen this scenario actually happen in my life in two separate occasions. It isn’t at all a “far-fetched” tale.

The book cover is delightful and very fitting to the story line. It is colorful and eye-catching. The title is whimsically applicable to the story.

The book is fun, clean and well written in the first person. At first the “flow” of the writing seemed a little disrupted but then improved and ended “with a bang”! Four this reason, though, I cannot give it a full Five Stars rating, so I rate it with a Four and a Half Stars.

This was sent to me for an honest review, of which I have given.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:
Charlie's psychologist has tasked her with finding the biggest loser in school and becoming friends with her. This is "punishment" after bullying so much that she was kicked out of school and now has to start over in a school in Los Angeles. While trying to make new friends, she has to redefine who she is, figure out her values, and deal with the past that seems to be haunting her.

My thoughts:
I went back and forth on this novel. I enjoyed the humor throughout the novel. There were several times when I laughed out loud and plenty of snickers where I didn't think I should laugh but the situation was funny anyways. Lennon has a smooth writing style that doesn't use vocabulary kids have to search for a dictionary to understand. The reading level is based at about a fifth grade level, but the character is a little older. I would suggest sticking to seventh grade and older. Charlie was a hacker and a bully so she is not necessarily nice. This was the part that I didn't really like. There are several times that the "losers" are not represented in a nice way. The questions about when to stand up for something and when to stay silent are explored, but getting to that place is painful. I want to protect the students from the crap they are going through. While I believe that some of these situations are real, I would like to see more positive influence from adults in all of their lives.

[Maria Lennon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this book so I'm kinda partial. The girl in it, Charlie C. Cooper, is one heck of a challenge. She's based on a real-life character and though she's tough and a true-blooded middle-child, she's really a good kid trying to do the right thing. I really wanted to show a complex girl navigating school and a family where her older sister is an over-achiever. So it might not be for everyone, but it's for everyone who has kids, especially a middle-child at home.
I look forward to hearing from you! And thank you so much for reading it. I hope your children love it, because it really is for them.
AND PS.... The Houdini Mansion really is that cool

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha! My first read of 2014 is this kids book about a troubled (and trouble!) middle child and reformed bully. I was laughing out loud and really enjoyed it. I totally loved her required reading list for the summer, which included Embrace Your Inner Middle Child "Written by my very own shrink, this book could end life on this planet, because most people would prefer killing themselves instead of turning another page." Oh, and of course, the best line in it, "True Fact: Forgiveness is everything."

[Minty McBunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty standard middle school fare, entertaining enough, but nothing special. I had hoped Charlie would be a different kind of protagonist, but there were no surprises here.

[Rachael Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book had spoke to me in a way that none of my family could speak another than the other middle child who is 6 years older than me.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you attracted to books with mean central characters, who eventually turn out to be quite likable? If so, and especially if you are a tween and/or a middle child yourself, you need look no further than Confessions of a So-called Middle Child, by Maria T. Lennon. Centered on extremely fashion-conscious and egocentric Charlie C. Cooper, this coming-of-age novel tells of the escapades of a young girl who is coming to terms with principles of justice and fairness in her school and home environs. Having always been attracted to the smartest dressed, but not the most ethically sound, classmates has landed her in so much deep water that she was expelled from her last school for dosing the school cafeteria’s meals with laxatives to get her own back on a friend by whom she felt betrayed. (Unsurprisingly, one learns that the author herself was once evicted from Brilliantmont International School in Lausanne, so has some insight into the kind of feelings involved.)

Now Charlie has come to a new city, Los Angeles, and to a new school. Her ability to make a fresh start under the guidance of her shrink, Doc Scales, is plagued by her reluctance to give up on her old way of striving to gain acceptance from popular girls by being bad. As the Doc says, her self-esteem is low and she clearly needs to become more assertive in her relations with others. How she sets about, under instruction, befriending the most bullied girl in her school provides the central impetus for Charlie’s progression from being an obnoxious brat to a person with whom you would be proud to associate.

Apart from the central story, there are various subplots, including Charlie’s online friendship, via Skype, with her “tech-equal main squeeze in Mumbai,” Jai, as well as Charlie’s father’s excavation of their grounds for remnants of Houdini’s hidden past (her family has come to live in the Houdini Mansion on Laurel Canyon Boulevarde, and her dad is intent on rebuilding the original house that burnt down in 1953). This, plus the Romanian background of the outcast (“Marta the Farta”), who becomes transformed through Charlie’s friendship, and not omitting the many references that are made to the highly esteemed Nelson Mandela’s influence on Charlie’s thinking, goes into making Lennon’s second novel (with her first being the adult novel Making It Up as I Go Along) a work that should have a worldwide, contemporaneous appeal for youngsters across the globe.

Confessions of a So-called Middle Child is a thoroughly humane, and humanizing, novel that all middle schoolers (and their parents) should be encouraged to read.

[Kyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book i got to see things from a middle child’s point of view, since i am the oldest it is true that the oldest get more attention for things they do, while the youngest gets all the attention. I love how she had to had to become friends with the biggest loser. It is hard for kids to not be a follower. She took Marta from being the biggest loser into school to a normal viewed kid. In the end Charlie’s family treats her like family because she has no one at home. If there is a next book it could be Marta proving everyone wrong. I recommend this book to anyone.

[Shamaa Farah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like this book because i was the the middle child myself growing up so i understand the struggles and relate to what it was like to be the middle child as i got older. The popular girls clique wants to be friends with her but she was told by her therapist to befriend the least popular kid in school. It shows how kids can define themselves instead of looking for acceptance from the group. Charlie's funny, engaging, confident, and extroverted. It always seems to me the middle child is always the most outspoken and extroverted compared to other siblings.

[Sandra Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book with topics like family loss, having to take care of yourself (because of circumstances), bullying, fashion, culture (I took it as appreciating culture but I could see it as appropriating culture although I don't think it was intended that way?), gymnastics among other things.

It's a lot of charlie being in denial and wanting to fit in with the "popular" crowd while helping the "outcast". It's really sweet and sad with a dash of a teenage crush so subtle it would pass as a normal interaction but that isn't the highlight of the book anyway.

[Brontesister2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

7th grade Charlie C. Copper is a massive prankster. Always wants to be in the popular crowd and has to face a challenge of her therapist telling her… she has to be friends with the most unfriend girl in her class. Charlie has to face this challenge well, being a computer hacker and, also changing her style to being more welcoming. Th popular girls like Charlie and, not because, she CHARLIE C. COOPER is helping the most unpopular girl in her class.

[aem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly entertaining, with some funny moments. MC Charlie is a shallow 12 (!) year old, who pulls a prank that got out of hand and ends up expelled. The whole family ends up relocating. While she does the right thing in the end, not sure it was because she truly had an epiphany or because she was between a rock snd a hard place. Will have to see if she has true character development and growth in the sequel.

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Öffn

[Carolyn W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes this is a great book and funny I really recommend it

[Fergus · Rating 3 out of 5]

TL;DR version
The story succeeds in its premise: the main character doesn't fall back into the mean girl role that got her in trouble at her old school, and becomes true friends with the most bullied girl in school. It's cute and I liked the characters. But there is a lot of unchallenged body shaming going on here that makes me reluctant to recommend it as a bookseller.


I saw this come in where I work and thought it looked adorable and full of potential. A reformed bully who's challenged to befriend the most unpopular girl in her new school is a neat premise; it sounds like a great opportunity to highlight female friendships and move focus away from obsession with appearance.
It only partly succeeds.

The friendship she forms with the girl is hilarious and cute. The unpopular girl is actually not a meek doormat, but a semi-terrifying girl who doesn't want to be helped. I admit, I was mostly reading the book to see the unpopular girl's story arc.

Anyway, the story succeeds in its premise: the main character doesn't fall back into the mean girl role that got her in trouble at her old school, and becomes true friends with the most bullied girl in school.

But it fails in a lot of little ways that make me reluctant to recommend it as a bookseller. The main character is really into fashion, and extremely judgemental about physical appearance, often saying how grossed out she is or how awful someone looks. Now that I can handle. Young girls are basically condition by society to think this way, and a character who is into fashion would be even more vulnerable to this kind of thinking.

I just found that some of the dialogue and thoughts she was given, while in character, unnecessary in way that could do more harm than good. There is A LOT of unchallenged body hair shaming in this story. I feel like when you have a character obsessed with looks, there are ways the writer challenge these attitudes within the story without becoming preachy. There's a part in the final act where the "fattest girl in school" is pointed out by name even though this person has never once been mentioned and has nothing to do with the plot or what's going on in the scene. I understand that the main character is the type to automatically notice these things. But this is the kind of comment that readers (young girls) are going to internalize as being important even when that is the opposite message of the story.

Anyway. I always have a lot more to say about a book when there's something I have issues with, but I just want people to be aware that books play an important role in kids' lives and it makes me sad to think that some readers will see characters like themselves constantly shown as the gross person or the fat person, almost as if they're less than human.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book for a gal in junior high or so to read. This is a book that the author has written on the woes of the Middle Child! It is also heavily based on getting a rather mischavious 12 year old to stop hanging with the cool group and picking on or bullying the non-cool kids. This gal got into trouble to the point her family was kicked out of the school district and she is spending her summer stuck in her room reading books and she has to see a shrink. That is going real well, not!

The first day of school comes and Charlie C. Cooper is going in with the task of finding the mot picked on, brutalized, laughed at lonely girl in the school and she is to make friends with her. The cool kids like Charlie but she has to do what her parents and shrink are asking for her so she is walking a real thin line. The story is really cute, I think any teenager would love to read it. It was a little slow for me in the beginning but then I'm a 55 year old first child! I would give this book 3.5 but can't do that so I gave it 4 stars!
I received this book as a First Reads book I believe, anyway, I received it free in exchange for a fair review! I think I've done that!

Here is the description as found on Good Reads:It's Mean Girls for tweens in the tradition of Paula Danziger's Cat That Ate My Gymsuit and Judy Blume! Watch out, world: here comes Charlie C. Cooper-computer whiz, reformed bully, and so-called middle child-in this seriously funny debut tween novel from screenwriter Maria T. Lennon.

Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child stars the hilariously cheeky reformed bully and tween hacker Charlie Cooper as she tries to ditch her middle-child reputation and make cool friends at her new school in Los Angeles. But being cool isn't as easy as it looks. Charlie has to face down the mean girls and decide between right and wrong once and for all when she learns the terrible truth behind Marta the Farta's bad attitude and loner status. And Charlie has to do it all in outfits meant for the runways!

Maria T. Lennon has created a fresh and fun story that brings Mean Girls to the tween level, peppered with snarky asides, major attitude, and advice to spare from Charlie-whether you asked for it or not.

Check out an excerpt:
"Her name was Marta the Farta, and you could see her from space, she was that bad. She had a beard, teeth the color of butter, and a nest of hair that defied gravity and provided homes for small animals; and yes, she loved to fart. But she was also the most talented gymnast I'd ever seen in my life. We're talking Olympics time. So anyway, this is the story of how I changed her life, and yeah, all right, fine, how she changed mine.")

[Gina (My Precious Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a typical middle grade read where the main character starts off troubled and ends up redeeming herself. However, as mundane as that may sound, this story started off a little slowly then captured my attention and keep me turning pages. Charlie, the MC is a middle child, readers can probably gather that information from the title alone. Her older sister, Penelope (Pen for short) is very popular and sort of a bleeding heart liberal. She's always "spear-heading" activist groups for some type of cause. Felix, her younger brother is adorable and attracts attention for is adorability factor. Charlie, on the other hand is nothing special, in her mind and struggles to make friends. She has a strong desire to be popular, she loves trends, fashion and clothes. Her main issues is she tries way too hard to be popular. She's also very jealous and thinks only of herself. Her siblings consider her mean. The story begins with Charlie's family moving to a completely different town and the kids having to go to a new school because Charlie was expelled from her old school for a laxative prank. Charlie is forced to see a shrink as a result of the nasty prank. Her shrink insists before he will release her from his care that she has to make friends with the most friendless and needy person in the school - the one everyone makes fun of. For Charlie this is a death curse because how can you be popular if you hang around with a friendless nerd? Anyways, the story ends up being quite a journey and transformation for Charlie. Its a great teaching book, with a nice morals and values. Luckily it doesn't come off as being preachy. It broaches topics of popularity, bullying and fitting in - all thing middle grade students face in real life today. Initially, this book started off slow, I didn't agree with Charlie or her defensive, stand-off ish personality. She blamed everyone but herself for the problems she had. Over the course of the story, Charlie changed into a more likable person. This is a totally contemporary read. What kept me turning pages was the mystery surrounding the odd girl, Marta, who Charlie must befriend. I wanted to know her secrets, so I kept reading. It was worth sticking with because in the end I really liked how the story wrapped up. This book also talks quite a bit about Harry Houdini. I like finding out more about his life, too. Oh and I can't forget to mention, gymnastics plays a semi big role in this story too!

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn on how to rate Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child. On the one hand, it's pretty cute, totally age-appropriate, and had me literally laughing out loud at times. On the other hand, the main character wasn't actually terribly likable, and I'm disappointed that this isn't a book I feel good about passing along to any nieces.

When the book opens, we find the main character, Charlie C. Cooper, alone in her room reading adult nonfiction books on the psychology of being a middle child. We learn very quickly that her family has felt the need to entirely relocate to a new city because of a prank that she pulled at her last school, wherein she dosed the entire kindergarten with laxatives. She now has regular appointments with a psychologist and has spent the summer grounded. Her psychologist gives her an assignment for the upcoming school year: she must find the least popular, most bullied girl in her new class and become her friend. Charlie is NOT happy about this.

What follows should be a tale of redemption. Charlie starts a new school and discovers that everyone has value and that the prettiest girls aren't always the nicest girls. However, the book fell a little flat on that. The reader is inside Charlie's head, so we hear all the mean thoughts she's having about Marta (the least popular girl) even as she makes shallow overtures toward her. Charlie also has a lot of trouble listening to anyone older than her. She repeatedly puts down her teenaged sister and belittles her mom and thinks her psychologist is a joke. While the ending does come out alright with Charlie working together with Marta to take one of the popular girls down a notch, the damage has been done.

Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child was well-written, and will appeal to some. The eleven- and twelve-year-olds that I know personally.... I just don't think the repeated belittling of parents, junk food consumption, and "oh my Gods" are going to fly with them. Oh well.

So I guess I'll give this 3 stars. I laughed a little, and I know there's an audience out there for it somewhere, I just haven't met them yet.

[Stacy Sabala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review- Confessions of a So-called Middle Child by Maria T. Lennon

This story finds twelve year old Charlie Cooper getting ready to start a new school. She had been kicked out of her last one after an incident with laxatives in the school food. She has been pretty much locked in her room all summer and required to see a shrink. She has been encouraged to change her ways. Her main goal in life has been to be popular and fashionable. Her shrink has made a deal with her where if she finds the student in her new school that is bullied the most and help them, then she can stop coming to see him.
She tries to figure out a way around the deal and still win. Her new friends are similar to the ones she had in her old school. Charlie wants to really play the game and be popular, but this deal is still hanging over her head. She is growing a conscious and figuring out what is the right and wrong thing to do.
This book had me laughing out loud as I could picture this girl as she moved through the story. In fact I laughed so hard at one part I was crying. I loved that. This story is also one that all middle school girls should read. The mean girls that are everywhere were in top form and Charlie still did what she had to do.
The characters in the story were great. The dynamic between siblings was very believable. I felt sorry for Charlie as her principal was a bit of a jerk who judged her harshly. Her teacher was a bit oblivious about the things happening in his own class. I’d hope that would not be the case in an actual situation. It did make for great situations for Charlie to excel in sarcasm.
The author also pushed the girls to the ultimate mean prank and bullying situation. The two girls would do anything to get their way and hurt anyone in the process. It was interesting to see how a twelve year old girl can be so self-centered to believe in her entitlement. Unfortunately there are more girls out there like this then we want to think. I would give this a 4 out of 5 rating.

[Kaleena Melotti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was immediately struck by the premise of this book - Charlie C. Cooper, a reformed bully who wants to make cool friends at her new school while ditching her middle child reputation.

First, let me point out the positives. This book was honestly a very fun read for me overall (but, then again, I am an adult...) It had the upbeat, decently fast-paced tempo that will keep middle graders flipping pages for sure.

There is a spectacular amount of middle grade comedic elements. Come on - with a character named Marta the Farta how could there not be?! (At times, the immaturity regarding farting was mildly annoying, but I kept reminding myself of how amused that age range would be by it, so I'll let it slide.) The friendship that develops between Charlie and Marta is cute and believable. Marta is far from the "geeky unpopular" person that most people would think of when they hear the word "outcast." She's actually a pretty kick-butt tough chick who doesn't really want to be befriended.

Now, onto the shortcomings. There was a lot of times that Charlie was brutal when describing looks or how gross someone was. She seemed... judgmental, I guess would be an appropriate word for it. I'm not quite sure a middle grader would take these in the context of the story, like I did as an adult, and leave them there. Personally, thinking of myself as a child, I probably would have internalized those things while reading - thinking of myself as gross or fat, and I'd hate to see children feel that way.

Honestly, it was a likeable read, but I think in offering it to middle-grade children, I may have to think on whether they would get the point of the story or become caught up on the aforementioned downfalls. It's all in the maturity and self-confidence a child displays. We want to build children up, not break them down.

[Kary · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, thank you to Maria T. Lennon for sending me your book for review (and thank Charlie for me too!)

For the first couple of chapters, I wasn't sure if I could like Charlie. She was snarky (yes, I know. This is normal for a 7th grader. I am the proud owner of a 7th grade girl, and I work with middle schoolers.) But, she was also "prickly" and frankly, her attitude towards adults kind of got under my skin. BUT, Charlie worked her way into my heart. She was a tough chick, but she obviously had a good heart. The way she -unwillingly, at first - took Marta under her wing really won me over. More than anything, she wants to fit in at her new school, and finds a "friend" who could catapult her into popularity. But, what Charlie realizes is that this popular girl, Trixie, is really not a nice person at all. Grudgingly she admits to herself that while Marta will pretty much kill her chance of popularity, she knows that sticking up for her is the right thing to do.

Now, the character of Marta was also hard to like at first. You want to feel sorry for her because she is the outcast that everyone makes fun of. But, the way she lashes out at everyone kind of makes it hard to feel bad for her. But, then you find out more of Marta's story that makes you realize why she is the way she is, and you can't help but like her.

This is a book that many tweens will enjoy. Charlie has been both the bully and the victim which makes her easy to relate to. I really enjoyed the story. I liked how Charlie was kind of a reluctant heroine. Overall, I thought this was a wonderful, well-written book and I will definitely be recommending this to my middle school students! I hope that there are more Charlie books in the future!

[Chrissy (The Every Free Chance Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I enjoy this book: I did enjoy this book. It took a bit for me to get into it, I think that’s because I am not the target demographic, but once I got about 75 pages in, I could not put it down.

This was a good story for young girls. A good lesson to be learned. You can be fashionable and still be nice. You can change from your old ways. You can make a difference.

It was fun to watch Charlie’s transformation throughout this book. She should be proud of herself. There were the normal cast of characters – the cliques, the mean girls, the nerds, the outcast. But as with almost all people, you can’t judge a book by its cover. You never know what someone is going through. Marta was a tragic but determined young girl. She was surprising, but somewhat predictable (if you are an older reader).

All-in-all, this was a worthy read. And an enjoyable one.

Would I recommend it: I would recommend this book to any middle grade girl and their moms.

Will I read it again: I probably will, maybe even before my daughter is old enough to read it. I will definitely read the sequel, Watch Out, Hollywood!: More Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child. It is supposed to be released sometime this summer.

(I received a copy of this book for review purposes.)

http://everyfreechance.com/2014/01/re...

[OpenBookSociety.com · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://openbooksociety.com/article/co...

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Valerie

Clarification: Three stars is not a terrible rating for me. For me, three stars describes potential and the readability , if you know what I mean.

This is a cute book. Typical middle child (or should I say not so typical) in a very interesting setting. It’s not always that you get to read about a girl named Marta the Farta who’s a talented gymnast at the same time. It’s pretty atypical, to tell you the truth.

In a sense, I guess it’s not Charlie’s fault that I didn’t really like her. I guess she was supposed to be quite a brat. I hated how self-centered she was in the beginning, but the character growth was quite significant. Even now however, I still don’t like Charlie that much.

The main thing that got me is how cliche the book is. Believe me when I say I know what middle school is like. It’s not that cliched. There may be mean girls and girls like Marta, but there’s no one to Marta’s extremes. Teeth the color of butter? Not in middle school! Honestly, this book is a little immature in a sense about the farting.

However, this is a cute book with a lot of potential, so if you ask me, it’s definitely worth a read.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie comes from a family where money is no problem. That is the problem. She often thinks she is above getting in trouble. That is until she pulls a prank and she gets kicked out of school. The prank was so bad her parents send her to counseling. She hates going to the psychiatrist. He gives her an out. Since she has to go to a new school, she needs to find the girl who is most bullied and become her friend.
Charlie wants to hang out with the type of kids she hung out with at her old school. To ditch her psychiatrist she has to be come with Marta the Farta. She will do it because she wants out of counseling. What she learns is that Marta is not that bad. She sees Trixie, who was just like her old friends for who she truly is. Trixie has it in for Marta and she wants Charlie to help her, even if it means she will blackmail Charlie because of her past.
This type of thing truly does go on in middle schools. Just turn on the news and you will hear new extreme cases of teens bullying each other. This is definitely one I will recommend to my fellow teachers and one I will recommend to my students.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a 6th grade girl that pulled off a prank that ended up getting her permanently expelled from school and having the whole family move and transfer to new schools. This book is about Charlie Cooper's to overhaul her life and start off in her new middle school on a clean slate and make new friends. Sounds easy, right? Not when your shrink gives you a mission that have to find the most bullied, friendless, hopeless, laughed-at, lonely girl in the entire school and be her friend. Charlie soon realizes that it's not easy to start a new life with a clean slate when your former best friend happens to know your new "friend."

This book was cute but I really think the parents should have been more involved or at least offered Charlie a ride to Marta's house or even offer a ride to Marta instead of sending her home at night on a bus.


Favorite quotes:
Mom rolled down the window on the old Volvo with peeling Clinton-Gore stickers and yelled, "Where's the love, man? Show me some love." The cars stopped. I tried to hide under the seat so no would see me. Move waved like she wasn't totally embarrassing me, thankful and with a renewed sense of love for all mankind.

[Julia Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book. Okay, full disclosure, I am a middle child, but every young adult and old adult who's young at heart and has labored the pains of childhood, sibling rivalries, and school pressures, will love this book. I can't remember reading a middle grade book whose main character is so lively, complex, and hilariously flawed with all that makes as human. Charlie just jumps off the page in her dialogue and view of the precarious world of young adulthood where every misstep rings in the end of the world and where popularity rules! It's so easy to relate with her immature and self-absorbed fears and troubles while at the same time rooting for her to become a better person on her own terms. I also appreciated how Maria Lennon threaded in "middle child psychology" into the narrative in a way that didn't feel trite but organic to Charlie's journey. I also enjoyed the setting and mysteries surrounding the Houdini house.