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Ginny Davis #2
Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick
Part graphic novel, part scrapbook and altogether original—New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Holm's Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick is just right for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dork Diaries and Babymouse !
Ginny has big plans for eighth grade. She's going to try out for cheerleading, join Virtual Vampire Vixens, and maybe even fall in love. But middle school is more of a roller-coaster ride than Ginny could have ever predicted. Her family has just moved into a fancy new house when Ginny's stepdad loses his job. (Can worrying about money make you sick?). Ginny's big brother keeps getting into trouble. And there's a new baby on the way. (Living proof that Ginny's mom and stepdad are having sex. Just what she needs.) Filled with Post-its, journal entries, grocery lists, hand-drawn comic strips, report cards, IMs, notes, and more, Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick is the sometimes poignant, often hilarious, always relatable look at a year in the life of one girl, told entirely through her stuff.
Ginny has big plans for eighth grade. She's going to try out for cheerleading, join Virtual Vampire Vixens, and maybe even fall in love. But middle school is more of a roller-coaster ride than Ginny could have ever predicted. Her family has just moved into a fancy new house when Ginny's stepdad loses his job. (Can worrying about money make you sick?). Ginny's big brother keeps getting into trouble. And there's a new baby on the way. (Living proof that Ginny's mom and stepdad are having sex. Just what she needs.) Filled with Post-its, journal entries, grocery lists, hand-drawn comic strips, report cards, IMs, notes, and more, Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick is the sometimes poignant, often hilarious, always relatable look at a year in the life of one girl, told entirely through her stuff.
128 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 2012
11 people are currently reading
460 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer L. Holm
104 books1,724 followersJennifer L. Holm is a USA TODAY and NEW YORK TIMES-bestselling children's author with more than 9.8 million books in print She is the recipient of three Newbery Honors for her novels OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA, PENNY FROM HEAVEN, and TURTLE IN PARADISE and a Scott O'Dell Award for her novel FULL OF BEANS.
Jennifer collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on three bestselling graphic novel series -- the Eisner Award-winning Babymouse series, the SUNNY series, and the Squish series. SQUISH is now an animated tv series on YouTube!
For more information, visit her website at www.jenniferholm.com.
Jennifer collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on three bestselling graphic novel series -- the Eisner Award-winning Babymouse series, the SUNNY series, and the Squish series. SQUISH is now an animated tv series on YouTube!
For more information, visit her website at www.jenniferholm.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
February 1, 2024
For 12 years I have taught the research process to my freshmen through the multi-genre project. Jennifer Holm & Elicia Castaldi’s creative graphic novel-scrapbook-artifact collection is a great example of how authors can tell stories visually. I am excited to share it in class tomorrow!
August 10, 2012
I am a big fan of Jennifer Holm, Matt Holm and Babymouse, so I was thrilled to see the latest novel from Jennifer Holm. This book was clearly a collaboration between the author and the illustrator, Elicia Castaldi. It was amazing and the photos/illustrations are essential to the story. I kept telling Liv, "You have got to read this." It reminded a great deal of Chopsticks, by Jessica Anthony because of the photos, but the text really enriched the story. Each page is very stimulating visually, and I enjoyed being forced to slow down to take everything in, in order to appreciate the story. There has to be a sequel, there just has to be. What will happen to Ginny in California? This book is for my middle school and high school friends who haven't read a graphic novel in a while and want a story that they relate to in many ways. Just make sure you go slow and ENJOY each page. As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words."
September 9, 2012
Things I loved about this book
1. Grandpa Joe (Charlie and the choc factory reference?)
2. Mixed media
3. Henry
4. The books!
5. Library twice a week!
6. Kirby Larson's email answers!!
1. Grandpa Joe (Charlie and the choc factory reference?)
2. Mixed media
3. Henry
4. The books!
5. Library twice a week!
6. Kirby Larson's email answers!!
June 13, 2013
More reviews at Mrs. ReaderPants.
FOR ELA TEACHERS: Need a lesson on inferencing? Since the story and its characters are presented 100% through Ginny's stuff, the author really "tells" us nothing, so students have to use clues from the pictures to figure out what's going on. Check out p. 48-49, p. 67, p. 81-82, and p. 93 for a few great examples that students will understand, even if they have never read the book!
REVIEW: I've heard that you can tell a lot about people by going through their trash, and that's kind of what this book is like. I know of no other books that are quite like this one. The format is super-unique, and surprisingly, "stuff" really does tell a story. Believe it or not, there's character and plot development! It is laugh-out-loud funny at times and heartbreaking at others. A picture really does say a thousand words!
I loved this book's predecessor, Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf when I first read it years ago. When I am recommending books to girls who really, really don't like to read, these two books are among my first choices. They are easy to read and nonthreatening for young girls for whom reading is an absolute chore. Sure, it's not the greatest literature out there, but for reluctant readers, just having an enjoyable reading experience is a HUGE step towards becoming less reluctant. I have yet to find a girl who didn't MSIWTH, and now there is a sequel to go with it. Yay!
A word about the illustrations. Elicia Castaldi, you are a genius. How did you ladies come up with these pages? They are so simple and sparse, yet they say so darn much. The illustrations and photos realistically portray an eighth grade girl's life. I love all the classic and contemporary book references and the English teacher who constantly says "Awesome!" I love the picture of little brother Timmy's homework and how you can totally tell Ginny did the bottom part of it for him. I love how toilet paper is ALWAYS on the grocery list, Timmy's handwriting, and all the little clues about the family's financial problems. So subtle. So real.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Great books for reluctant readers can be hard to come by, and Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick is perfect for reluctant reader girls. This book and its predecessor are absolutely essential for middle school libraries.
STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: We have both Holm/Castaldi books, and I recommend them frequently. They are well-loved in our library!
READALIKES: Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf (Holm), What My Mother Doesn't Know (Sones), TTYL (Myracle)
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 5/5
Creativity: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Engrossing: 5/5
Writing: 5/5--major props to the illustrator also!
Appeal to teens: 5/5
Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: mild; photo of pregnancy test in trash, the word "sex" written in a cartoon, a few references to breastfeeding
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none
December 19, 2016
Eighth Grade is Making Me Sick is the second book about Ginny Davis, following Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf. Through various objects, notes, assignments, and email exchanges, Ginny’s new school year unfolds - in her new house, with her new stepdad, where her mom is expecting a new baby. Things just keep changing, as her stepdad loses his job, her delinquent brother gets into huge trouble, and Ginny struggles to get through dissections in biology, and make it onto the cheerleading squad.
I have always been fascinated by stories told through documents, so I am predisposed to liking this book’s format. Since I read this sequel immediately after finishing Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf, the first thing I noticed is how much easier it was to read this second volume than the first. The illustrations really improved from one book to the next, and these newer ones, for obvious reasons, look much more fresh and contemporary than the ones created more than five years ago. I loved seeing a Babymouse book turn up in one of Ginny’s boxes for the move, and as in the first book, I thought her mom’s tongue in cheek notes from “the management” were a great insight into her personality and sense of humor. The IM conversations look much more realistic this time around, and I detected an overall smoothness of presentation that I didn’t really see in the first book.
Reading Eight Grade is Making Me Sick also got me thinking about the act of reading a little bit. So much of this story must be inferred by the reader from very words on very few pages, and yet I walked away from the book feeling like I’d been handed a full narrative of every emotion, action, and conversation, and yet, really, all I’ve been given is evidence pointing to each of those things. So much of the story was constructed in my head, by me putting together these subtle little clues. I think it’s so neat how my brain just knows how to read a book like this, without anyone having to explicitly teach me. I think that’s why kids get excited about books in a visual format - it just comes more naturally to them to take things in visually. It’s second nature, whereas reading a traditional book is a learned behavior.
I really love Ginny as a character, and her family as well, and the story was over too soon for me. I did think some things were probably a bit of a stretch. Surely, at some point these family members would talk to one another in person, not just through writing, but I was willing to suspend my disbelief a little bit because I enjoyed this mode of storytelling so much.
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf does not circulate much in my library, but now that I’ve read it and this sequel, it will be one more book on the list I recommend to my Dear Dumb Diary / Popularity Papers / Dork Diaries audience. It’s also a great one to suggest to fans of Babymouse, since it’s by the same author and many kids probably wouldn’t realize that.
I have always been fascinated by stories told through documents, so I am predisposed to liking this book’s format. Since I read this sequel immediately after finishing Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf, the first thing I noticed is how much easier it was to read this second volume than the first. The illustrations really improved from one book to the next, and these newer ones, for obvious reasons, look much more fresh and contemporary than the ones created more than five years ago. I loved seeing a Babymouse book turn up in one of Ginny’s boxes for the move, and as in the first book, I thought her mom’s tongue in cheek notes from “the management” were a great insight into her personality and sense of humor. The IM conversations look much more realistic this time around, and I detected an overall smoothness of presentation that I didn’t really see in the first book.
Reading Eight Grade is Making Me Sick also got me thinking about the act of reading a little bit. So much of this story must be inferred by the reader from very words on very few pages, and yet I walked away from the book feeling like I’d been handed a full narrative of every emotion, action, and conversation, and yet, really, all I’ve been given is evidence pointing to each of those things. So much of the story was constructed in my head, by me putting together these subtle little clues. I think it’s so neat how my brain just knows how to read a book like this, without anyone having to explicitly teach me. I think that’s why kids get excited about books in a visual format - it just comes more naturally to them to take things in visually. It’s second nature, whereas reading a traditional book is a learned behavior.
I really love Ginny as a character, and her family as well, and the story was over too soon for me. I did think some things were probably a bit of a stretch. Surely, at some point these family members would talk to one another in person, not just through writing, but I was willing to suspend my disbelief a little bit because I enjoyed this mode of storytelling so much.
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf does not circulate much in my library, but now that I’ve read it and this sequel, it will be one more book on the list I recommend to my Dear Dumb Diary / Popularity Papers / Dork Diaries audience. It’s also a great one to suggest to fans of Babymouse, since it’s by the same author and many kids probably wouldn’t realize that.
December 23, 2018
This is the sequel to Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf. The subtitle pretty much sums up the style of this book: Ginny Davis's Year in Stuff. And it's surprising how much plot we get from just reading report cards, notes from mom, bank statements, etc. This book picks up where the last one left off and Ginny's life proves to be as interesting as ever.
I will say that the title of this book is actually quite plot-relevant (as opposed to the Meatloaf title; I don't remember meatloaf factoring into the plot of the first book.)
I will say that the title of this book is actually quite plot-relevant (as opposed to the Meatloaf title; I don't remember meatloaf factoring into the plot of the first book.)
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December 3, 20171. Awards the book has received: No awards
2. Appropriate grade level: 6th grade and up
3. Original 3-line summary: Ginny has big plans for eighth grade but life just gets in the way. Her family has just moved into a fancy new house when her stepdad loses his job, her brother keeps on getting into trouble, and there is a new baby on the way. Eighth grade is starting to make her sick!
4. Original 3-line review: This book is really relatable. From being in middle school to real life. It perfectly portrays how it feels to be a preteen and what middle school is like.
5. 2-3 possible in-class uses: Children can write about how they feel about school and draw a picture to go along with it. The teacher can also pair students together and have them read it together and share their opinions on it.
2. Appropriate grade level: 6th grade and up
3. Original 3-line summary: Ginny has big plans for eighth grade but life just gets in the way. Her family has just moved into a fancy new house when her stepdad loses his job, her brother keeps on getting into trouble, and there is a new baby on the way. Eighth grade is starting to make her sick!
4. Original 3-line review: This book is really relatable. From being in middle school to real life. It perfectly portrays how it feels to be a preteen and what middle school is like.
5. 2-3 possible in-class uses: Children can write about how they feel about school and draw a picture to go along with it. The teacher can also pair students together and have them read it together and share their opinions on it.
June 17, 2015
I've never heard of this series and I'm not familiar with the authors, but I decided to try the sequel regardless - I'm always interested in mixed media books and this one is definitely a unique one at that. The use of images and text enrich the story in complementary ways. While I did feel a bit of a disconnect between myself and the characters/ events, it is still relatable and I liked this glance into Ginny's eighth grade year through her stuff. If you enjoyed Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral and The Internet Girls series by Lauren Myracle, you might also like Eighth Grad Is Making Me Sick.
December 14, 2018
I wish there were a hundred of these little books of delight. I'm such a fan of unconventional story-telling. This one is told in poems and notes and bank statements and IMs (it's a few years old). I'm also such a fan of following a teen through consecutive years of school (currently looooving the Chloe Snow Diaries). I'm seriously super bummed that there are only two of these books, especially because they are old enough that I cannot reasonable expect a third. Definitely recommend.
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December 4, 2016This book was about this girl that is in eight grade.She say that her life is misabral.The homework is too much,her family is short on money,has family problems,and her mom is pregnant so she has to take care of more than 2 babys.It made me feel like i dont want to go to 8th grade beacuse it seams like too much woek.I learned that eight gradee mixed with a large family is not a good combination.I would recomened this book to students who are under 8th grade like 5th,6th,and 7th graders because they would have a clue what it is like to be in 8th grade.
September 26, 2019
This book is a great story and has a great lesson that you can learn. In this book a girl named Ginny tells you her story through little post-it notes her mom leaves her along with emails, notes she passes in class, pictures, graphic novels her brothers write, calendar schedules, notes from the management and most importantly the poems she writes as an assignment every week in her ELA class. I Thought that this book had a really interesting feel and it gives you a good insight of how some eighth graders feel. Overall it is a really good book that makes you want to keep reading.
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March 26, 2023Ginny is in grade 8, she is apart of the cheer team although her mom is slightly against it and encourages her to join the debate team instead. Her step Bob (step-dad who's name is bob) recently lost his job with no notice. now her mom and step dad are arguing about financial problems and Bobs car..? Her teacher is very comforting and kind to students. She has two brother, Timmy and henry.. she now has a baby brother Ballou.
The cursive was a bit tough to read and the format was tricky, great pictures: easy read
The cursive was a bit tough to read and the format was tricky, great pictures: easy read
February 2, 2019
THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!! Same positives as the original book, but with even more references to real and excellent middle grade literature. Her brother remains terrible, as are the atrocious abbreviations in the text messages on her new cell phone.
August 2, 2020
This is a really cute sequel that I never knew about when I was younger. I'm glad it elaborates on some of the issues from the first book and it definitely takes a more mature stance, instead of the "easy" plotline.
March 20, 2017
This is one hilarious book as you follow along Ginny Davis' eighth grade year. Ginny lives in a world where young people connect with each other digitally. However, it's amazing how she communicates with her friends, family and classmates via handwritten notes. Through those handwritten messages, emails, texts, IM and documentations of places and experiences, you can see how a life of Ginny have lived as an eighth grader and who she spends time with as her day to day life is like. I don't know how Jennifer L. Holm did it without the classical narration passages, this unique way of storytelling needs to be around more.
May 18, 2017
This series is so much easier to read not on Kindles!
February 14, 2018
(READ AT HOME) I thought this book was really good. It wasn't as good as the books i read before. but it was good enough for me to finish it! (SORRY)
August 22, 2019
This was so charming!! I loved the unique style and Ginny’s voice.
February 18, 2020
I love how Ginny makes it through hard times! She never gives up even when her health is bad and life gets hard!
July 26, 2021
Parts i didnt like but not bad for a quick read
July 30, 2021
It’s stupid there is no way to read it it is so hard to read it’s really all over the place.
July 28, 2022
3.75 stars
March 24, 2023
an interesting concept for a book - told in lists, poems, notes, etc - am curious how struggling readers would feel about this book.
January 24, 2024
somehow i never knew there was a sequel to this book
February 17, 2024
this book shaped my psyche in a way i can’t explain. a childhood favourite and a joy every time i read it.
September 29, 2024
Cute book. I wish there were more in the series, especially because it ended so abruptly. I love books told through "stuff". I also notice a lot of Sunny in Ginny, particularly the Dale/Henry thing.
March 2, 2017
See review on my blog.
http://buildinglifelongreaders.blogsp...
http://buildinglifelongreaders.blogsp...
September 9, 2012
Ginny's life is full of notes and messages: doodles to friends, to-do lists, text messages, refrigerator notes from "The Management"(aka her mom), angry notes pinned to her door (stay out!) and teachers' notes on her homework assignments. Stuff surrounds her every day - her cell phone, her backpack, school supplies, lunches, even worms to dissect in the science lab. Holm and Castaldi show all this through a photo-collage that makes reading this book like peeking into someone's personal scrapbook or diary - the stuff of their life.
Ginny's excited about the beginning of the new school year. She's just moved into a new, bigger house with her mom and step-dad. The beginning of the year goes pretty well. She likes her new science lab partner. She makes the cheerleading team. She even starts to fall in love (one of the big items on her "to do"list). But life throws curve balls, as every tween knows. Ginny's mom announces that she's pregnant; but it's when her step-dad loses his job a week before Christmas that everything starts to turn upside down.
The visual storytelling will hook kids from the very beginning. Holm has created an authentic voice with Ginny. Her poems read like a kid trying to do an assignment, just to get it done. Kids will relate to Ginny's struggles at home and at school. But most of all, they will love having to figure out the story through all the clues. There isn't a straightforward narrative. You have to infer at each step of the way to fill in the missing pieces. And they will love seeing so many familiar parts of their own life in Ginny's stuff.
Ginny is not a kid prone to reflecting on the intricacies of her life. On first read, this might seem like this story stays on the surface of Ginny's life. But there are big issues sandwiched between the text messages and homework assignments. Ginny wrestles with issues many kids see around them - relationships, job loss, stomach pains, family changes. The visual nature of the story and Ginny's authentic voice let kids read between the lines, thinking about how these changes are affecting Ginny more deeply than she always lets on.
Ginny's excited about the beginning of the new school year. She's just moved into a new, bigger house with her mom and step-dad. The beginning of the year goes pretty well. She likes her new science lab partner. She makes the cheerleading team. She even starts to fall in love (one of the big items on her "to do"list). But life throws curve balls, as every tween knows. Ginny's mom announces that she's pregnant; but it's when her step-dad loses his job a week before Christmas that everything starts to turn upside down.
The visual storytelling will hook kids from the very beginning. Holm has created an authentic voice with Ginny. Her poems read like a kid trying to do an assignment, just to get it done. Kids will relate to Ginny's struggles at home and at school. But most of all, they will love having to figure out the story through all the clues. There isn't a straightforward narrative. You have to infer at each step of the way to fill in the missing pieces. And they will love seeing so many familiar parts of their own life in Ginny's stuff.
Ginny is not a kid prone to reflecting on the intricacies of her life. On first read, this might seem like this story stays on the surface of Ginny's life. But there are big issues sandwiched between the text messages and homework assignments. Ginny wrestles with issues many kids see around them - relationships, job loss, stomach pains, family changes. The visual nature of the story and Ginny's authentic voice let kids read between the lines, thinking about how these changes are affecting Ginny more deeply than she always lets on.
January 17, 2020
Eighth Grade Is Macking Me Sick by Jeniffer L. Holm is a humor book about, this girl called Ginny Davis thay her 8 school didn't went to good because she had problems. The main character is Ginny Davis a happy girl thay doesn't likes 8 grade. The author writes in first person.
This book was atractive to read because of the pictures the book had. One thing i enjoyed about this book was the details it has and pictures. I gave it r out of 5 because some parts were dificult to understand but it was very enjoyable to read. I would recomend this book to anyone who likes picture books and school.
This book was atractive to read because of the pictures the book had. One thing i enjoyed about this book was the details it has and pictures. I gave it r out of 5 because some parts were dificult to understand but it was very enjoyable to read. I would recomend this book to anyone who likes picture books and school.
August 14, 2012
Check this review out and others on my blog: Get Real.
Quick, fun look at the life of eighth-grader Ginny Davis. In a few months, she moves into a new house and then out of again. Her mom and stepfather have a baby, and her older brother gets arrested for credit card fraud. She also becomes a cheerleader, gets a quirky boyfriend fixated on animal dissection and is fixated on a vampire group/film/something? Photographed objects and post-it notes make this a fun story with a realistic point of view. It's a light story for the most part, though the serious issues are dealt with in a realistic manner. This isn't literature, but it's a good book for a sixth-grader.
Also includes jump-off points for extension activities relative to writing poetry and analyzing fiction. Ginny reads some books most kids in her grade are required to read, and she looks at them in a humorous way. I like how when reviewing Diary of Anne Frank she says she would recommend it for people who are already depressed and want to be more depressed. Some mild mature content, so I would give this sixth grade and up.
Quick, fun look at the life of eighth-grader Ginny Davis. In a few months, she moves into a new house and then out of again. Her mom and stepfather have a baby, and her older brother gets arrested for credit card fraud. She also becomes a cheerleader, gets a quirky boyfriend fixated on animal dissection and is fixated on a vampire group/film/something? Photographed objects and post-it notes make this a fun story with a realistic point of view. It's a light story for the most part, though the serious issues are dealt with in a realistic manner. This isn't literature, but it's a good book for a sixth-grader.
Also includes jump-off points for extension activities relative to writing poetry and analyzing fiction. Ginny reads some books most kids in her grade are required to read, and she looks at them in a humorous way. I like how when reviewing Diary of Anne Frank she says she would recommend it for people who are already depressed and want to be more depressed. Some mild mature content, so I would give this sixth grade and up.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews