The Girl with 500 Middle Names

by Margaret Peterson Haddix, Janet Hamlin (Illustrator)

JANIE WHO?
It's hard enough being the new kid in school. It's even tougher when all of your new classmates live in big houses and wear expensive clothes, while your parents have little and are risking everything just to give you a chance at a better life.
Now Janie's about to do something that will make her stand out even more among the rich kids at Satterthwaite School. Something that will have everyone wondering just who Janie Sams really is. And something that will mean totally unexpected changes for Janie and her family.

Genres: Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Young Adult, Family

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm near Washington Court House, Ohio. She graduated from Miami University (of Ohio) with degrees in English/journalism, English/creative writing and history. Before her first book was published, she worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a community college instructor and freelance writer in Danville, Illinois.

She has since written more than 25 books for kids and teens, including Running Out of Time; Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey; Leaving Fishers; Just Ella; Turnabout; Takeoffs and Landings; The Girl with 500 Middle Names; Because of Anya; Escape from Memory; Say What?; The House on the Gulf; Double Identity; Dexter the Tough; Uprising; Palace of Mirrors; Claim to Fame; the Shadow Children series; and the Missing series. She also wrote Into the Gauntlet, the tenth book in the 39 Clues series. Her books have been honored with New York Times bestseller status, the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award; American Library Association Best Book and Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers notations; and more than a dozen state reader’s choice awards.


Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio, with their two children.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this book about 3 times already, really: once to find out if my kids will like it; another time to find questions to ask and words for them to define; and now my reading group and I are reading it together.

What a great little book about sacrifice and hard work, maturity, and some of the pangs of being new in school and growing up. My students really enjoy it and they look foward to reading every day.

[Heidi Lil' Chip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because I'm trying to read all of Haddix's books

I really enjoyed this book but I wish it was longer

[🪴Eva Konson🪴 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but sweet. 3.5⭐️

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure where we found this book, but I'm glad we read it. It's a sweet, but somber tale of a young girl whose parents make sacrifices and work extra hard to give her a better education and a better chance at life. The description of the poor school in the city was heartbreaking and after reading this book, our oldest and I had a discussion about how blessed we are to live in a place with a terrific school system.

This is a great book for children who are just starting to read chapter books and it helps to show how economic circumstances do not make a person's character and do not define them as a person. I love that Janie is willing to swallow her pride to help her parents during tough financial times and that she has a supportive teacher and friend. While the schools and characters are a bit cliché and simplistic, I feel that it is a good way to show differences and to contrast the different environments in which Janie finds herself.

Our oldest read this book first and then I read it after her. It was a great way for us to connect with our independent reads and it was a much better story than her typical fairy-themed book.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good little book. I remember reading it when I was in 3rd grade. I thought about it the other day a looked it up on here.

[Melanie Brinkman]

Janie who?

It's tough being the new kid at school. It's even harder when all of your new classmates are rich while your family is doing everything they can to give you a chance at a better life. Janie's about to make herself even more of a target in the lion's den of Scatterwaite school. Something that will have everyone wondering just who Janie Sams really is.

A story of fitting in and growing up. A story of sacrifice and determination.

Mature, yet so authentically childlike, I struggled to love Janie. Every time she took a step forward, it seemed as though her character took two steps back. However, she had a loving soul that shone like a beacon as she tried to help her family.

At it's core, this story oozed love. Janie and her parents both had so much love between them. The rich relationship between Janie and her parents with such a treat, as not many stories center around true familial love.

This book tackled some huge topics in its short span. Although there were some elements that certainly dated the book, Margaret Peterson Haddix crafted a simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming tale about economic situations, family, first impressions, fitting in, and acceptance.

Margaret Peterson Haddix's little book would be a great way to start important conversations with young readers. Illustrations sprinkled in helped to tell Janie's story. However, I was disheartened by some of the name-calling in the book. While Janie could've used a bit more character development, the ending was touching if a bit abrupt.

The Girl with 500 Middle Names is inspiring and moving.

[CarolineK SPX2023 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really like this book that much. It started as them not in the best spot financially. Her mother was very good at knitting and was making special order sweaters so that she could go to a better school. Then her boss said that he didn't want those sweaters any more because he was getting the same sweaters but this person didn't pay as much so he was getting those sweaters now. They were going to go shopping but she didn't get a paycheck and felt bad so instead she wore those sweaters instead. Then, at school she wore sweaters everyday and she said that she had a lot of middle names. Someone asked her about and she could count to four hundred and ninety nine, so she said that she had 500 middle names. It was overall a well written book just now my style. So I would say if you know your book style you might be able to determine whether you might like this book.

[Mendell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Girl with 500 Middle Names is an adorable coming of age book, and perfect for children - especially young girls transitioning to chapter books. True to form, I felt this book was not too long, was complex, but in a good way that could connect kids to larger themes. I believe children explore the ideas of classism and socio-economic status early in elementary school. It's very easy for kids around 3rd and 4th grade to understand that some people have it different, and I like this books take on it. The main character understood this, and didn't allow it to change who she was. One thing I also love about this book is I feel it should spark conversation between parents and students.

I would recommend this book for grades 3-5, maybe even early 6th grade.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet. You'd have to be pretty heartless to dislike this book- it's about a young girl named Janie whose family isn't well-off, but her entrepreneurial mom works really hard to get her into a better school and they make it work. I would be very impressed by a child like Janie, whose character shows wisdom beyond her years, even while her mind is true to her age. The author did an outstanding job.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good but quick read.81 pages,but a well-written short story.Recently,I've reading stories by
Margaret Peterson Haddix;The Greystone mystery series,The Remarkables,and The School for Whatnots.

[Mckinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a lot to this short book. I enjoyed it.

[Nikki Edgar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book!

[Delaney]

I think about this book constantly. I read this book when I was in elementary school; I do not remember how much I liked it, but I cannot stop thinking about the concept. It haunts me.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

C. fiction, children's fiction, grade 2, contemporary fiction, early chapter book, early reader

[Megan Brotemarkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story. I read this with in a day. The ending was so so cute.

[MzLyz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this little book.

[Bayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am working my way through my bookshelf and this is one that I enjoyed. It had pretty good story and I love the end it is so sweet.

[Lee]

I would wear sweaters with other people's names on them too.

[Kelly Grimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because of the development of the main character, Janie. First Janie starts off as a normal kid, trying to adapt to the new neighborhood and school her family has moved to. But then we see Janie start to struggle with fitting in because of her family’s low social class status. Janie finds that other students dress better then her, causing her to feel as if she doesn’t fit in with the other students. As the story progresses, we get to see Janie move pass the fact that her family doesn’t get to live in a high social class. I greatly enjoyed seeing that in the end of Janie’s journey, she learns that there are more important things then money. I enjoyed the development of Janie’s character because the struggles she faces are struggles students in the real world also struggle with.

I think this book would be most beneficial to read independently in a 3rd grade classroom. This book is great segway in introducing children to issues that are out in the real world, with this book focusing on social class. After reading the book independently, children should get together in small groups to discuss the problems and issues Janie faces. Janie and her family move to a new neighborhood so Janie can attend a better school. But with her father being out of work and her mother loosing her position of making sweaters with names on it, Janie finds herself struggling to fit in. Janie wears her mother’s sweaters with names on it that are returned to her. The students at school assume that the names on her sweater are the multiple middle names Janie has. Janie soon makes friends and learns there are far more things important in life than money. Students in a classroom can come together to discuss Janie’s issue of fitting in because of her social class. Students in small groups can then express if they face a similar issue to Janie’s. Students can start to learn more about their peers. A literary element that is taught in this story is setting. When setting is questioned, many students just describe where the story takes place. But in this story, students will learn that setting means a lot more. The social environment in which the story takes place also adds to the setting. Students will see how Janie’s lower class status aids to the setting of the story.

The diverse perspective that is taught in this story is that everyone comes from different social classes. Some students in a classroom will come from a high/middle social class while some students might come from a lower social class family. Students will learn that ones social class doesn’t define them but instead who they are as a person greatly defines them. Students will see through Janie’s story that her family’s money doesn’t win over her new friends she meets at school. This story can help students from all social classes gain more self respect for themselves.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janie Sams’s school is old and broken. When her mom realizes just how bad it is, she starts knitting and selling sweaters to pay for the family to move closer to a better school. At first, the sweater business seems very promising, but when the shop owner who sells the sweaters goes back on his word, Janie finds that she’ll need to do without a new winter coat, and that to stay warm, she’ll have to wear sweaters her mother has embroidered with other people’s names. Afraid to admit that she’s poor for fear of ridicule, Janie tells her affluent new classmates that each of the names on the sweaters is one of her many middle names. What she doesn’t count on, though, is the kindness of one particular classmate, and the friendship that forms once Janie realizes money isn’t everything.

This book portrays a slice of working class family life that contemporary children’s fiction does not often explore. Janie’s fears - of being singled out as a charity case, and of simply not fitting in with her new, wealthier peers - are things many kids can fully understand, whatever their socioeconomic background. Through the character of Janie, Haddix humanizes the experience of being poor in a way that makes it understandable to children who have never dealt with financial difficulties, and also validates the feelings and experiences of children who have. The story also teaches many universally important life lessons about not being judgmental, treating others as we’d like to be treated, swallowing one’s pride and accepting help when necessary, and making the best of bad situations.

As in Say What and Dexter the Tough, Haddix demonstrates a strong talent for writing family dynamics, and also for addressing common childhood issues in ways that interest kids and keep them turning pages. She really encourages her readers to put themselves in others’ shoes and imagine the world from other points of view. This makes her chapter books not just great first stories for newly fluent readers, but also nice go-to titles for character education.

I really recommend The Girl with 500 Middle Names to girls and boys in grades two and three who enjoy school stories. It’s also the kind of book I can recommend to parents seeking books with strong morals and values to share with their children.

[Ashley Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must say that the title of this book is what made me want to read it. The Girl with 500 Middle Names begins with Janie telling her classmates that she will be going to a new school on Monday. No one knows why but Janie is very excited about the new school. The story then moves to a flashback where we find out why Janie and her family are moving. Janie and her family are moving from an impoverished neighborhood to the suburbs because Janie’s parents feel like she is not receiving a good education. Though Janie's parents cannot afford to live in the Suburbs, they are moving because they want her to be educated. The plan is that Janie’s mom will sew sweaters for rich families to pay the bills in their new home. Janie is excited to go to a new school but she quickly figures out that the new school is nothing like the one she is used to. When Janie gets to the new school she realized that everyone dressed like the kids in department store ads. She quickly realized that her Sunday wear was outside wear for the kids at her new school. In this novel, we find out how Janie learns to adapt to her new environment. It is the story about how one family sacrifices to make sure life is better for their child. It talks about how people who are fortunate can help others in need and ends up with two young girls who seem to have nothing in common becoming best friends.

I really liked this book because it brings up a great discussion about poverty and having to make it on a limited budget. Janie’s parents know they cannot afford to live in the suburbs but they choose to go for their child. This book touches on a topic that can be very hard for students to understand. In a time where some schools have decided to move to school uniforms this is a great way to show how people are different. It could also be used to start a service project to send clothes and shoes to the less fortunate. I really liked the book and the transformation that Janie goes through learning how she may not have the best clothes but she always has her family.

[Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Girl with 500 Middle Names is a very sweet book about a little girl who moves into a new and wealthier school district. She struggles with her lack of wealth and is picked on by her peers for being 'poor'. Her mother, who knits sweaters with names on them, tries to help Janie at every chance but cannot afford to buy her new clothing. So Janie starts wearing her mother's sweaters that feature different names on them to school and gains the reputation as the girl who has 500 different middle names for each name that appears on the sweater she wears.
I thought this book was interesting and had a really good relatable theme to it. Being from a not so wealthy background myself, and moving to a suburban school when I was that age exactly, I felt the same pressures from my peers as to why I dressed poorly to school. It was something I struggled with for a while and when I started reading this book I felt that I could relate to Janie's character on so many levels.
As a transitional book for younger readers who want to start getting into chapter books, I think this book is perfect. The reading level is not that difficult and there are pictures scattered throughout the novel to keep the reader interested. The chapters are short enough to keep the attention of younger readers and the story is relatable enough to keep them engaged in the story. I really liked this book as a transitional reader to add to the classroom!

[Sonya Huser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of Margaret Peterson Haddix's few books for younger readers, but I really liked it! Janie's parents move to the suburbs to get her into a better school and environment. The school is great, but she's the poorest in her class and everyone can tell. She's having a hard time making friends and fitting in.
Financially, things get even worse for Janie's family, who were already stretched thin. Janie's mother had been knitting specialty monogrammed sweaters to make some extra money. Her boss tells her he can't sell the sweaters anymore because he can get them cheaper from Mexico. Now Janie's mother is stuck with a bunch of homemade monogrammed sweaters and no money to buy Janie new school clothes.
Janie decides on her own to wear her mother's sweaters to school. The first day kids try to make fun of her because they think she's wearing someone else's hand-me-downs. She leads them to believe that "Alexandria" is her middle name and they back off. However, the next day she wears another sweater with yet another name and some cruel taunts later, she's led her classmates to believe that she may have as many as 500 middle names.
I really liked this book. Without being too hokey, it teaches some important lessons. One, that bullying comes in many forms. Two, there are more important things than money. And three, there is more than one way to solve a problem.

[Alex.ferg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute book about a girl named Janie. She comes from a less wealthy family, but her mother beings to knit sweaters with names on them, at a shop to send Janie to a better school. When the family moves, Janie is excited, but soon finds it hard to fit in with the rich students. Her mother's business does not go very well, and Janie is in need of new clothes, so she wears all the sweaters her mom made to school. Janie begins tells everyone she has 500 different middle names, due to the sweaters, and this in turn starts business back up for her mother. I think this is a fun book for students, because they can relate to this type of character and wanting to fit in. It also shows families making sacrifices for each other in order to help the family. This is an easy to read book for older elementary students, that they could read on their own. Or for lower students you can read as a class. I liked this book, because Janie has real life problems and is experiencing things that a lot of kids can relate to. This is also a good book to use, when teaching the students to respect each other and include everyone. They all know how it feels to be left out, and reading this book together can establish a good sense of community in the classroom.

[Hend Alalwani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal reaction:
I love reading this book because it shows how family tried to do the best for their kid Janie. For example, when the mother saw Janie’s school and how the place was old and had broken window, no carpet and the teacher grammar was wrong, she decided to move her daughter to better school.

Read aloud for children in first grades because they will learn to help their parents and follow their orders, like when Janie told her mother that she did not want clothes because she know that her mother did not have enough money.

Independent reading:

Third and fourth grades can read alone, and they learn from it to not make fun of others even if they are from socioeconomic status. They also will learn how to notice the differences and similarities between things like when Janie notice the differences between her old and new schools. Also, they will learn that they should not lie to their parents and friends such as when Janie lied to her friends about her 500 middle names and she did not have any middle name.

The language is great and there are several words a child could learn like “ talent, whistling, squinted, exaggerated, and gleaming.” The illustration is wonderful. The picture show the characters facial expression when they sad, happy, and worried.

[Nicolette Brinksneader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be great for girls (and even boys too) in 3-4 grade. It really gives an inside look into what it is like for a family to struggle with money, and moving to a new place in hope of something better than they had before. Janie, the main character, has a lot of issues with the move at first and doesn't want to leave everything behind, but she is reassured that everything will be better when they move. Janie is now looked at as the poor girl in school because she had raggedy clothing where everyone else has brand new outfits every day. Even so, her teacher tells her she is extremely bright and a very good worker and the other students begin to take after her and she is shocked. I think this story does a great job of showing students that no matter how much money their family may have, they can always do their best and make their situation better, because money doesn't always help everything; such as real friend ships, good grades, and a loving family. The few illustrations in the novel also give the book a nice visual of what the characters look like and make it a bit more fun to read.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor family moves to a rich town, girl struggles to fit in. I was hoping this book would be a realistic take on class and money that was still appropriate for 3rd graders, but it felt dated (even though it was only published in 2001) and was just a collection of stereotypes cobbled together to form a predictable story. The poor family doesn't have much, but they work hard and love each other, even if their kid's school is ripped straight from a Jonathan Kozol book circa 1967. The rich people have lots of fancy clothes and no discernible interests aside from talking about all the stuff they own. The moment the book lost me for good was when a wealthy character is introduced talking on the phone, saying - of course! - "Great! I'll buy those shares. Thanks for the tip," to drive home the point that he's rich AND a jerk. In the end, I'm not sure I'll put this in my classroom library. It's a book that pretends to address big issues, but really just confirms everything you've ever learned about them from TV.

[Kim Burean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for 3-5th graders. It is about Janey who goes to a rundown school in a poor neighborhood. Her mom knits fancy sweaters with names on the front, which she sells in an upscale boutique to earn extra money. She hopes to earn enough to be able to move into a better neighborhood so that Janey can go to a better school. When this becomes a reality, Janey starts her new school, but feels immediately out of place because all the kids there are dressed much more nicely than she is. When her mom's side knitting job falls apart, Janie decides to wear the unsold sweaters to school because she doesn't have any decent clothes to wear. She wears a different name on her chest every day and tells people that she has 500 middle names. It turns out that wearing the sweaters is good advertising and things begin to look up for her family again.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing my first Haddix novel (Running Out of Time), I decided to read one of her 'early readers' chapter books. Although it doesn't have the thrill and mystery of Running Out of Time it is a well written story with wonderful characters. Janie's mother is very upset when she realizes Janie's school is so 'poor'. Unfortunately, the family does not have the ability to move to a location with better schools, until her mother comes up with a plan. After moving to the new school, Janie realizes how poor her family is and struggles making new friends because of her assumptions of the other students and their reactions to her. When her mother's plan to keep the family finacially afloat fails, Janie helps her mother see that there is another way to make the plan work. Janie also learns that not all of the students are looking at her the way she thinks.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Janie lives on the wrong side of town. Fed up with Janie's school, her mother, an amazing knitter, begins selling custom-made sweaters at a boutique. Mother makes enough money to move to a new apartment so Janie can have a better education and more opportunities. Janie finds herself among schoolmates who have a lot more than she does. She makes an honest attempt to fit in, yet the chip on her shoulder prevents her from becoming friends with the girl who sits next to her. When the boutique that is supposed to be selling her mom's sweaters returns all the sweaters and refuses her wares, Janie cannot afford the new winter clothes she is in dire need of. Janie makes a hard decision and learns to like who she is on the inside.

Middle elementary.