Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick

October 1, 2012

Gr 5-8-In this follow-up to Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf (S & S, 2007), Ginny Davis starts eighth grade at Woodland Central Middle School the way she started seventh grade, with a "Big To-Do List." Her 10 new goals include "1. Try out for cheer" and "3. Fall in love." She also moves into a larger house with her mother, new stepfather, and brothers, Timmy and Henry. Mom, a lawyer, continues to communicate with notes on the refrigerator and the occasional text message. Grandpa, a strong influence in Ginny's life, continues to write, send money, and occasionally visit. He even learns to email. Things seem to be going well; even Henry appears to be on the straight and narrow. All of these observations are gleaned from colorful pages filled with the paraphernalia of busy lives-moving boxes, calendars, instant and text messages, bank statements, take-out menus, paint swatches, and even a discarded pregnancy test, indicating an impending half sibling. Ginny makes the cheer squad and starts the school year off successfully. There is the possibility of true love. But then, her stepfather loses his job, Henry starts acting up, and she suffers from a mysterious ailment. Ginny's voice is appealing. This story told in stuff is engaging, touching, hilarious, often relatable, and should be popular with all sorts of readers, including fans of graphic novels.-Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2012
It's common knowledge that eighth grade is one of life's low points. Here, it literally makes Ginny Davis sick. Photo-collages of poems, notes, text and chat messages, comics, realia of all sorts and, especially, food document the descent of Ginny's school year. This convincing sequel to Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf (2007) starts on a high as the Davis-Wrights move to a large new house, and Ginny makes the cheerleading squad. Her best (boy) friend is her biology lab partner, and her English teacher likes her poems. But along with romance over the dissection table and gossip on the Vampire Vixen web forum comes a real, painful family story. Her new stepfather loses his job, forcing the sale of both his car and the new house. Her mother has a baby, premature and sickly. Her brother gets into legal trouble, committing computer fraud. And Ginny's constant tummy trouble turns out to be a serious, chronic illness. Still, the tone is positive, and the ending hopeful. This is aimed straight at those whose reading, like Ginny's, may range from the Babymouse graphic novels of her younger days to teen vampire titles. Holm slyly includes some good suggestions among the covers and book lists, featuring both classics and modern masterworks. Ginny's story in pictures is both inviting and satisfying; readers will surely want more. (Graphic fiction. 10-14)

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September 1, 2012
Grades 5-8 Once again Holm and Castaldi raise the art of graphic storytelling, returning to the format they used in Middle School Is Worse than Meatloaf (2007). Ginny is back, telling her story through a collage of notes, receipts, poems, comics, and photographs. At first all is rosy in Ginny's life, but when her stepdad, Bob, loses his job before Christmas, her secure middle-class lifestyle begins unraveling. With fully realized characters and a gripping story, this poignant, funny, and clever book will sell itself and draw new readers to its predecessor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2013
Now-eighth-grader Ginny ([cf2]Middle School Is Worse than Meatloaf[cf1]) makes the cheerleading team and starts dating. But stepfather Bob loses his job, Mom has a preemie baby, older brother Henry is in trouble again, and Ginny is diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. This pithy yet comprehensive chronicle of the family's ups and downs is again presented as an eye-catching scrapbook including notes, pictures, school assignments, and lists.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)