Jeff Anderson (2)

Life gets turned in ways Zach never expected, when the school puts on a play, and thanks to a girl, he suddenly finds himself doing something he never wanted to—auditioning for the main part in the play.

When the school librarian announces the new play, The Christmas Carol, Zach's friends suddenly want to take part. Zach wants nothing to do with it, but then the girl that he might like bats her eyes at him, and the next moment, he's secretly planning on auditioning. Even before the auditions, the excitement and funny personality traits of Zach's friends ensure many hilarious moments. Then, the cast is chosen and chaos really begins.

This is the third book in the series. I have not read the other two, but still had no problem diving into this book. In other words, it can be read as a stand alone.

This book is fun, and it's the characters which make it shine. Each one of Zach's friends has a very distinct personality, and each carries a quirky trait. The author does not go at this subtly, but allows these oddities to come out full force. It's silly, it's giggle-worthy, and still, it comes across realistic. While humor abounds and the situations threaten to run out of control, these are moments middle graders can sympathize with and see themselves reflected in. The self-insecurities, friendship issues, first girl problems and teacher predicaments hit home despite the sillier scenes.

While the play, The Christmas Carol, suggests this might make a great holiday read, the story itself does not rotate around holiday themes and easily slides in to any time of year. The school setting is well done, never overly described but captures the atmosphere nicely. The dialogue flows well, and although some remarks seem odd for the age group, it fits the personalities well. The entire thing is a humorous school drama which kids will smile and laugh through the entire way.

I received a complimentary copy and found this to be such a lovely read that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.… (mere)

Zack is the kind of kid who flies under the radar. He's only made one good friend in his first year of middle school. He tries to duck the attention of Jose, the handsome school joker, and avoid the cliques. But he ends up drawing unwanted attention when he tells Jose to stop teasing Janie, a chubby movie geek. The teacher taps Zack and Jose to chair the 6th grade candy sale because of their leadership skills. The candy sale is key to the 6th graders getting a school dance and Zack feels the pressure, especially after he learns Janie ate $192 worth of the candy she was supposed to sell. The kids are mostly Hispanic and black in this culturally neutral novel where everyone gets together (eventually) to help solve Zack's problem.… (mere)