I really enjoyed reading this book. The story is told using items from Ginny's (the main character) seventh grade year. Ginny is very optimistic as she starts her 7th grade year, setting valuable goals for herself and making good grades. As the year goes on, she faces challenges with her peers, her two brothers, and her mother's new husband. Each of these problems is presented through a series of items including lists, report cards, notes and instant messages to her friends. ( )

In my opinion this is a great book. The main character, Ginny, is well-developed and likeable. The book follows her through her seventh grade year of middle school using hand -written journal entries and her "stuff"- mementos collected throughout the year such as receipts from Roy's drug store and a handful of Al's pizza magnets. There doesn't appear to be any order to how the mementos are placed on the page, the organization of the book resembles a patchwork quilt. The illustrations give insight into Ginny's personality that we may not have seen in the traditional 1st person perspective. An example of this is the series of sent notes from Miss Angelini, her life science teacher and Ginny's mother that discuss Ginny. This book is a coming of age tale. The big idea being that middle school is a difficult time for everyone and even though there are tribulations and trials you can push through to become a stronger person in the end. ( )

I really enjoyed reading this book. The story is told using items from Ginny's (the main character) seventh grade year. Ginny is very optimistic as she starts her 7th grade year, setting valuable goals for herself and making good grades. As the year goes on, she faces challenges with her peers, her two brothers, and her mother's new husband. Each of these problems is presented through a series of items including lists, report cards, notes and instant messages to her friends. ( )

Booktalk: Ginny’s story of her school year is not told in sentences and paragraphs the way a regular book is. Ginny’s story is actually told in (show pages): to-do lists, report cards, post-it notes from her mom, comics drawn by her brother Henry, bank statements, school flyers, instant messages from her best friend, newspaper articles, her homework, even the cast on her broken arm. Ginny’s story is told through...stuff. "Read" through her stuff and you'll see how her year is going. But look closely, too, because you'll find out other things that are going on that makes Ginny think MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WORSE THAN MEATLOAF. ( )

Ginny Davis is a fairly typical 7th grader. She keeps a journal outlining her goals - #1 get a new dad, #2 get a lead role in the ballet recital, #3 look good in the school photo, etc. The book is organized as illustrations which are “snapshots” of her journals, notes on the refrigerator, report cards, notes to/from her teachers, test papers, text messages and postcards. It reminds me of Diary of a Wimpy Kid but I don’t think it’s done quite as well. Holm includes some serious issues here – accommodating a new stepdad, a brother who is “acting out,” bullying – but her format doesn’t really allow her to explore them. It might hold the interest of a middle school girl, but I don’t think my niece (age 11) would particularly like it. I was bored. ( )