I really enjoyed this book. Toni is completely against the journal assignment but winds up loving the it. As a teacher, I would want a student to get so into a writing assignment. This book would be a perfect introduction to such an assignment. The pictures drawn all over do a good job of keeping students engaged with the book. ( )

Dear Toni is a heartwarming book with a great premise. The idea of students writing in journals for a time capsule is great. I feel just like the recipient of Gene's journal; I want to know what happened next. ( )

The Good Stuff

* A truly outstanding absolutely delightfully honest and real book
* The 1st chapter grabs your attention right away - especially for the 8-10 set
* Loved the design of the book with the lined paper look and the doodles all over the pages
* Gene has a fantastically biting sarcastic wit
* The book really feels like it was written by a 12 year old -- and no that is not a dig -- just that it will really resonate with the pre-tweens and their feelings and thoughts are portrayed honestly
* Love the doodles
* The ending is beautiful!!!!!
* Stop reading my review and buy the book already - crap now I have to adjust my Top 5 of 2010 middle school list

The Not so Good Stuff

* It was about a girl and dammit Jake would love this if it was written from a boy instead -- sexist little bastard that he is LOL.

Favorite Quotes/Passages

"Mr. Mackenzie has promised that he won't make us do any corrections because he's not going to read our journals. Yeah, right. He's just saying that now. Teachers always make you do corrections."

"I think it should be against the law for parents to make kids pee at the side of the road. The Fly thinks it's no big deal, but he has no idea how it is for a girl!!"

Why do adults always take so long to make up their minds about good things when they are so quick to decide about things they don't want?"

What I Learned

* It really sucks to be the new kid
* 12 year old girls really are bitchy - thank god I have 2 boys ; 0
* Must really carefully listen to my boys when they talk to me and make sure they know I understand what they are going through

Who should/shouldn't read

* A must have for middle school libraries and public libraries
* Passing this one on to my niece because I think she will love it in a year or two
* Great for anyone who has been the new girl/boy in town
* The perfect book for 8-11 year old girls -- especially if they aren't in the popular crowd -- it's ok kids, the popular crowd really fall apart in their 30's and us geeksare the happy ones

5 Dewey's

I received this from LibraryThing and wasn't required to do a review, but I really wanted to bring your attention to it ( )

I received this book through LT's Early Reviewer Program. I enjoyed this book very much. Gene is in a new school and is experiencing the struggles associated with that, especially issues of fitting in and making new friends. She is assigned a journal project in which she has to write to another student who will receive the journal in 40 years. It is interesting to see Gene change her attitude about this project and how it eventually becomes very therapeutic for her. She also finds friendship in unexpected ways. In the end, she reaches a point of taking her eyes off her own problems and finding ways to help other people - a wonderful picture of growth and maturity. I recommend this book for all, but especially upper elementary children. ( )

Gene is the new kid in school – which happens to her a lot. But the worst thing she has to face right now is the journal that her teacher has asked the class to write. All of them will be placed in a time capsule, to be opened 40 years later by strangers. Gene first writes to nobody, then somebody, later deciding to name her reader “Toni” as she develops more of a relationship with the future journal reader. We see Gene’s ups and downs, challenges she faces as a 6th grader and her meanderings toward friendship with her new neighbor Winn.

This is a sweet story, nicely paced, fun to read with the illustrations so appropriate for a 6th grade girl. The developing relationship with Toni, future reader, feels genuine, as does Gene’s friendship with Winn and her challenges at school. As I read the book, I couldn’t easily place it in time – was it written 40 years ago and are we reading it as Toni would in our time? Or does Gene write in the present, and Toni will see it sometime in the future? The timelessness is a strength of the plot, and will help this book be enjoyed by readers for years to come.

This would be a great choice as a read-aloud, with a class project where students write journals, either for themselves or a time capsule. I recommend it to elementary or middle school readers.