The 3rd book in this lovely series was always one of my favorites growing up.Trees at the middle school need to be trimmed and a new Italian chef is in town and his rivalry with the local chef starts an all-out gender war with people swearing off marriage proposing a wall be built to divide men and women (I am not kidding) and even changing the name of the town. This book shows most clearly what I loved about these books as a child and what I love about them now - they don't shy away from topics like gender that some people would say 12-year-olds couldn't understand. These books take their audience seriously and they do it in a way that still makes everything about them very fun and very charming. super excited to continue on my re-read and get to the 4th book! ( )

This series by Kate Klise is so much fun! Told entirely through letters, newspaper articles, class assignments, and other written memorabilia, this is a delightful mix of word play, a look at the dynamics between girls and boys, and some educational information about trees (and family trees) thrown in. Recommended for the 5th or 6th grade classroom - comes with lesson ideas! ( )