7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Richie's Picks: NEVER MIND!, September 21, 2004
"Mom, I guess, sent in a picture for my new school ID. When my homeroom teacher handed the cards out, I thought I'd gotten somebody else's. Some smiley girl with such a large forehead it's practically a five-head. I recognized the shirt; that was my only tip-off--well, that and my name underneath. Mom says to just be myself, but if I can't even recognize myself in a photograph from last summer, how am I supposed to have any clue who I am?"
The fact that the statuesque, rather popular (and quite tidy) Meg Runyon is to be found amid the cream of the seventh grade academic elite at Fisher High School, while the small-for-his-age, single-friended (and rather messy) Edward Runyon skateboards and daydreams his way through Charlton Street Alternative School belies the fact that the pair (albeit an unmatched pair) are twins. Buoyed by the new school year's arrangements which allow them to stay well clear of each other, it is a single telephone call that plunges the pair into five uproariously funny days of wild schemes, imaginary bands and boyfriends, thoroughly baffled parents, a high profile music executive, a janitor turned agent, and a sea of dip at an upscale Manhattan party.
But first, that phone call:
Edward:
"I was heading back to my room when the phone rang. The trick was I had to race for it. Not that it was for me. Hardly ever is. Probably be for Meg. Which was the whole reason for getting to it first.
" 'Harry's Pizzeria,' I said into the kitchen phone. 'How can I help you?'
" 'Harry's Pizzeria?' came a voice. A girl's voice. I could hardly hear it. She spoke like a two-inch elf with serious laryngitis.
" 'Sure is,' I said. 'We deliver in five hours. Plus two minutes more for each additional topping. Sausage. Pepperoni. Tofu tidbits. Tar marbles. Cat hairballs are extra.'
" 'I'm sorry. I must have dialed the wrong number.'
"She hung up.
"And called back ten seconds later.
" 'Hello?' I said.
" 'Is Meg there?'
" 'My twin sister?'
" 'I didn't know Meg had a twin. What school do you go to?'
" 'The Manhattan Detention Home for Troubled Boys.'
"There was a pause. 'Is that really true?' she asked in her whispery voice.
" 'Hey, dude, if it's not true, you get a free cow pie at Harry's Pizzeria. Comes with extra cat hairball toppings.'
For a moment she--whoever it was--thought about that. Then, 'Can I speak to Meg, please?'
"Who's calling?'
" 'Kimberly.'
"I'm not sure if you are on her A-list of callers.'
"Another pause. 'May I please speak with Meg?'
" 'Oh yes, yes, please, of course you can!' I cried. 'Hang on.'
" 'Meg!' I bellowed. 'Phone!'
"My sister picked up the phone in the hall.
"It's all right, Edward,' she shouted. 'I have it. You can hang up.'
" 'Sure,' I said. Then I made this click sound with my tongue. You won't believe how hard I practiced that sound. It fools Meg every time. Next I rotated the receiver away from my mouth so she wouldn't hear my breathing.
"Then, hoping my folks wouldn't come by, I listened to the whole conversation."
Amid the zaniness of those five days following the phone call, NEVER MIND! brings to the surface (and satirizes) the popularity issues that are so familiar to the kids in fourth through eighth grade who will find this book such a delight. Meg's quandry about how to deal with the architects of the High Achievers Club, how to deal with "unpopular" students such as Esther Grossbart, and her thoughts about how her longtime friends at her former school would perceive her behavior elevate the book to a valuable piece of children's literature.
Written in the alternating voices of the twins, it must have similarly been a delight for these two authors to work and scheme together like this. (Having gotten to spend time with Avi, I can tell you there's more than a little Edward in him.)
NEVER MIND! (a term that I've certainly heard a million times--complete with exclamation point--from our girls) joins the A-list of sibling stories for kids.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Never Mind!, September 27, 2006
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Never Mind!: A Twin Novel (Paperback)
In the story Never Mind, there are two twins, a boy, Edward, and a girl, Meg, who are so different from each other that they go to different junior high schools. Meg's school is for much smarter and gifted kids. Meg wants to join the High Achievers Club, but Edward wants to stop her because he is convinced it is a snobby club, and he doesn't want his sister to become popular. While Meg is talking on the phone with a popular girl, she lies that her twin brother is extremely smart, smarter than her, and goes to an advanced music school and is in a band called "Never Mind". Meg is invited to her party and she wants her brother's band to play at the party. Edward eavesdrops on the whole conversation and thinks that playing at the party is a great idea, because he would purposely do terrible and embarrass Meg, and she would never get into the High Achievers Club. But Edward realizes how much everyone is dying to see his band play, so his decision in the end is to play his best, no matter how terrible he ends up being.
The book was very exciting to read because everyone thought different things. For example, Meg calls Edward "Ted" because it's a cooler band name, and her parents don't know. When she talks about Ted and her mom hears, she thinks Meg has a boyfriend. Edward thinks that Meg really does have a boyfriend who is trying to hurt her, and is convinced to find him, and Meg's friends have no idea that the band Never Mind doesn't exist. I felt like I was in the book because it was so descriptive and the characters in the story are just like people I know. The main conflict interested me because it was funny, interesting, exciting, and suspenseful all at the same time throughout the whole story, and the authors never made a boring part. The two twins were also both trying to solve the problem in 2 very different ways and different perspectives of the story. The characters seemed very realistic because they think like real people would in the situation that they are in. If I were in the story I would be very similar to Meg and Edward and the story makes me think of being in their positions, because they are so similar to me in many ways. The ending of the story was satisfying because it gave you an idea that things would go better for Meg and Edward, because they care about each other more and have more in common than they thought.
Both of the author's voices of the story were very clear and descriptive. The vocabulary was interesting because it was different for Meg and Edward; Meg used sophisticated smart words, and Edward used dumb and clueless words. The authors' unique characteristics of writing were the different perspectives of the two main characters and the humor, excitement, and suspense that were in every chapter. The authors' dialogue wasn't in the story a lot, because the characters mostly narrated the story themselves, and because of this the story was very descriptive. My ideas of the writing is that the authors both have great views of the story.
This book is one of the best books I've read in a long time because it is descriptive, humorous, exciting, and just plain fun to read. Every chapter is worth reading! I recommend this book to everyone because it is a very fun book that you just can't put down and it has a lesson that everyone can learn from.
To conclude, this is a fantastic book that most people will enjoy, boys and girls. Next time you're looking for an amusing, humorous, exciting, novel, Never Mind is a great choice!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Never Mind, May 21, 2006
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Never Mind!: A Twin Novel (Paperback)
This book was hilarious. The book was described so thoroughly, that it made you feel like you were actually in the story. When you start reading this book, you never want to stop. You are always waiting for a parth that is not exciting to stop at, but in this book, there is no such place. The author did a great job explaining both sides of the story, that at the end it all fits together. This is one of the few books that I think all kids and parents can relate to. I would recommend this book to all ages, but especially 9 years old and up. I promise you that if you read this book, it will be one of the best books you will ever read in your life. There are two twins named Meg and Edward, and lets just say that they fight a lot and listen to each others phone calls. In the end, they know that real friends that you've always had and to respect your family, even if they are your annoying twin brother.
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