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Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff
 
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Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Elicia Castaldi (Illustrator)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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  • This item: Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff by Jennifer L. Holm

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  • If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko

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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–7—Ginny Davis begins seventh grade with a list of items to accomplish. This list, along with lots of other "stuff"—including diary entries, refrigerator notes, cards from Grandpa, and IM screen messages—convey a year full of ups and downs. Digitally rendered collage illustrations realistically depict the various means of communication, and the story flows easily from one colorful page to the next. Ginny is fairly typical—she wants to look good for her school picture but ends up with a hair disaster the night before. She babysits but can't seem to increase her bank balance. She has problems with friends, boys, and clothes. But readers also learn about some deeper issues. She has a hard time adjusting to a new stepfather, and her older brother has difficulties with alcohol and poor behavior choices. Ginny's pain is expressed through report card grades that drop to Cs and hall passes to the school counselor. However, the year ends on a high note as she discovers a talent for art and gets asked to the Spring Fling. The story combines honesty and humor to create a believable and appealing voice. Not quite a graphic novel but not a traditional narrative either, Holm's creative book should hook readers, especially girls who want something out of the ordinary.—Diana Pierce, Running Brushy Middle School, Cedar Park, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Product Description

Ginny has ten items on her big to-do list for seventh grade. None of them, however, include accidentally turning her hair pink. Or getting sent to detention for throwing frogs in class. Or losing the lead role in the ballet recital to her ex-best friend. Or the thousand other things that can go wrong between September and June. But it looks like it's shaping up to be that kind of a year! Here's the story of one girl's worst school year ever -- told completely through her stuff.

Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Hardcover: 128 pages
  • Publisher: Ginee Seo Books (July 24, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0689852819
  • ISBN-13: 978-0689852817
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #109,447 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #11 in  Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( H ) > Holm, Jennifer L

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Jennifer L. Holm
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Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (14)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Really good book!, August 11, 2007
A Kid's Review
I'm 10 years old and I thought the book was great! I read it in only one day. What I like best about the book was that it wasn't like a regular book but was done like a scrapbook. Each page had pictures and writing, it was really fun. I would recommend this book for anyone ages 9-13 years old.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Innovative and truly touching....., September 27, 2007
I cannot even begin to tell you how skeptical I was about the idea of a story being told through stuff. I couldn't imagine how you could tell a coherent story this way, let alone tell a moving story that actually says something meaningful.

But this book really works. I actually cried in a few places (okay I'm sentimental by nature but I think this story would bring a lump to a few people's throats). It was amazing how characters' personalities were revealed by to-do lists, drug store receipts, English assignments, journal entries, comic strips, and the like.

And the plot unfolds quite effectively with "stuff". For example, second on Ginny's to-do list that opens the book is to get the role of the Sugarplum Fairy in the Nutcracker, so you know how much Ginny wants the role. Later on in the book you see the casting list, and on the next page you see a journal entry lamenting her stepfather's forgetfulness, and you easily connect the dots for that plotline.

There was another page with a physician's report, and it says Ginny is normal and healthy, except for a very curious allergy to milk that is treated with allergy shots as needed. This was very curious to me, as my daughter has a milk allergy and she can't have one drop or she gets anaphylaxis, plus food allergies traditionally are not treated with allergy shots. I chalked it up to a mistake on the part of the author, but I was so very wrong, there is a stunning explanation for Ginny's allergy that is revealed in an English assignment further on in the book.

Anyway, this is such a hilarious and beautiful story, about the resiliency and spirit that early adolescents have, in spite of things that always seem to go wrong.

I am so glad I put aside my doubts and read this amazing story. I'm looking forward to the day I can hand it to my daughter to read. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the inner life of middle school girls...
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A unique style of illustration, September 3, 2007
Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff

As a reading specialist for Grades 6-8, I was so pleased to read a book that my struggling readers can actually "get through"! The illustrator, Elicia Castaldi, has such a fresh take on how a book can be read. The "artifacts" make the book so appealing to kids. I am sure it will be a hit with middle schoolers and teachers alike. It is really nice to know that this high-interest book has a readability level for all adolescents. I think this is a "novel" idea! Highly recommended!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars I like it
This book is so cool ! I will be buying 10 mare to give to my bffs! This is a cool book tell every body!!!!!!!!
Published 4 months ago

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved by 5th grade girls
The fifth graders had just come back from their tour of the middle school they will be attending next year when I asked for volunteers to read this book. Read more
Published 17 months ago by avid reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging a reluctant Reluctant Reader
I purchased this book for my 5th grade sister who abhors reading. She fights any book any tries to place in front of her. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Cassie Cox

5.0 out of 5 stars Stuff to See and Share
This just in: Middle school is HARD. It's bad enough that you have to deal with changing classrooms, let alone changing for P.E. in the locker room in front of classmates. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Little Willow

5.0 out of 5 stars An exceptionally fun book
Jennifer L. Holm's MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WORSE THAN MEATLOAF is an exceptionally fun book for middle school readers and tells of Ginny, who has ten items on her to-do list for seventh... Read more
Published on November 4, 2007 by Midwest Book Review

5.0 out of 5 stars The perils of middle school/junior high: a sweet read
As I scrabbled through my purse to find the receipt the other day, the flotsam and jetsam of my life floated out too. Read more
Published on November 4, 2007 by Camille

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful experience
I strongly recommend Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf. My daughter and her friends have really taken to this book. Read more
Published on October 26, 2007 by Ma Dukes

5.0 out of 5 stars MOMS SURPRISE!
Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff
My daughter, Fallon, tried so hard to get through the summer without reading the required books for her... Read more
Published on October 23, 2007 by Leslie Fallon

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love Stuff and This Book Has Lots of Stuff In It!
This is the most incredible way I've seen of telling a story about one year in middle school. The author has used "stuff" -- report cards, notes, pictures, you name it, to tell... Read more
Published on October 21, 2007 by Michelle A. Cope

5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable!
As a nanny, it can sometimes be a challenge to find a book that both the little boy that I care for and I both like. Read more
Published on September 26, 2007 by A. Vitta

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