CHARLIE JOE JACKSON'S GUIDE TO NOT READING, by Tommy Greenwald

The story: Charlie Joe Jackson is determined to finish middle school with a perfect record of never having read a book. He has a sweet arrangement with his buddy Jake—Charlie Joe buys the ice cream, and Jake does the reading and summarizing. Even though he’s bright, and no one else can figure out what the deal is, Charlie Joe is committed to NOT reading. Until...the lies and excuses start catching up with him, and he finally gets outed: in the middle of the school dance! Even worse, the girl he’s always liked starts going out with his best friend...and it’s all his fault. Now what’s he going to do? The easy thing would be to just break down and read the book...but Charlie Joe has his honor to uphold, and that would be taking the easy way out.

June Cleaver’s ratings: Language PG; Nudity G; Sexual Content G; Violence G; Substance Abuse G; Magic & the Occult G; GLBT Content G; Adult Themes G; overall rating G.

Liz's comments: I really like this book! Charlie Joe is a fun, engaging narrator, and the story itself truly reads like it’s being told by a bright non-reader—Greenwald has the MS voice down cold. Charlie Joe’s tips for not reading are funny and actually have some good points. Add into that the usual ins-and-outs of MS drama, and you have a fun story that also, oddly, features a happy family dynamic that’s refreshing. Two thumbs up! (And to pay his debt to society, Charlie Joe doesn’t end up reading after all—he ends up WRITING a book, which you’ve just finished. He emerges triumphant! Nice.)