FALLING OVER SIDEWAYS, by Jordan Sonnenblick

The story: 8th grade--mean girls, dorky boys, friends drifting apart--is bad enough before Claire's dad has a stroke. But the stroke changes everything. Can she make it to high school without losing her friends, her seat in band, her place in dance class, and worst of all--her dad?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence G; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (parental illness; social stress) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I liked this book all right, just not as much as I've liked Sonnenblick's other books in the past. And strangely, I'm not even sure why. Possibly it's because the "say it like it is" semi-snarky narrator approach seems to work better for me when it's coming from a boy??? (That would be weird, but maybe.) Anyway, definitely hand it to Sonnenblick fans--but this one's girl narrator won't appeal nearly as much to boys as his boy narrators appeal to girls. Sad fact, just saying.