Young, Karen Romano. Stuck In The Middle.

Young, Karen Romano.    Stuck In The Middle.    Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends    2013 unp    ISBN 978-0-312-55596-2    ms  Hardback    VG-BN Realistic fiction

Doodling is the only way Dodo (Doreen Bussey) knows how to communicate.  She doodles in all her classes, at home, and every where she goes.  Through her doodles we see how her day develops in school and whereever she is.  We get to meet her parents, her sister, her friends, her teachers and her pets.  Her doodles tell a story of their own, and sometimes they piece together things she does not say in words.  The writing is very funny, with a lot of anecdotes and plenty of funny situations.  Dodo talks about her friends and the things they do.  She tells us about her teachers; the ones she likes and the ones she does not like or that she feels do not like her.

Some kids will enjoy this book, especially if they liked the Wimpy Kid, but unlike the Wimpy Kid, this book is crammed with words and doodles.  Sometimes it gets confusing and perhaps overwhelming, with too many words and pictures all floating on the pages.  But it is highly entertaining, while tackling real issues.             

Summary: Dodo loves to doodle, and the only way she can get through her school day is by doodling a diary of her day.  Through her doodles we see how her day develops and how she interacts with her friends.  

Humor-Fiction                                                     --Magna Diaz