Meyerhoff, Jenny. The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger.

Meyerhoff, Jenny.  The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger.     Macmillan/Farrar Strauss  2013  277p  ISBN 978-0-374-30518-5      elem/ms     VG    Realistic fiction

Louie Burger is a budding comedian -- once he overcomes his stage fright, that is.  With his father’s loss of his job and intent to pursue his passion for art, and his mother returning to work, Louie finds security with his sister and his comedy.  He has even invented a vocabulary directly related to barf, because barf is surely the funniest thing ever.  Pressured into performing in the school’s talent show despite his stage fright, Louie finds out that barf is not as hilarious as it seems; that is, until the video of the talent show makes its way to his favorite comedian’s TV show, Lou Lafferman’s Laff Nite.

Jenny Meyerhoff has created a cute novel that will appeal to elementary and middle-school readers.  It will truly reach boys and girls with aspirations of stardom as well as the tweens who are facing the realities of school dynamics and situations at home.  As Louie would say, “This book was barftastic!” (And that’s a good thing.)

Summary: Louie Burger loves comedy and is determined to become a comedian once he overcomes his stage fright and helps his family adjust to their changing dynamics.     
         

Comedians-Fiction                                 --Virginia McGarvey