My Mom Married the Principal - Hardcover

Grade 5-8?Jonah Truman is just your typical eighth grader?unless you count the fact that his stepdad is the principal of his school. That doesn't stop Jonah from hanging around with wise guy Travis and his buddy Jerry, although he sometimes wonders about their motives. To make matters worse, his friend Amanda is convinced that Jonah needs help with his love life. She talks him into joining the drama club, convinced that it will be the solution to his problems. Indeed, his life does become interesting?and complicated. Bechard keeps the tone light. The issues are those typically affecting eighth graders: peer relationships, interaction with the opposite sex, family. Most readers will relate to these characters who are struggling to define their personalities and manage their relationships. The title is a bit misleading; the family situation takes a backseat to the drama club and boy/girl relationships. Overall, this is a good book to suggest to readers who prefer undemanding contemporary fiction.?Carrie A. Guarria, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 5^-8. Bechard's latest offering focuses on boy-girl relationships, falling in with the wrong crowd, living in a blended family, and deciding that maybe things aren't so bad after all. Basically, it's an amusing slice of eighth-grade life. Although the title implies that this is a novel about the humiliation suffered when your new stepdad is the principal, the principal is a minor (but pleasant) character. Jonah is starting eighth grade, and already things look hopeless: he's afraid to ask out the girl he likes, his best friend is growing away from him, and, of course, there's that stepdad. Although there isn't much character development or plot resolution, many kids will see themselves as they read about characters fighting with their siblings or wondering who likes whom. Great summer reading when kids are looking for something fast, funny, and painless. Elizabeth Drennan