Picklemania!

My 11 year old daughter and I read this whole series for Accelerated Reading, and we both laughed our way through each one. It accurately depicts much of middle school life for many students (with some exaggerations). The friendships that form among the four main characters is great fun. The only part that I didn't like was that most of the adult characters didn't react quickly enough to the bullying that went on. Ultimately, though, the main characters were able to resolve the problems with the bullies, and you're left with the impression at the end of the final book that they form some kind of friendship and possibly learn from each other. I HIGHLY recommend this series to anyone with preteen children....even parents will enjoy these books if you like a light-hearted read.

Have you ever wanted big muscles because you are scrawny? In the book Picklemania by Jerry Spinelli, Eddie will do anything to be bigger and have muscles. First, Pickles finds a drink mix in the mall, that will give you muscles. It's called Moocho Malt and you put some of it in water. The container says it is just like a chocolate shake. Then later in school Eddie goes in the bathroom so he can try this drink. But two of the nickelheads are right there. One of the nickelheads is hanging up-side down from the stall. The other nickelhead investigates the drink and then makes Eddie drink it. That nickelhead makes Eddie drink about the rest of the container after the first drink. I don't think you are supposed to drink the whole big container right away, but Eddie is forced to. Since he drank the whole thing, is this drink going to make Eddie sick and make his hopes disappear, or is it going to give Eddie what he has wanted forever? Truly this book is hilarious, you will feel like Eddie when he is sick.

I rediscovered this book in my basement and the moment I put my hands on it I had to sit down and read it. School Daze is such an incredibly funny and touching 4 book series by Jerry Spinelli. It's about these 4 sixth-graders and their adventures. There's grouchy Sunny, a cheerleader who beats up those who won't cheer; Eddie, an almost neurotic boy with a sensitive heart and a scrawny build who constantly encounters trouble with the eighth-grade Nickleheads; Salem, the aspiring writer and over-reacter whose intellect is similar to an adult but her emotions are very appropriate for her age; and my favorite, Pickles, a.k.a. Dennis Johnson, who is so cool he's almost larger than life. Jerry Spinelli writes these books so well that he makes these 4 different characters seem very natural together. This specific book, Picklemania, has several plots going on at the same time. Eddie tries to bulk up to 90 pounds, Salem tries to find her secret admirer (all in her head), Pickles prays for snow, the bus driver yells a lot, and Sunny wreaks havoc with her martial arts wannabe attitude. I wish Jerry Spinelli had written more than 4 books in this 1991-1993 series because I enjoyed them so much. Regarding anyone who is a fan of Gordon Korman, these are must-reads. Anyone who wants to forget their own problems for a while must read this. And any parent who wants their kid to read must hunt down a copy of this book, or the other 3 in the School Daze series: "Report To The Principle's Office", "Who Ran My Underware Up The Flagpole?" and "Do The Funky Pickle".