Gross Lunches and Homework: Yeah School's Back (Groan...)

For some of us, school's right around the corner. I kind of realized this at the end of the week, so I was desperate to come up with some brilliant idea I could either a), rant about, or b) fangirl about. (OK guys, I think at least one of us has totally FREAKED OUT about a book.) And so on Sunday, The Swing of Things Series was created. The Swing of Things Series features a few books to get you "back in the swing of things" for school. I don't want this post to be super long, so I'll have a summary from Goodreads and then my review. Alright, let's get reading!
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Sixth Grade: Glommers, Norks, and Me By Lisa Papademetriou

Allie Kimball is excited to be starting sixth grade. Her best friend is going to be in the same school and she is going to try out for the soccer team. But she soon learns that middle school is a very different world, full of strange new beasts, like glommers--girls who never go anywhere alone--and norks-a combination of a nerd and a dork. Allie realizes it's time to define herself before she gets lost in the sixth-grade jungle. Sixth Grade: Glommers, Norks and Me is a funny and poignant look at sixth-grade friendships, crushes, and trying to define yourself.

What I Thought:
**** Four Stars- Sixth Grade is one of those books that you walk away from feeling you learned something. In short, this book is a bit like one of Aesop's Fables(except for all of the characters being animals). Allie finds herself drifting away from her best friend, Tam, throughout the year, and sees that the new Tam is a very different Tam. Allie makes new friends that Tam has a problem with, so Allie has to deal with that, and all the other lies Tam is telling. After reading it, I realized that it's OK to make new friends and let go of some of your old friends, because people change. As much as I liked this book, it ended way too quickly. On the last page, I thought excitedly, Alright, another chapter! *tuning page* Wait...that was the last page...sad face. And so, the downgrade was necessary.
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Because of Mr.Terupt By Bob Buyea

It’s the start of fifth grade for seven kids at Snow Hill School. There’s Jessica, the new girl, smart and perceptive, who’s having a hard time fitting in; Alexia, a bully, your friend one second, your enemy the next; Peter, class prankster and troublemaker; Luke, the brain; Danielle, who never stands up for herself; shy Anna, whose home situation makes her an outcast; and Jeffrey, who hates school.
Only Mr. Terupt, their new and energetic teacher, seems to know how to deal with them all. He makes the classroom a fun place, even if he doesn’t let them get away with much . . . until the snowy winter day when an accident changes everything—and everyone.

What I Thought:
***** Five Stars- The characters may be going into fifth grade, but the experience with the students doesn't change. This book will make you laugh, cry, and scream at the book and chuck it at the wall. (Yes, I know, pretty extreme) You look through the student's eyes, and also as Sharanya put it, "It felt (perhaps unsurprisingly) like I was actually seeing things through the teacher's eyes..."
Because of Mr.Terupt takes you on a roller coaster of the kid's emotions and inside life, from Alexia's experience practically being in the movie "Mean Girls", to Luke's obsession with dollar words. You go inside the children's heads and find out about them. For some people the book may sound lame at first, but I assure you this book is way far away from lame. I cannot say how much I LOVED this book enough. And this is when I go fangirl on you guys.
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See you next week!