Middle school students have reading interests that run the gamut from Diary of a Wimpy Kid to Twilight. Sometimes as a parent it is hard to know what is age appropriate for your child. Through this blog, I will try to help parents make informed decisions about what is available in our library. I am hoping that this blog will be a resource for our parents, and that we can all work together to make our students life-long readers!



Wednesday, November 1, 2017

The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade

The Secret Sheriff of
Sixth Grade
by Jordan Sonnenblick
From the publisher:
"In sixth grade, bad things can happen to good kids. Bullies will find your weakness and jump on it. Teachers will say you did something wrong when really you didn't mean to do anything wrong. The kids who joke the loudest can drown out the quieter, nicer kids.

Maverick wants to change all that. One of the last things his father left him was a toy sheriff's badge, back when Maverick was little. Now he likes to carry it around to remind him of his dad -- and also to remind him to make school a better place for everyone . . . even if that's a hard thing to do, especially when his own home life is falling apart.

The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade is a story about standing up for yourself -- and being a hero at home and in the halls of your school."


Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick is one of my all-time favorite middle school books. That being said, I really liked this one, but it didn't have quite the impact that DGADP had for me. There was something I just couldn't put my finger on. While there were parts I loved, there were also parts where I was just kind of, "Hmmmm". Luckily, the parts I loved far outweighed the "Hmmm" parts. 
I loved the main character, Maverick (I kept expecting a reason behind his name but never got one..... hmmmm). I felt the pain of his circumstances and his desire to rise above them. When he first started school, I was getting defensive because so many of the adults seemed mean and clueless, and I hate that in books. However, some of them came around and we found out they were very caring (although several remained completely clueless..... hmmmm). 
This book naturally made me think of my school. We have many students who are in several of the situations portrayed in this book. I like to think that we are being as proactive and concerned as possible, but what is slipping through the cracks? 

As usual in a Jordan Sonnenblick book, I need to let quotes do the selling.

One of the many times our main character winds up in the assistant principal's office (of whom he is terrified), he notices a sign on the wall that says, 
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. 
At that point Maverick realizes that the assistant principal isn't there to terrorize him, but maybe, just possibly, to help him. 

Towards the end of the story when Maverick realizes that he doesn't have any real life heroes in his life to look up to and emulate, he has this thought, 
I wasn't sure what my path would be, but I knew I didn't want to be like any of them. Each, in their own way, spent life being ruled by the exact same things they feared. 
We never find out whether he is actually able to overcome the legacy he is left, but you sure are rooting for him!

Although there is resolution at the end of the story we are left wondering about many things, but I guess that is life. I tend to like my books tied up in neat packages with a bow on top, but sometimes it is good to have to think. Jordan Sonnenblick always gives us a lot of intense topics to deal with, but his signature humor is very much a part of the story. I definitely recommend this one!

Areas of concern:
*Scenes of abuse of a parent and a child
*Alcoholism
*The sadness of a father killed in a firestorm in Afghanistan
*Bullying
(All of these things are very gently dealt with.)

Suggested Ages:
Kirkus Reviews - Ages 10-13

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