Mostly Michael - Softcover

Grade 4-6 Most of us have attempted to keep a diary at one time or another, only to abandon it in short order. Michael Marder, who is otherwise unexceptional, keeps it up for at least a year. What's more, some of his entries run to two or three pages and include full conversations. Or so author Smith would have us believe. Oh well, once we grant Smith that license, he has written an unexciting but not uninteresting story. Nothing out of the ordinary happens to Michael during the year, his twelfth: he visits relatives, gets braces, recognizes the existence of girls, watches his parents argue, and gets into some hot water at school. The big event of the year is the birth of his brother, which is made to be the climax of the story. Readers do see Michael mature a bit: he begins to realize his responsibilities and he comes to appreciate the role his parents play in his life. Some readers may enjoy, and profit from, the recognition of themselves and their problems in Michael's well-kept and well-written account. Robert E. Unsworth, Scarsdale Junior High School, N.Y.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.