Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: Susie B. Won't Back Down by Margaret Finnegan

Image: Simon & Schuster

Susie B. Won't Back Down by Margaret Finnegan. 272 p. Atheneum/ Simon & Schuster, October, 2021. 9781534496361. (Review of arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Middle Grade Monday features Susie B. Won't Back Down by Margaret Finnegan. Susie B. is a fifth grader with definite opinions about her classmates. First off, she's upset to be Susie B. because there are two Susans in her class. Second, "the usual geniuses" are so annoying because they get all the advantages and attention, just because they're perfect. They do things like raising their hand instead of shouting out, studying and handing in assignments in on time. These are some of the things Susie struggles with.

The class has started the Fifth Grade Hero Project and Susie has chosen Susan B. Anthony as her hero. Part of the project involves writing a journal/ letters to the hero, which makes this novel epistolery - told through letters. Fifth grade drama and dynamics are accurately portrayed as Susie navigates best friendship struggles with her campaign to be president of the student council. Additionally, readers learn a bit about Susan B. Anthony, the suffragist who tirelessly campaigned for the right for women to vote, but who also held racist beliefs. The idea of flawed heroes is seamlessly woven in, making this a perfect read aloud/ discussion book. 

Susie is equal parts endearing and annoying, but oh-so-familiar. Readers will groan over her impulsive decisions, laugh at her wry observations and ultimately cheer for this irrepressible fifth grader.

Middle Grade Monday: President of the Whole Fifth Grade by Sherri Winston

Image: Hachette Book Group

President of the Whole Fifth Grade by Sherri Winston. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~5 hours, 18 minutes. Read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt. Tantor Media, September, 2020. 9781705251638. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Middle Grade Monday features President of the Whole Fifth Grade by Sherri Winston. Brianna Justice has life goals. She intends on building a cupcake empire and becoming rich, but first, she needs to become president of her fifth grade class. Why? Her idol, baking celebrity, Miss Delicious credits becoming president of her own fifth grade as the secret to her success. Since Miss Delicious attended the very same school as Brianna, well, it's just meant to be! With the help of her two best friends, Brianna just knows the path to her presidency will be easy. Her plans are foiled when new girl, Jasmine Moon decides to run and seems to have some underhanded tricks up her sleeve.

I found this older title while browsing for a new audiobook in the Libby app. The story is humorous and the fifth grade drama is fairly realistic. Brianna lets her ambition get in the way of her friendship and not only makes some questionable choices, but becomes downright unlikable. Readers who enjoy school and friendship stories will enjoy this book.

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President by Josh Lieb

I pulled this one from deep within TOM, my tbr mountain.

303 p. Razorbill/ Penguin Group (USA) Inc., October, 2009. 9781595142405. Purchased.

It's not enough that twelve-year-old Oliver Watson, is secretly a billionaire. The overweight tween from Omaha, Nebraska has been happily hiding behind the persona of the village idiot  while running his global empire. Happily, until the day a classmate nominates him to run for class president as a joke. He turns down the nomination, but when he learns at dinner that night that his "daddy" was class president, he wants a do-over. 

Oliver has had daddy issues since he was a day old (he remembers being born) and overheard his father express disappointment over him already. "It's interesting, on your second day of existence, to realize that your father is going to blame all the future failures of his life on you. Not an experience I recommend." (p. 62)

So he brings all his many resources, from bodyguards to his secret lair deep beneath the school, to first convincing the principal to allow him to run, and then running his campaign, which is fraught with a variety of hilarious snafus. 

The cover blurb, which is clearly aimed at adults purchasing the book for their tween offspring, declares, "If War and Peace had a baby with The Breakfast Club and then left the baby to be raised by wolves..."-Jon Stewart. Hm-m, I've been around middle school children for 15 years, more than a few of whom were incredibly smart, and I don't think any would get those cultural references. This led me to wonder why on Earth would Stewart be blurbing a book for children?

Ah, a quick peek at the back flap reveals the answer. Okay. That explains it. The blurb mildly annoyed me throughout the reading of the book and continues to do so 11 days after finishing the book. Nothing against the hilarious Stewart per se, or the brilliantly snarky humor of the story, I kept wondering whom the audience was, especially as the humor became increasingly, uncomfortably cynical. I'm all for layering in humor aimed at adults in children's books, but a balance must be struck.

When I booktalk this in Reader's Advisory, I will tell my students, "Think Stewie as a twelve-year-old." That's the voice I read the book with. And, that's the pitch made in the overview online, "Family Guy meets Election...". That's a blurb that kids will relate to although I still wonder if they will hang in and, if they will be as disappointed in the ending as I was. 

Some final thoughts: I noted some cover changes when I searched online to see if the book was still in print. It's no longer available new, but is available as a paperback, sporting a new-ish look. 

Then, I noticed it was available as an audiobook. Am I intrigued enough to plunk down $18 to listen? But, wait. I do a double take at the cover on this page. Has Oliver been slimmed down a bit? Seems to me he has. I hadn't noticed it as much in the ppb edition because of the addition of the graffiti, but he's slightly slimmer in that one as well.