Let's Pretend This Never Happened

(Dear Dumb Diary series #1)

Author: Jim Benton

Publication: Scholastic (May 1, 2007)

 

Description: School was okay today. Actually, it was better than okay. Angeline got her long, beautiful hair tangled in one of the jillion things she has dangling from her backpack, and the school nurse -- who is now one of my main heroes -- took a pair of scissors and snipped two feet of silky blond hair from the left side of her head, so now Angeline only looks like The Prettiest Girl in the World if you're standing on her right. (Although personally, I think she would look better if I was standing on her neck.)

 

My Thoughts: This humorous diary is a good fit for middle grade girls who like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. The main character is Jamie Kelly and she dishes on her middle school life complete with crushes on the 8th cutest boy in her grade and hair dye emergencies and the fear of being stuck with a terrible nickname. The book is in Diary form (Dear Dumb Diary series) and is complete with Jamie's drawings to illustrate the events she is writing about. We learn that Jamie has a dog named Stinker and a mother who is the worst cook in the world. This one talks about Angelique who is blond, nice, smart and perfect (at least in Jamie's eyes) and who is a rival for the attentions of the aforementioned 8th cutest boy in the class.

 

I added the first 8 books in the series to the collection at my Elementary K-5 Media Center. After reading this, I am planning to add the series to my 6-12 Media Center too. I can see my middle schoolers really liking this series.

 

Challenges: In the Middle Reading Challenge