Janice Repka

Rounded up, because Aww.... The mean girl is barely visible, the boys are individuals, and it's full of heart. A LFL find that surprised me, 3.5 stars rounded up because I needed something sweet today.

Oh, and I love the idea of having a tattoo on the top of the head, in the middle of a bald spot. Especially a four-leaf clover.

This is a great read for any child who has an interest in law, circuses, or middle school. The character development was a strong point. No character stayed the same from beginning to end. Depth and change were everywhere. My favorite character was Sam, without a doubt. The legal talk was kept in an understandable language and nobility and perserverence were the benchmarks of the protaganist. That's always a winning formula. It was a real pleasure.

Somewhat predictable, but sweet book. Two girls, Aphrodite and Mindy, alternate narrating chapters. Aphrodite is a math genius who, after whizzing through Harvard, is back at home teaching remedial math to her fellow 13-year-olds. She plans to prove that anyone can become a "math wiz". Popular Mindy is one of the students in remedial math. In spite of herself she begins to like Aphrodite, but can't really admit to it until after she messes everything up for the whole class by being selfish. show more Girls, especially struggling students, should like this. show less

When Aphrodite Wigglesmith, a thirteen-year-old, Harvard-educated mathematics genius, returns home to teach remedial math to middle school students, both she and her students end up getting unexpected lessons.