The Upside of Ordinary

Gr 4–6—There is not much out of the ordinary in Bangor, Maine, where 11-year-old Jermaine lives with her pickle-making mom, cranky big sister Zelda, and just plain dad. She wants to be famous, like paparazzi-stalked, red-carpet, flashbulbs famous. Using her family and friends as her reality-show fodder, she hopes to capture the attention of famous TV producer Rufus Carmichael. She writes to him throughout the book, explaining how she tries to instigate more drama and excitement from those around her. During the course of the action, she does succeed in scaring her mother out of the house, making a tough situation with her uncle worse, and messing up a whole batch of her mother's pickles. In the end, she realizes her mistakes, finds a good way to use her camera, and does become a little bit famous via her mom, the pickle lady of Maine. The premise for this book is current, but the pacing of the story is very slow, and many of the child's efforts seem boring or outright mean. Even though this novel is an easy read, it will not have wide appeal.—Nancy Jo Lambert, Ruth Borchardt Elementary, Plano, TX