Sleeping Freshman Never Lie

by David Lubar
PRMS paperback 279 pages
genre: YA coming-of-age

This was a re-read because I remember loving this book, but not the kind of reader to booktalk it to . . . I loved it again and it is pretty funny. I didn't remember, however, that it is about a really smart kid who dislikes PE. Hmmm. I've been trying to "sell" it to the wrong type of reader. This book is smart, funny, wonderful! Scott is a normal kid who is a bit unsure about starting high school. Of his three best friends, one gets a girlfriend, one moves away, and one becomes an athlete. Scott is wondering where he fits. Great themes - touches on friendship, bullying, suicide, literacy, . . . an English teacher is pretty much the adult hero in the book. Sigh. Right up my alley!

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie

by David Lubar
Dakota County library, paperback, 279 pages

I loved this book! David Lubar is one of my favorite YA authors. This is one of the Division 2 Maud Hart Lovelace nominees for this year. Scott is starting senior high and is a bit concerned about his survival. Meanwhile, his older brother who dropped out of high school decides to move back home, and his mother announces that she's pregnant.

Scott decides to keep a notebook of advice for the new baby (insisting it is NOT a diary) and his thoughts are recorded for posterity. Funny, touching, realistic. This is a delightful book!

The Curse of the Campfire Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales

by David Lubar
CMSW, hard cover, 203 pages

Although I didn't enjoy this collection of short stories quite as much as Lawn Weenies and Road Weenies, Lubar's style is still a fun mix of quirky humor and horror with a message. There weren't any that really jumped out at me, but I enjoyed the twists in "Predator," about online behavior. This is a fun read, but many of my students don't read short story collections (probably because they don't fulfill any LA reading requirements . . . ). Onward and upward!