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*Starred Review* Gr. 5-7. Meg and Edward are twins, but they couldn't be more different and they don't get along. She is tall, smart, and pretty, and she has just been invited to joint the High Achievers' Club at her special middle school. He is the world's biggest loser, an immature, runty underachiever. She is terrified her fancy friends will find out about him. Two of today's best writers tell the story in the twins' alternating narratives, and they have a huge amount of fun with a plot that cuts down the high-achiever snobs and reveals how smart people can fall for their own vain fantasies. Edward shows that his clever sister is "not too swift," and his narrative is hilarious--wry, touching, and very smart. The dialogue is great, especially the conversations that reveal how hard it is to listen and to say what you mean. The twins' caring parents talk to Meg about the need to communicate, but they don't listen when she tries to tell them she lied. Don't look too closely at the plot; it's too farcical to be really credible. But the wit and slapstick carry the story, which has moments of sadness that raise serious issues everyone will recognize. Best of all is the message: laugh at yourself. Readers will. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Genre: Children's Fiction
*Starred Review* Gr. 5-7. Meg and Edward are twins, but they couldn't be more different and they don't get along. She is tall, smart, and pretty, and she has just been invited to joint the High Achievers' Club at her special middle school. He is the world's biggest loser, an immature, runty underachiever. She is terrified her fancy friends will find out about him. Two of today's best writers tell the story in the twins' alternating narratives, and they have a huge amount of fun with a plot that cuts down the high-achiever snobs and reveals how smart people can fall for their own vain fantasies. Edward shows that his clever sister is "not too swift," and his narrative is hilarious--wry, touching, and very smart. The dialogue is great, especially the conversations that reveal how hard it is to listen and to say what you mean. The twins' caring parents talk to Meg about the need to communicate, but they don't listen when she tries to tell them she lied. Don't look too closely at the plot; it's too farcical to be really credible. But the wit and slapstick carry the story, which has moments of sadness that raise serious issues everyone will recognize. Best of all is the message: laugh at yourself. Readers will. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Genre: Children's Fiction
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