Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald
240 pages
Middle schooler Charlie Joe is proud of his success at avoiding reading, but eventually his schemes go too far.
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Sam’s review:
Charlie Joe Jackson hates to read, and this book is his “guidebook” for others who hate reading along with the story of how he schemed and connived his way to avoid reading throughout the school year and especially for the end-of-the-year “Position Paper.” Readers do not find out why Charlie is writing this book until the book’s end, but it is a sure thing that readers will be glad that he did! Charlie’s first person narrative is hilarious. He is a wise-cracking punster whose perspective on middle school life is laugh-out-loud funny as well as perceptive. His anti-reading tips break up his story at just the right time, and his convoluted plot to avoid reading makes it clear that avoiding reading takes more mental energy than reading itself. Both reluctant and avid readers will enjoy Charlie’s exploits.