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Apr 30, 2013JCLChrisK rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Charlie Joe Jackson is a smart, talented, likeable guy. He just doesn't believe in applying his abilities to school. --- "I've always liked Ms. Ferrell, and I'm pretty sure she always liked me, but that didn't mean we always saw eye to eye on things. Life, for example. We definitely didn't see eye to eye on life. She saw life as a constant opportunity to learn, and to be amazed by literature, culture, society, and all sorts of things that make the world special. Whereas I saw life as something to enjoy, without being distracted by annoying things like reading and writing and working." --- But Charlie Joe has a problem: his parents are fed up with his bad grades and disappointing report cards. They've decided to send him to Camp Rituhbukkee (pronounced Read-A-Bookie) for the summer to help him get his act together. Remember, this is the same Charlie Joe Jackson who previously wrote his Guide to NOT Reading, so the camp is a completely unacceptable option. He has one hope: he's negotiated with his parents that if he can change his act enough the final quarter of school so that he gets straight A's on the final report card of the year, he won't have to go. That means actually reading and studying and applying himself in all of his core classes. But in Art, Gym, and Drama, where attitude and participation are everything, it means actually asking the teachers for extra credit. --- "Just so you can understand the difficulty of the road ahead, I should probably mention that the best report card I ever got was one sentence long: "Charlie Joe is an intelligent, funny child with a bright future ahead of him, although he can be a bit mischievous at times." That was in kindergarten." --- So Charlie Joe has to learn to negotiate academics, extra credit, interpersonal dynamics with parents, teachers, and authorities, and interpersonal dynamics with the friends and peers he turns to for help. Whoever would have thought that studiously indifferent slacker Charlie Joe would be trying out for the school musical? I love Charlie Joe as narrator; his voice, wit, and wisdom are always entertaining and consistently funny. These are excellent books and I'm already anticipating the next one.