“Snake River Middle School.”

From Mike Thayer’s The Double Life of Danny Day.

For his entire life, eleven-year-old Danny Day has lived each day twice, with the first “discard” day only unforgettable to Danny when the second “sticky” day rolls around. This unexplainable occurrence has created a world where Danny is free to do whatever he wants on discard days–from humiliating bullies to taking notice of various mishaps to getting the answers to failed tests–with no lasting consequences when the sticky day rolls around.  When the family moves to Idaho for his dad’s new job, Danny walks into his new school ready to enter the same majorly-carefree double day life he’s come to enjoy.  Danny’s class is filled with all the usual characters like popular athlete Jaxson, underhanded bully Noah, smart and well-behaved Zak, and the constantly-bullied Freddie.  While trying to keep on Jaxson and Noah’s radars, Danny becomes friends with Zak and Freddie, but when he learns that Noah has been cheating at the daily Champions Royale video game–often at the kind Freddie’s expense–Danny begins using his discard days to help Freddie win.  Unable to expose Noah’s cheating alone, Danny decides to tell Zak the truth about the double days.  Danny continues to struggle to take risks on sticky days, but as the plan draws closer, he’ll have to decide how much he’s willing to risk for his new friends.

Despite the large amount of fantasy that this humorous story depends on, readers will find the characters highly believable and relatable.  Thayer creates a story that is quick to read, but never lacking for details of substance.  The Double Life of Danny Day is a captivating story that highlights the value of standing up for friends, no matter the cost.