“My name is Newell.”

From Jason Platt’s Middle School Misadventures.

After being late to school one too many times, Newell is crushed to hear from Mr. Todd, the principal, that he’ll have to go to summer school.  However, when Mr. Todd tells Newell that he can skip the torturous summer school if he performs at the middle school talent show taking place at the end of the week, Newell is thrilled for the opportunity… until he realizes that his nemesis, Clara, signed him up to perform as a tutu-wearing penguin.  Unable to drop out of the show and reminded that he doesn’t really have a talent, Newell must figure out what to do for the show.  Newell’s anxiety about the show is heightened when he learns that the show will take place in the newly-renovated 500-seat theater instead of the limited capacity cafeteria.  With the days until the talent show quickly running out, both Newell’s dad and his best friend, Collin, try to help him find a talent to perform, but to no avail.  While on his crazy search for a talent, Newell must also figure out why his fellow talent show performer is mad at him and avoid letting the show’s faculty adviser know that he doesn’t have a talent… yet.

Reminiscent of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Platt’s illustrations are fun and engaging for readers of many ages.  The main character’s internal dialog can make the story a bit choppy to start until the reader notices the color-changing panels that signal the fourth-wall breaks. The struggles and successes of the main character are relatable, humorous, and hectic, which makes Middle School Misadventures impossible to put down.