Tweens Read: "Pack of Dorks" by Beth Vrabel

"Tweens Read" is a book club just for Tweens (young teens and kids on the verge of their teen years)! You can join by coming to Spencer Road Library and picking up a copy of this book at the Children's Desk. (Copies will be available one month prior to the discussion, and only while supplies last.) Read the book on your own, and then come join us at the hosting branch at this specified day and time for a discussion and activities focusing on the book for this month with other tweens! At that time, you'll be able to return your copy of the book. (Have a fun time at Tweens Read? You'll be able to sign up for the next month and pick up a copy of that book at the end of the program if you like!) For this month's read: Lucy knows that kissing Tom Lemmings behind the ball shed will make her a legend. But she doesn't count on that quick clap of lips propelling her from coolest to lamest fourth grader overnight. Suddenly Lucy finds herself trapped in Dorkdom, where a diamond ring turns your finger green, where the boy you kiss hates you three days later, where your best friend laughs as you cry, where parents seem to stop liking you, and where baby sisters are born different. Now Lucy has a choice: she can be like her former best friend Becky, who would do anything to claim her seat at the cool table in the cafeteria, or Lucy can pull up a chair among the solo eaters—also known as the dorks. Still unsure, Lucy partners with super quiet Sam Righter on a research project about wolves. Lucy connects her own school hierarchy with what she learns about animal pack life—where some wolves pin down weaker ones just because they can, and others risk everything to fight their given place in the pack. Soon Lucy finds her third option: creating a pack of her own, even if it is simply a pack of dorks. Weaving tough issues, including bullying, loyalty, and disability, with a thread of snarky humor, family bonds, and fresh perspective, Pack of Dorks paints characters coming-of-age and coming-to-terms. Beth Vrabel's stellar debut contemporary middle grade novel is sure to please fans of Jack Gantos, Elizabeth Atkinson, and Judy Blume. Prefer reading it as an ebook? Search for it HERE This program is recommended for Grades 4-8.