Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom

Frazzled is a pretty accurate description of narrator Abbie Wu, who humorously relates the trials and tribulations of being a middle schooler, an experience she equates with other terrible "middles": the Middle Ages, the middle seat, and being a middle child, something with which she's well acquainted. Stuck between "annoyingly adorable" little sister Clara and ridiculously popular older brother Peter, Abbie feels unremarkable -- even more so when she can't choose an elective at school. Unlike her best friends Maxine and Logan, who immediately pick drama and coding, respectively, Abbie doesn't have a "thing" ("I didn't know I needed one until now!") and therefore ends up in study hall, along with a bunch of "suck-ups, slackers, trouble-makers, and loners." How Abbie finds (in study hall, of all places) her "thing" -- turns out she's a bit of a revolutionary -- is what makes this story a real standout. Newcomer Vivat's novel, with its hyperbolic text and superabundant adrenaline-filled cartoon drawings (the book contains more art than text), has plenty of appeal, but it's the clever plot that gives the story depth. Bonus points for the inclusion of an Asian American protagonist with a nonwhite bestie (who's a boy!) and a single mom, none of which is remotely central to the story. jennifer m. brabander

When middle schooler Abbie Wu can't choose an elective, she ends up in study hall. How she finds her "thing" in study hall--turns out she's a bit of a revolutionary--is what makes this story a standout. Humorous, hyperbolic text and superabundant cartoon drawings have plenty of appeal, but it's the clever plot that gives the story depth.