The Parent Agency

Gr 3–5—Barry Bennett is not happy with his parents. In fact, he blames them for so many bad things in his life that he keeps a list hidden under his pillow. His parents are poor, boring, tired, and really, really strict. He hates that they named him Barry instead of something cool like his friends, Jake, Lukas, and Taj. On top of all that, they are always much nicer to his twin sisters than to him. But his biggest gripe is that they never make his birthday good enough. Six days before he turns 10, Barry gets grounded for having a tantrum. He fumes in his bedroom and wishes for better parents. Suddenly, he is transported to another world and finds himself at the TPA (The Parent Agency), where children get to choose their parents. The agency places him with parents each day based on the criteria from his list. But finding the best parents is harder than Barry thought. This story is a good jumping-off point for chapter book readers who want to expand into full-length novels. It is broken down into short chapters that are full of adventure. Ample black-and-white drawings throughout make this title appealing to graphic novel fans as well.