The Secrets to Ruling School (Without Even Trying) (Secrets to Ruling School #1)

The Secrets to Ruling School (Without Even Trying) (Secrets to Ruling School #1)

It’s the first week of middle school, i.e., the Worst Place in the Entire World. How do you survive in a place where there are tough kids twice your size, sadistic teachers, and restrictions that make jail look like a five-star resort? Easy: with the help of Max Corrigan, middle school “expert” and life coach. Let Max teach you how to win over not just one, but all of the groups in school, from the Preps to the Band Geeks. Along the way, Max offers surefire advice and revealing tips on how to get through universal middle school experiences like gym class, detention, faking sick, dealing with jocks and bullies, and acing exams (without getting caught cheating). In an innovative format that is part narrative and part how-to, acclaimed illustrator Neil Swaab has created a hilarious new reading experience that is reminiscent of video games and sure to engage even the most reluctant reader. Gr 4–7—Seventh-grader Max Corrigan breaks the fourth wall and assumes that readers are potential clients who need his advice about how to rule the middle school scene. Max is a slick huckster who claims no problem is too big or too small—make friends, destroy enemies, get teachers off your back, hack the school's network, and more! Just step right into his office (toilet stall), and pay no mind to the gaseous permanent resident of the stall next door. This central conceit will only work if said readers buy into all of the schemes Max hatches as each attempt fails. Max is nothing if not persistent. He has an arsenal of excuses and zero insight. He's also an equal opportunity offender. Part of his plans rely on readers/clients infiltrating most of the school cliques. Each clique is portrayed stereotypically, but Max really seems to have it in for the principal. What's meant to be subversive, ironic fun becomes mired in meanness and cynicism. The pace is frenetic as Max races to achieve his promises in five school days. There are tons of sidebars with lists and tips as well as commentary from students. VERDICT This series starter may find readership where demands for books with "Wimp-appeal" is high.—Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ "Max's proposed campaign and Swaab's oblique storytelling style are equally engaging."― Kirkus Reviews "...sure to hit the mark with middle schoolers in the trenches."― Publishers Weekly "Swaab pulls off the tone of a seventh-grader: snarky, antiauthoritarian, and preoccupied with both the social pecking order and bathroom humor. There is not one bit of advice Max gives that adults would concur with—and therefore, kids ought to love it." ― Booklist Neil Swaab is a Brooklyn-based illustrator whose work has appeared in the New York Times , the Utne Reader , the Village Voice , and most recently, James Patterson’s Middle School: My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar . Swaab has also illustrated posters for Broadway shows and worked on Adult Swim’s Superjail! , Comedy Central’s Ugly Americans , and Cartoon Network’s Annoying Orange . Learn more about Swaab at neilswaab.com.