Monday, April 13, 2020

Middle School's a Drag : You Better Werk! by Greg Howard - ADVISABLE

Middle School's a Drag : You Better Werk! by Greg Howard, 287 pages. Putnam (Penguin Random House), 2020. $17.

Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG.

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

12yo Michael Pruitt is an entrepreneur; he is the president, CEO and founder of Anything Inc. but so far none of his ideas have proven successful. Then 8th grader and kid drag artist Julian Vasquez AKA Coco Caliente Mistress of Madness and Mayhem asks Mikey to be his agent. A talent agent? What a great idea - they make commissions don't they? Mikey quickly forms the Anything Talent and Pizzazz Agency, and increases his offerings by representing 4 other middle school acts - A Stand up Comic, A Dream Interpreter, A Dog Act and a Super Hero Impersonator. Now, he just needs one of his acts to win the $100 prize at the school talent show and he'll make his Grandpa proud.

Greg Howard's darling story has some underlying drama - Michael hasn't come out to anyone but his parents and his 2 best friends - but his association with Julian might make him the "wrong kind of popular." Julian's dad is having a difficult time with his son's career choice. There's also a pretty mean bully and his two friends who are ruthless with Michael and his group, and Michael's hero - his grandfather is declining and in a rest home. I loved Michael's supportive parents, and his relationship with his 9yo precocious and very irritating little sister.  A solid middle school read, the kids who like RuPaul's Drag race will have a good time with Middle School's a Drag.

Lisa Librarian

No comments: