Note: I received an ARC from the publisher. ( )

Zack is the kind of kid who flies under the radar. He's only made one good friend in his first year of middle school. He tries to duck the attention of Jose, the handsome school joker, and avoid the cliques. But he ends up drawing unwanted attention when he tells Jose to stop teasing Janie, a chubby movie geek. The teacher taps Zack and Jose to chair the 6th grade candy sale because of their leadership skills. The candy sale is key to the 6th graders getting a school dance and Zack feels the pressure, especially after he learns Janie ate $192 worth of the candy she was supposed to sell. The kids are mostly Hispanic and black in this culturally neutral novel where everyone gets together (eventually) to help solve Zack's problem. ( )

Book review
Zack Delacruz #1: Me and My Big Mouth by Jeff Anderson
Sterling Children's, 2015

Well, this was a refreshing change for middle grade fiction. Lots of diverse characters here, and a protagonist with a name that clearly places him away from the standard that is too typical in much of what publishers push on readers. So yay, Zack!

And importantly, this isn't about a boy or others being bullied due to their race or culture. Instead it's about what every kid faces. It's a universal theme that happens to have many non-white characters inside, all of whom are real kids. So another cheer for Zack!

The one issue noted is that, while the book promotes respect for everyone, it actually doesn't follow that line. The teachers, the adults, are the ones who come under fire, and some of the comments are cruel.

So where is the respect there? Does bullying only apply to kids? If you're in the corporate culture or you're not white and you walk down the street, you know that bullies are alive and well in the adult world, too. So the ideology doesn't track entirely.

Still, a great read with plenty of fun for kids.

Parents and teachers who would like to read up on wisdom that can help them guide their kids should check out [b:Seven Sisters: Spiritual Messages from Aboriginal Australia|10325471|Seven Sisters Spiritual Messages from Aboriginal Australia|Laine Cunningham|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1349102405s/10325471.jpg|15227914] with advice that is as relevant today as it was centuries ago!

And readers who want to understand more about diversity in the publishing industry can check out [b:Writing While Female or Black or Gay: Diverse Voices in Publishing|31457785|Writing While Female or Black or Gay Diverse Voices in Publishing|Laine Cunningham|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1472356053s/31457785.jpg|47033395].

5 stars!

I was provided with a review copy by the publisher. ( )

What happens when you are just trying to be invisible and move through the school day without becoming the target of the bullies, and then there is a schools assembly touting the Goodfriend Express and another anti Bullying campaign that you are sure will work no better than the last bully programs.

Then your body involuntarily jumps up to stop a bully from targeting another kid during the assembly. What were you thinking what happened to mister invisible? Then to make things worse you are put in charge with the head bully of the sixth grade fundraiser to earn money to attend the school dance.

Your job is simple hand out boxes of chocolate and collect the money earned. Nothing is ever simple you are doing the job alone because the school bully has elected himself the supervisor and threatened that you better not mess up everyone's chance to go to the school dance.

Cute story with a lot of great talking points for kids. ( )