School

Thaddeus G. Little Middle School's Special Discussion Group is the consciousness-raising purgatory to which odd-ball and dysfunctional students are sentenced. Their classmates mock them until the inadvertent efforts of Douglas Fairchild -- philosopher, sixth grader, and Pefkakian national -- make the Twinkies the unexpected darlings of the school.

The Twinkie Squad shares a clear genetic legacy with the author's Bruno and Boots books: the sweet adolescent friendships; the pairing of a wild-eyed dreamer with a pragmatic straight-man; the barely plausible hijinks and disasters; the finely characterized adult characters operating in separate spheres from the children. The Twinkie Squad also manages to make its point about prejudice and expectations with effortless generosity. ( )

I listened to the audio book so many times as a kid and am pleased to say the story holds up in all its ridiculous glory. I think about that squid in the ceiling all the time. ( )