Addie on the inside (202 Pages)

Addie on the inside by James Howe is a perfect middle school read. Some of you may remember my saying that The Misfits and Totally Joe, also written by Howe, are books that I think crack the glass ceiling. (I mean that as a good thing!) Totally Joe is about a young boy who is not aware of the fact that he is gay, but his aunt knows and as he discovers for himself that his sexual identity prefers males. It's a wonderful book. Addie starts off with a letter to the reader from Mr. Howe. The entire book is written in poetic form and this letter is as well. In it he asks the reader, "Who do you see when you think of me? Who do you see when you think of you?" And that is what this book is all about. A young girl in 7th grade trying to figure out who she is. She is very intelligent, very outspoken, and perhaps a little pushy. But as with most 7th graders she is not sure what makes her tick. This is a wonderful read about a girl who cares about all kinds of "stuff"---stuff that most 7th graders might not think is important. But Addie does. Get to know this author. You will not regret it for a moment!