Review: DRIVE by Stephanie Fournet
I have loved everything I’ve read from Stephanie Fournet, and DRIVE did not disa[...]
Charlie Woodchuck is a Minor Niner
by Dayla Moon
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: July 25, 2011
Format: ePub
Source: Author
Age Level: Middle Grade
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Buy: Amazon
It’s 1988, and Charlie Woodchuck is the most minor of niners. At thirteen, she’s the youngest girl at Snowy Cove High School, and so clueless, she wore leg warmers and acid-wash jeans on her first day. Big mistake! Almost as big a mistake as signing up for a boys-only shop class. Doy.
Just when she thinks the first week of high school can’t get any more weird, Charlie discovers she may be adopted. According to her Science textbook, her eyes should be blue, not brown.
Now the girl with the boy’s name will have to use her detective skills to uncover the mystery of her identity. She’ll need the help of best friend Stacy, expert blackmailer, and new friend Ross, expert class clown.
Before the year ends, Charlie will face down the biggest bullies of all: the all-powerful members of Snowy Cove’s School Board. The Board doesn’t like what Charlie’s been up to, and they’re all out of doughnuts. (Goodreads)
Minor Niner is a cute Middle Grade story that made me laugh and root for the protagonist, Charlie Woodchuck. The story follows Charlie through her freshman year of high school, though she seemed younger to me. I enjoyed this story, and I think my younger self would have loved this novel.
Though this story takes place in the late-80s, I didn’t feel like I was reading historical fiction… but it probably would to a tween. The 80s references were fun (hello leg warmers!), but the only major thing that stood out was the gender discrimination. I loved that Charlie spoke her mind and stuck up for her self and classmates. She didn’t like that her school had different electives for girls and boys, so instead of complaining about it, she actively worked to have equal choice. She’s a character you can root for.
I do have to say that the second half was a bit odd to me because it skipped around a lot. The plot seemed purposely pieced together instead of the nice flow it had in the beginning.
Overall this was a humorous, fun, and heart-warming read! I would recommend this book to tweens.
