Read All About It!

June 11, 2012
Seventh-grade cub reporter Samantha Martone is thrilled when she's asked to be the anonymous voice behind the school newspaper's most-read feature: Dear Know-It-All, an advice column. Writing the column means being readâit's the first feature everyone turns toâbut it's also a secret identity, which goes against Sam's natural news-spreading tendencies. Sam is realistically nervous about her new assignment, and Wise mines the minor setbacks and embarrassments that seem so huge in middle school for some painfully believable scenarios. Further friction â¨arises when the first letter Sam answers strikes a nerve: what if you and a friend are crushing on the same person? Sam's eye is on staff hottie Michael, but she's getting a strong vibe that BFF Hailey has lost her head to the same heartthrob. Rife with contemporary detailsâSam's older sister barely looks up from her phone and there's lots of teeth-gnashing over things posted on "Buddybook," a social networking siteâthis kickoff to the Dear Know-It-All series doesn't break new ground, but it fills a niche for would-be Brenda Starrs. Available simultaneously: Set the Record Straight! Ages 8â12.