Double Dog Dare

February 13, 2012
More than anything, Francine Halata wants to be the news anchor of the fourth-grade Media Club: “I need the practice, for when I’m a famous animal trainer, with my own TV show.” But when a new kid, Kansas Bloom, the self-proclaimed “King of Dares,” is nominated for the anchor position, the two students begin a two-week dare war to win the job (Kansas doesn’t even want the job, but can’t resist a dare). The challenges start small (licking a lizard, hanging upside down on the monkey bars for all of recess), but soon
escalate to hair dying, ketchup eating, wearing a tutu to school, and running
underwear up the flagpole. Francine and Kansas attempt to outsmart each other every step of the way, and all of the nonsense is a welcome distraction from their parents’ divorces. Graff’s (Sophie Simon Solves Them All) story is lighthearted and humorous, but honestly addresses the emotions associated with divorce. Her characters’ voices, interactions, and hangups are relatable, as they battle each other and adjust to their families’ reconfigurations. Ages 8–12. Agent: Stephen Barbara, Foundry Literary + Media.

March 1, 2012
Media Club becomes "a place of battle" when the time comes to select a news anchor for the spring semester. Fourth-grader Francine Halata has dreamt of sitting behind the news desk since the beginning of the school year, and she'll do just about anything to get to get there. Kansas Bloom couldn't care less, until passing it up means losing his status as "King of Dares." And the race is on. For two weeks, members of the Media Club agree to assign Francine and Kansas each a dare a day. Each dare is worth a point, and the one with the most points at the end will win the coveted anchor seat. Though Kansas and Francine are pitted against each other in this high-stakes game at school, the competition pales in comparison to what they are both coping with at home. Through a third-person narration that alternates focus between Francine and Kansas, readers see them both struggling to come to grips with parents who are in the throes of divorce. Graff does an impressive job striking a balance between humor and heft in this middle-grade novel. With two equally compelling protagonists to root for and plenty to make kids laugh, this is sure to resonate with and entertain young readers. (Fiction. 7-10)

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April 1, 2012

Gr 3-5-Kansas, a new boy, and Francine, a veteran of the fourth-grade Media Club, go head-to-head in a dare war competing for the role of news anchor. Kansas has never turned down a dare in his life, and Francine will do anything for the job she has wanted "forever." Readers will be hooked by the first chapter: Who will be the first to slip up? How far will they go to win? Is there any dare they won't do? Chapters alternate between the protagonists' points of view; initials at the top of the page indicate whose turn it is. Amid the competition, readers get an inside look at what it is like to be a kid experiencing divorce: how it feels when mom changes her last name back to her maiden name, splitting time between two homes, and finding the right way to share these changes with friends. The seriousness of the topic is nicely balanced with humor throughout; kids will laugh at the dares, such as kissing a lizard, telling the playground monitor that you need to smell his armpit for a science project, and eating 87 packets of ketchup in the school cafeteria. Readers who have experienced divorce in their own lives will easily connect with the characters, and those who have not will readily empathize. All readers will be reminded that even when things don't turn out as expected, it's often for the best. A small sprinkling of emails, IMs, and notes passed in class help make the story realistic. All in all, an enjoyable, lighthearted read about a difficult topic.-Karinn Figdore, William Penn Charter School, Philadelphia, PA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2012
Grades 3-5 Graff's perceptive and funny book features two fourth-graders unwillingly caught up in a dare war. Francine wants to be anchor of the school's media clubit should have been a sure thing, but then new boy Kansas Bloom is also nominated for the position. After a vote ends in a tie, the club decides that the rivals should go head-to-head in a series of dares to see who gets the job. Even though the reader can clearly see this is a bad idea, the teacher in charge of the club OKs it. Francine and Kansas have more in common than they initially realize: Kansas' parents are preparing for an inevitable divorce; Francine's parents, although being very civil about it, are also getting divorced. Graff's resolution of the dare war is ever-so-slightly far-fetched, but the way she handles her characters is spot-on. In both the dare war and the parental wars, Francine and Kansas are put to the test, but they emerge stronger, triumphant, and, best of all, together.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)