You've Been Volunteered

April 15, 2019
Wisecracking Jen Dixon is back in Gelman’s enjoyable follow-up to Class Mom. Jen’s son, Max, is now in third grade, and Jen has once again been roped into being class mom. Greeting fellow parents (and readers) with one of her notorious emails, Jen reminds everyone that it’s “my way or the highway.” Almost everyone is glad to have her back, but a snooty new mom to the school and a micromanaging PTA president threaten to force Jen to be more professional and not just skirt by on charm. Meanwhile, her husband has forced her to start cutting coupons to save money, and some new friends may be plotting against her. Jen is also strong-armed into managing the safety patrol program, which requires her to assign (and enforce) patrol time slots for parents of fifth graders. But when Jen’s aging mother and father begin asking her for more help and take notice of her freewheeling approach to her duties as class mom, Jen begins to realize that she herself might be the cause of her problems, and wonders if she’s the cool, witty, take-no-nonsense badass she’d like to think she is, or is she just selfish and cruel? Jen has an abrasive demeanor and an intractable stubbornness, but she displays heart and a crackling sense of humor throughout. This refreshing take on modern suburbia will appeal to fans of Lauren Weisberger.

May 1, 2019
Max Dixon is in third grade, and his mother has been roped into active duty again. The subtitle of this sequel to Gelman's (Class Mom, 2017) maiden foray into the wilds of elementary school volunteering indicates that Jen Dixon, room parent extraordinaire, is in it for the long haul. Good thing. Dixon's emails to and escapades among the concerned parents of Kansas City have the same anodyne quality as an old-fashioned television sitcom, with a pratfall, a wisecrack, and a chuckle every few minutes like clockwork. This year, Dixon is trying to use the SignUpGenius software to organize the refreshments for "that Fyre Festival known as curriculum night," has been charged with supervising the morning safety patrol, and is coping with the effects of a nasty new kid and his tight-ass mom on the peanut-free ethos of William Taft Elementary. Her mom has recovered from breast cancer, her husband, Ron, is trying to woo an investor to help him expand his sporting goods business, her adult daughters are having boy troubles, and Jen herself has discovered the transcendent joys of spin class. The plot gambols along from one parent missive to the next--"Exciting news from Mrs. Randazzo! She has finally decided on a field trip for our offspring. About time, am I right?" "I'm sure by now you've all heard what happened at safety patrol today so let me just state the obvious: this cannot happen again"--takes a quick, boozy detour to Vegas, and winds up with everything just fine, sitcom style. Just add chardonnay.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from May 1, 2019

Jen Dixon has been coerced into the class mom position yet again, this time for her son Max's third grade class. Starting the year off right by sending out one of her notorious snarky emails, noting response times, and assigning parents various items to bring for class events, she is on a roll. But soon Jen starts getting pulled in different directions when the new micromanaging PTA president ropes her into safety patrol duty, her parents need more help as they age, her daughters begin navigating adulthood, and her husband considers franchising his business. Gelman gets right to the point reuniting readers with the main character they fell in love with in her debut, Class Mom. From a swinger proposal to a spin class epiphany to urgent diarrhea, Jen deals with it all. Her antics are laugh-out-loud funny, and she shows no signs of slowing down. The tone and pacing are excellent, and new characters, who come with their own issues and snark, are delightful. VERDICT Buy it--no questions asked.--Erin Holt, Williamson Cty. P.L., Franklin, TN

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.