How Not to Run for President

November 28, 2011
A 12-year-old boy unwittingly becomes an overnight media darling after being interviewed by a TV reporter during a third-party presidential candidate’s visit to his Ohio town. Aidan (whose mother has recently been laid off) tells the reporter and the candidate, Bettina Brandon, that if she is elected he hopes she can keep manufacturing strong and save jobs—and then makes a dramatic tackle to protect her from a falling campaign sign. Brandon’s ratings get an immediate bump from the news footage, and Aidan is recruited to join her on the campaign trail. Making the trip bumpy is Brandon’s disgruntled daughter, Emma, who has no interest in living in the White House and uses Aidan to try to sabotage the campaign. Clark (Love and Other Things I’m Bad At) includes some tidbits about presidential politics and the 24-hour news cycle, as well as lots of silliness along the way—there’s a Facebook movement to recruit Aidan for the v-p slot, and the media launches a smear campaign to undermine his credibility. A lighthearted election-year romp. Ages 8–12.

October 15, 2011
When 12-year-old Aidan Schroeckenbauer saves presidential candidate Bettina Brandon from a falling campaign sign and ends up the "Clarinet Hero," he's adopted by the campaign and hits the road. Aidan brings good publicity, but it becomes a hard road when he endures attacks on his clarinet playing, his baseball prowess and even his age, as reporters say he might actually be older than 12, making him ineligible to play Little League. Even his mother, laid off from the local FreezeStar factory, has been accused of being a spy for a Chinese corporation. Partly a light satire on modern elections, Clark's tale is mostly a fun romp, lightened by the contentious relationship between Aidan and Governor Brandon's daughter Emma. Their often-humorous banter keeps the story on track as they become friends and learn to work together to keep the campaign rolling. Names of political figures and Brandon's Fresh Idea Party are made up, and even the Democratic candidate is said to be a former Democratic vice president, Jack Mathias. (Though being fictional is just as well, since Aidan's mother calls him an "out-of-touch idiot.") Humorous dialogue, smart pacing and some dirty politics make for an engaging read. With an election around the corner, this isn't a bad way for young readers to view the political arena. (Fiction. 8-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

January 1, 2012

Gr 4-6-Aidan, 12, belongs to a hardworking, blue-collar Ohio family. On a historic day for their small town, the independent presidential candidate comes to speak at a rally. Aidan is asked for his opinion on what the country needs, and his support for local businesses gets him some face time with Governor Brandon. During their conversation, he shoves her out of the way of a careening campaign sign. This heroic episode, posted all over YouTube, nets her some major positive press, so she invites Aidan to come along with her and her daughter on their tour. Things start going awry, and Aidan finds that Brandon's daughter is sabotaging him and the campaign. When opposition mudslinging puts his family's integrity into question, his enemy becomes an unlikely ally in this political war. The book is full of fictionalized current events and political issues, and readers would benefit from some adult explanation. Aidan's father makes disparaging remarks about a woman's ability to lead, with no major corrections from other characters. The rest of the story is lighthearted and fun. If they can get past the uncomfortable remarks about the nominee's gender, readers will garner quite a bit of insight into a campaign while also enjoying an upbeat tale of one boy's 15 minutes of fame.-Devin Burritt, Jackson Memorial Library, Tenants Harbor, ME

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2012
Grades 5-8 It all starts when Aiden pushes third-party presidential candidate Governor Bettina Brandon out of the way of a metal sign during her visit to his small Ohio town. Aiden becomes a YouTube sensation, and the campaign quickly decides to bring the 12-year-old on the campaign bus. He's not the only kid on board. The governor's daughter, Emma, is traveling with her mom, but she's doing everything she can to make sure she's not going to be First Kid. Clark does a terrific job of moving the story along while giving readers a primer on current issues, including the economy, women in politics, and the way the media builds people up only to tear them down. Aiden learns that last point firsthand as he goes from hero to zero when the press starts investigating whether he really plays the clarinet and if his dog is a mutt, as he claimed. The satire never goes over kid readers' heads, and they'll enjoy reading this even as they learn something about the way politics work. Perfectly timed for the 2012 election season.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)