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Dear Know-It-All #1
Read All About It!
In this start to an all-new series, Samantha begins writing her school paper’s advice column—and finds out fast that some things are easier said than written.
Every middle-school girl has questions about her future, but to star school newspaper reporter Samantha Martone, getting the scoop is her life. Sam plans to travel the world someday as a journalist, and in the meantime she’s thrilled that her newspaper adviser, Mr. Trigg, has chosen her for a special For the next year, she’ll be the school’s anonymous advice columnist.
Being the voice of “Dear Know-It-All” is exciting, and an important secret to keep—especially when Sam figures out that one of the letters she receives is actually from her best friend. Sam’s mortified to learn her BFF also has a crush on fellow newspaper staffer—and pitcher for the baseball team—Michael Lawrence. Can Sam still give good advice when her own love interest is on the line?
Every middle-school girl has questions about her future, but to star school newspaper reporter Samantha Martone, getting the scoop is her life. Sam plans to travel the world someday as a journalist, and in the meantime she’s thrilled that her newspaper adviser, Mr. Trigg, has chosen her for a special For the next year, she’ll be the school’s anonymous advice columnist.
Being the voice of “Dear Know-It-All” is exciting, and an important secret to keep—especially when Sam figures out that one of the letters she receives is actually from her best friend. Sam’s mortified to learn her BFF also has a crush on fellow newspaper staffer—and pitcher for the baseball team—Michael Lawrence. Can Sam still give good advice when her own love interest is on the line?
176 pages, Paperback
First published July 24, 2012
13 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
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October 6, 2016It was a great book with good romance and I highly recommend it.
September 13, 2018
A bit too much romance for my tastes, but it was well written
May 18, 2025
Loved this as a kid 👧🏻
December 19, 2016
Dear Know-It-All is a paperback middle grade series by Rachel Wise about a seventh grader named Samantha Martone, who writes the anonymous advice column, “Dear Know-It-All” for her school newspaper. There are 11 books in the series, and I read the first eight, because that is all I could find in my local libraries.
The series focuses mainly on two things: writing and romance. Samantha - or Sam, as she is often called - is a star reporter on her school newspaper. The other star reporter is Michael Lawrence, who is not just Sam’s writing partner on most of her feature stories, but also her crush since first grade. Sam spends her time either working on news stories, taking steps to hide her identity as Dear Know-It-All, or agonizing over the meaning of her relationship with Michael and trying to decide whether he likes her or not.
Several recurring secondary characters provide a strong support system for Sam:
Sam’s single mom is a strong presence in each book, and there is always at least one scene where Mom provides advice to help Sam out of a difficult situation.
Sam’s older sister, Allie, who is in high school, annoys Sam in the way that all sisters annoy each other, but she, too, is often a positive influence, helping Sam not just with boys, but with school, sports, and other problems that arise.
Sam and Hailey, her best friend since first grade, have their ups and downs, but their friendship is a good model for realistic and healthy tween friendships. The girls fight, but they always find ways to fairly compromise, and though they are opposites, they complement each other nicely. Sam also helps Hailey with her schoolwork due to Hailey’s difficulties with dyslexia. Hailey’s frequently changing crushes are also a part of the plot of each book.
The newspaper advisor Mr. Trigg (Trigger) also serves as a mentor for Sam, mainly for her journalism career, but also on more serious matters such as cyberbullying. Mr. Trigg often stands up for Sam’s rights as a journalist and when he makes mistakes, he admits to them freely. His obsession with Winston Churchill and his British heritage in general are recurring themes in each book.
Though romance is at the heart of these books, it is always very G-rated and age appropriate. Sam and Michael grow closer as friends as the series progresses, but their interactions are focused more on teasing and flirting than anything physical or even overtly connected to true “dating.” Though Sam does spend a lot of time thinking about Michael, which might annoy some readers (and parents), Michael is actually a decent choice for a first boyfriend, and he is every bit as nervous and uncertain around Sam as she is around him.
The advice Sam dispenses in the books is always sound, and the kind of advice I think most adults would like kids to share with one another. Girls who are used to reading magazine advice columns will be eager to see how Sam deals with each question thrown her way. The response Sam ends up writing for each column often ties into an overall theme from the rest of the story as well, which brings everything together at the end of the book.
This series as a whole could benefit from more careful editing. Some books have just a few spelling errors or missing words; others have entire paragraphs that don’t make sense and names that change spelling in the middle of the story. (“Allie” became “Ally” in one of the books, then changed back to “Allie” after a few paragraphs.) There are also some continuity issues regarding whether or not Sam has signed up for “Buddybook,” the fictional equivalent of Facebook in the Dear Know-It-All universe. Her reasons for not being a member seem to change from book to book, and sometimes what she says in a later book doesn’t match what the readers know has happened in an earlier book.
Dear Know-It-All will appeal to readers who find comfort in predictable, formulaic stories. Both boys and girls who aspire to write will enjoy the journalism aspect of the series,though some might be turned off by the heavy focus on romance. Read-alikes for the series include The Cupcake Diaries books, the How I Survived Middle School series and The Baby-sitters Club.
The series focuses mainly on two things: writing and romance. Samantha - or Sam, as she is often called - is a star reporter on her school newspaper. The other star reporter is Michael Lawrence, who is not just Sam’s writing partner on most of her feature stories, but also her crush since first grade. Sam spends her time either working on news stories, taking steps to hide her identity as Dear Know-It-All, or agonizing over the meaning of her relationship with Michael and trying to decide whether he likes her or not.
Several recurring secondary characters provide a strong support system for Sam:
Sam’s single mom is a strong presence in each book, and there is always at least one scene where Mom provides advice to help Sam out of a difficult situation.
Sam’s older sister, Allie, who is in high school, annoys Sam in the way that all sisters annoy each other, but she, too, is often a positive influence, helping Sam not just with boys, but with school, sports, and other problems that arise.
Sam and Hailey, her best friend since first grade, have their ups and downs, but their friendship is a good model for realistic and healthy tween friendships. The girls fight, but they always find ways to fairly compromise, and though they are opposites, they complement each other nicely. Sam also helps Hailey with her schoolwork due to Hailey’s difficulties with dyslexia. Hailey’s frequently changing crushes are also a part of the plot of each book.
The newspaper advisor Mr. Trigg (Trigger) also serves as a mentor for Sam, mainly for her journalism career, but also on more serious matters such as cyberbullying. Mr. Trigg often stands up for Sam’s rights as a journalist and when he makes mistakes, he admits to them freely. His obsession with Winston Churchill and his British heritage in general are recurring themes in each book.
Though romance is at the heart of these books, it is always very G-rated and age appropriate. Sam and Michael grow closer as friends as the series progresses, but their interactions are focused more on teasing and flirting than anything physical or even overtly connected to true “dating.” Though Sam does spend a lot of time thinking about Michael, which might annoy some readers (and parents), Michael is actually a decent choice for a first boyfriend, and he is every bit as nervous and uncertain around Sam as she is around him.
The advice Sam dispenses in the books is always sound, and the kind of advice I think most adults would like kids to share with one another. Girls who are used to reading magazine advice columns will be eager to see how Sam deals with each question thrown her way. The response Sam ends up writing for each column often ties into an overall theme from the rest of the story as well, which brings everything together at the end of the book.
This series as a whole could benefit from more careful editing. Some books have just a few spelling errors or missing words; others have entire paragraphs that don’t make sense and names that change spelling in the middle of the story. (“Allie” became “Ally” in one of the books, then changed back to “Allie” after a few paragraphs.) There are also some continuity issues regarding whether or not Sam has signed up for “Buddybook,” the fictional equivalent of Facebook in the Dear Know-It-All universe. Her reasons for not being a member seem to change from book to book, and sometimes what she says in a later book doesn’t match what the readers know has happened in an earlier book.
Dear Know-It-All will appeal to readers who find comfort in predictable, formulaic stories. Both boys and girls who aspire to write will enjoy the journalism aspect of the series,though some might be turned off by the heavy focus on romance. Read-alikes for the series include The Cupcake Diaries books, the How I Survived Middle School series and The Baby-sitters Club.
March 4, 2017
Middle school student Samantha gets chosen to write the school newspaper's Miss Know-it-all's column. Also a reporter for the paper, she attends school board meetings where she stirs up trouble with the principal. Also she and her best friend both like the same guy. What letter will she choose to answer in her first column?
December 21, 2012
A really fun read! The narration was sometimes clunky, occasionally closer to Fancy Nancy than a 9-12 novel, but this would be a good transition series for fourth/fifth graders moving from series like Rainbow Magic to "real" novels. Sam is a believable protagonist who thinks much like a twelve/thirteen-year-old girl should. Her interest in journalism is fun and interesting. The plot progresses well and Read All About It is overall a quick and fun read.
October 19, 2012
This series opener is a winner! Great for tweens interested in being a journalist, but it will definitely appeal to any kid who has to juggle family, friends, school, and extracurriculars. And deal with a crush on top of all that!
September 9, 2012
I LOVED this book!
December 3, 2013
Great Great Great
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October 18, 2014It was a good book
May 30, 2016
so much fun you dont want it to end
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December 10, 2016Finished 12/9/16
April 1, 2016
it was interesting,friendship and drama at the same time!!! congrats rachel
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews