Brooke's Not-So-Perfect Plan

Confidentially Yours #1

by Jo Whittemore

Perfect for fans of The Cupcake Diaries and The Baby-Sitters Club, this new series is about four best friends who are confidentially yours when writing their middle school newspaper's advice column.

Brooke, Vanessa, and Heather have been friends for as long as they can remember, and they're positive they'll rock their first year of middle school. The trio decides to sign up for a journalism elective, and they find themselves columnists for the school's newspaper, the Lincoln Log. They and their new friend Tim are put in charge of the advice column!

The year is going perfectly for Brooke. She has her friends, her travel soccer team, the advice column, and a lot of new activities . . . but maybe too many activities. As Brooke struggles to balance all her commitments and schoolwork, she realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Can she figure out how to have it all and stay on the advice column without sacrificing her other responsibilities?

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 2016

Reviews

[Naima F]

***SPOIL ALERT***

I really like this book because it talks about how hard something's are in middle school. It also says some things you can deal with. One thing I really enjoyed about this book is the characteristics. Another thing I enjoyed was. the great friendship, and how the stick together. One thing I didn't really like was at time in the middle towards the end of the book it got slow. But over all i really liked this book.

[Jeff]

I try not to be too hard on the fluffy sort of middle grade stuff that comes out, especially for girls, but this one is a little tough to chew. The first in a series, this does a lot to establish the players and the overall plot, but this book doesn't do a ton to hook in a reader. The school newspaper conceit is a fun one, and the friends (multiracial, multigender of course) pleasant enough, but the Very Important Message that comes across is less engaging.

Not a terrible start, but not something that's going to carry the weight of some better options that exist out there. Good for those kids looking for lighter fare.

[Ciara]

Brooke Jacobs has the perfect plan: D'ominate middle school! But within just two weeks, she becomes swamped with so many activities and is struggling just trying to do everything and keep everyone happy! But lucky for her, her friends Vanessa, Heather, and Tim are willing to help... and even though she's an advice columnist, maybe she needs to start taking other people's advice too.

I just want to start off by saying that I love the friend group in this book. They're all unique characters that feel realistic and I love their banter! I think the whole Gabby plotline was a bit unnecessary, but it was still funny to read about. Overall I don't have a lot of critiques to be honest; I really liked the book and its characters and its plot, while simplistic, is also something a lot of people, including me, can relate to. Very well done and definitely a good book to give to your soon to be sixth grader.

[Sarah Sarang]

Brooke’s Not-So-Perfect Plan is an amazing novel for middle school students and 5th grade students. It’s very relatable and fun to read the daily life of 6th grade students. The fact that Brooke has chosen so many activities and isn’t being able to handle it all is also very relatable. Brooke and I are both also a part of journalism. Although this book is amazing, I rated it 4 out of 5 stars because I found some parts of this book unrealistic which was disappointing. Other than that, this novel was awesome!

[Bridget MacMillan]

Really enjoyed this story! I could see myself as Brooke, who wants and tries to do EVERYTHING! It's a trait I carried into adulthood, and caused me lots of angst and stress before I realized I could change. I'll be sharing this with my niece who has similar approach to life at age 12. The DATA method or something like it would give her structure to help her make good choices now, and in the future. Wish I would have it back then!

[Zee]

Good

[Zoe Mo]

Great middle grade books! I read these ages ago but literally just remembered these😂

[aem]

Funny adventures of sixth graders! Good diversity of characters, though all seemed middle class. Realistic 12 yr old issues.

[=☆Silver-Lining☆= (Huge Reading Slump)]

It's a really good book that can teach you about friendship! It was also very funny! I liked Heather a lot!

[D.L.]

3.5 rounded up.

[Carter Bornemann]

Pretty good!

[wittierninja]

I'm not going to say why I read this book, but I did, and I really like the series. I've read the first few books, and they remind of the Babysitters' Club in a way. They're wholesome characters who have what may be (or may not be—I don't know; I'm old and have no children so I'm not quite sure what ails middle-school kids nowadays) average middle-grade problems. The writing isn't overwrought; the voices don't sound forced—like a forty-year-old person was writing to sound what they think a kid would say and failing miserably. Funny and smart, this book is just a nice reprieve from some of the doom and gloom I see on the shelves nowadays.

[Katie]

A delightful read, full of fun, charm, and Whittemore's signature humor.

Brooke is struggling with problems that many of us can relate to - whether we've just started middle school or are long past graduation. She is optimistic and full of energy, keeping the pacing brisk and lively. With the help of her friends, Brooke is able to deal with realistic challenges with both honesty and humor.

Highly recommended for young women looking for an engaging story that will keep them guessing - and laughing.

[Deena Lipomi]

Brooke can't wait to start sixth grade with her two best friend and work on the newspaper, her soccer team, homework projects, and her class president campaign, but when she realizes she can't give everything 100 percent, she'll need to reach out for help whether she wants to or not. The binding thread of the advice column in this cute, funny novel is the perfect device for the characters' growth. Brooke's overachieving status is relatable, and her diverse group of friends are supportive. A nice start to a fun series.

[Stephanie Faris]

Brooke's Not-So-Perfect Plan is the first in a super-fun series about four friends who write an advice column for their middle school paper. That premise alone drew me in! The first book tells the story of Brooke, who is extremely relatable no matter how old you are. Why? Because she's crazy-busy all the time. She's taken on way too much between her sports, hanging out with her friends, and writing this advice column. This is a fun and diverse novel about friendship and the pressures of being an overachieving middle school student.

[Tammy Downing]

I received this book for free from Goodreads Giveaways. It is a very good story about a new 6th grader who gets overwhelmed when she volunteers for everything. Soon nothing is getting done. Her friends help her figure out how to prioritize and use her time better. This book is a great book for middle grade readers.

[Zizi]

that is not the correct date. I started it on easter..

[Jen Petro-Roy]

A super cute, really well done middle grade novel.