Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff

Ginny Davis #1

by Jennifer L. Holm, Elicia Castaldi (Illustrator)

Ginny has ten items on her big to-do list for seventh grade. None of them, however, include accidentally turning her hair pink. Or getting sent to detention for throwing frogs in class. Or losing the lead role in the ballet recital to her ex-best friend. Or the thousand other things that can go wrong between September and June. But it looks like it's shaping up to be that kind of a year! Here's the story of one girl's worst school year ever -- told completely through her stuff.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novels, Humor, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens

128 pages, Hardcover

First published July 24, 2006

About the author

Jennifer L. Holm is a USA TODAY and NEW YORK TIMES-bestselling children's author with more than 9.8 million books in print She is the recipient of three Newbery Honors for her novels OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA, PENNY FROM HEAVEN, and TURTLE IN PARADISE and a Scott O'Dell Award for her novel FULL OF BEANS.

Jennifer collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on three bestselling graphic novel series -- the Eisner Award-winning Babymouse series, the SUNNY series, and the Squish series. SQUISH is now an animated tv series on YouTube!

For more information, visit her website at www.jenniferholm.com.

Reviews

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember being 13 or so and talking with a much older cousin of mine. When he asked me what grade I was in I told him seventh and he chuckled to himself. "Man, that was the worst." Was it? At the time I couldn't quite figure out what he meant. Sure middle school was awful but sometimes it's hard to separate yourself from what you perceive as "normal". Looking back on it now, I can see clearly just how awful that age is for a whole bulk of humanity, but who has the guts to go on out and say it? That would be two-time Newbery Honor winner Jennifer Holm, of course. Yet when you're dealing with a universal experience you really need to be able to make your book unique in some fashion. Enter artist Elicia Castaldi. "Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf" is a tale told via "stuff". Notes, detention slips, photos, CDs, invitations, shopping lists, you name it. A perfect blending of chaotic piles and orderly prose, this book gets to the heart of the best and the worst (more often the worst) of this most awkward and necessary of ages.

She had such plans for the year, Ginny did. Oh, it was going to be great. She had this whole To Do List with things like "Get a dad" and "Try to be friends with Mary Catherine Kelly". Seventh grade was going to be awesome. Okay, sure Ginny's bank account seems to stay at the unaccountably small ending balance of $5.00 at all times. And sure the aforementioned Mary Catherine Kelly has decided that Ginny just isn't worth being friends with anymore. But really, things didn't start to get really bad until Ginny's older brother Henry started getting in more and more trouble. Or when she didn't get her dream role in The Nutcracker and the aforementioned Ms. Kelly did. Or when that brat Brian Bukvic kept bugging her and, and, and.... well, things are never easy in seventh grade. Fortunately, "Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf" makes it clear that no matter how lousy things are, there's always a chance that things will eventually get better.

Jennifer Holm does include some journal entries, but it would have been all too easy to rely on those sections a lot more. And had this book been a journal with a note thrown in here and there then it would have ended up looking like every other diary/journal/memory book of middle school currently in existence. No good. The journal is used very sparingly then. Only when we need a little more clarification on a point or understanding of a character. None of this is to say that characters don't receive a little depth in other ways too. The older brother Henry portions are particularly smart. At some point Holm must have realized that if you hear about Henry secondhand and only learn about his vandalism and brushes with the law then he's not going to come across as a very likable fellow. We might be able to make assumptions regarding his motives but due to the limited scope of the format we can't find out too much about his personality. Enter Matthew Holm. Jennifer Holm's real life brother illustrates a couple comic strips by Henry in which it's amazingly clear that in spite of his disregard for rules, Henry truly loves and wants to protect his little sister. A clever and oddly touching addition.

All in all, consider Holm's latest accomplishment a mix of catharsis and eye-popping visual stimulation. It's a light-hearted story delivered by the hand of someone who knows very much how to tell a tale and tell it well. The insanity of its subject matter has never been more accurately relayed.

[Manybooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can (but really only very grudgingly) appreciate that with Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff (a what I would label partial graphic novel published in 2006 and to date the first of a two book series) Jennifer L. Holm and Elicia Castaldi present an eclectic verbal and visual assemblage of so-called stuff, of objects, text messages, post-it notes, report cards, newspaper clippings, school assignments, letters, notes-to-self, scrap book entries etc. to chronicle the bumpy (but also interesting) school year of smartly sassy seventh grader Ginny Davis. And as the months pass and the school year progresses in Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff Ginny is shown by Holm and Castaldi (both textually and visually) as trying to tackle an impressive to-do list (such as for example getting a new father, which happens when Ginny's widowed mother remarries, obtaining the role of the sugarplum fairy in The Nutcracker ballet, which unfortunately is not successful, convincing her mother that she, that Ginny should be allowed to visit her grandfather in Florida on her own for Easter, with yes, this being another success story) and with Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff also showing Ginny's poems and some of her older brother Henry's comics.

But while Elicia Castaldi's collages for Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff show lively, present visually appealing mixes of objects to tell Ginny Davis' story (bottle-cap linings, candy wrappers, hair dye boxes, drugstore receipts, salon bills, a bank check and so on and so on) and that both they and Jennifer L. Holm's bits and pieces of short texts also focus on some darker themes in Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff like Ginny being upset regarding her brother Henry's drinking and driving and his not so innocent and potentially dangerous pranks (and how her manyfold worries as well as Ginny's adjustment issues regarding her new stepfather are also causing er normally excellent school grades to suddenly plummet), sorry, but for me personally (and particularly for my inner middle school aged young teenager) Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff has NOT AT ALL been a reading pleasure but rather a slogging and annoyingly frustrating chore devoid of any true joy and majorly lacking all and sundry necessary emotionality.

For with Holm and Castaldi focussing mostly on the "stuff" mentioned in the book title, I have for one found Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff majorly distracting and tediously uninteresting and that for two, Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff also never lets me get to know Ginny Davis all that closely, personally and deeply, so that Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff leaves pretty much everything to be desired for me, features nothing that I textually would want or need (and that while my after considerable inner debate one star rating for Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff might seem rather overly harsh, I really and truly have not even somewhat remotely enjoyed what Jennifer L. Holm and Elicia Castaldi have created and provided with and in Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff and that I do find Ginny Davis and in fact all of the characters encountered in Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff woefully, brutally one-sided, hugely boring and indeed as annoyingly uninteresting, distracting and frustrating as all that presented and featured stuff, stuff, stuff and more stuff).

[Rachael Fryman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Harder 2018 Challenge #20: A book with a cover you hate.

Super neat way to present a story and surprisingly a really great story. I just happened upon this one while working on a collection at one of my school libraries and was intreated. Glad I gave it a read.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would probably appeal to lots of middle-school girls. The story is told entirely through photos of notes, magazine articles, objects, receipts, lists, school assignments, drawings, IM screens, etc., many written by the main character (Ginny) and various people in her life, such as her mother, her delinquent older brother, her best friend, and some of her teachers. This gimmick got a little tiring to me--it seemed that she communicated almost entirely through notes with her family members, to the point of ridiculousness. Plus the typical pre-adolescent drama started to wear on me. BUT then Ginny starts to be affected, both emotionally and physically, by some more serious problems. I appreciated how the author handled these issues, and how Ginny's interests and attitudes subtly changed by the end.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, fluffy, creative format (told through notes, receipts, school papers, etc.), rather thin on plot other than the main character's life. Read for local library challenge, category: multimedia book. Funnily, my first-grader grabbed this and read the whole thing. The format really appealed to him.

[ReGina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be the first one to admit that I am not a fan of the graphics in novels. My kids love Diary of a Wimpy Kid - I find the drawings distracting. However, this book is an interesting concept. There are a variety of things - tickets, notes, bills, IMs - that are used to tell the story. However, I find that there is a lot of the story that is left untold this way (but that does make a great opportunity to cover inferences!). I would recommend this book for 5th to 7th grade reluctant readers. The images will help them and it doesn't feel like you are "reading a book." For most students though, I would stick with a traditional chapter book.

[Kaitie♥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sucks! Totally confusing and boring. I read 5 pages before I put it down

[Patrice Sartor · Rating 4 out of 5]

GENRE: Fiction, realistic fiction, humor.

SUMMARY: Ginny hopes that her mom gets remarried, worries over her older brother Henry, and is frustrated with the antics of her younger brother Timmy. Plus there is her ex-best friend and her new best friend, her to-do list, and her New Year's resolutions that concern her. All of Ginny's life during the entire 7th grade is told through crumpled up notes, report cards, newspaper articles, cartoons, tests, and more "stuff."

EVALUATION: I picked this title up after the database was already full, because it looked so neat and different. How the story is told is clever and intriguing, and makes it easy to become a party of this young girl's life. It was funny, sad, and good.

WHY I WOULD INCLUDE IT: I like when books are a bit different, and this one is. Tween girls should especially like it. Ginny provides a lot for them to relate to, and in an entertaining way.

READER'S ANNOTATION: Ginny has a lot she wants to accomplish this year; though it's the ups and downs she goes through to do so that will have you cheering her on.

ITEMS WITH SIMILAR APPEAL:
• The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt.
• Pieces of Georgia by Jen Bryant.
• If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko.
• A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban.
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully refreshing and candid story told through various items in a scrapbook-kind of style, but the entries were from different locations and even from screen shots of an old Mac.

While the story is very serious in places, there is a lot of subtle humor, too. I love how a simple trip to the drugstore could lead to an expensive trip to a hair salon as well as a pricey plumbing bill.

The illustrations are filled with multimedia formats that really help to tell the story. It's an unusual way to tell a story, but is very effective. I love how the relationships aren't perfect, but are still loving.

[Dee Dee G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle school students will love this cute book. The layout throughout was a little too busy for my 45 year old eyes but kids will love it.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been on my TBR shelf since I joined Goodreads at the beginning of 2014. At the time, I think I was about 15 or 16 and I added nearly every book with a witty cover and name that I could find to my Want to Read shelf. For whatever reason, I never removed Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf from my TBR even though I'm now 22 and no longer the target audience of the book. But what can I say? I'm stubborn.



I've been trying to read some shorter books lately to get ahead in reading challenges and this one popped up on my feed. I've overlooked it so many times before but this time I was on a mission. I was fully committed to finding and reading this book.



After a lengthy hold at my local library, I picked up a copy and was so surprised to see what this book actually was. The format of Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf is so interesting to me. It is told through pictures of notes and receipts and other everyday items. I was a little apprehensive at first but I ended up loving it. I couldn't help but think the whole time I was reading this that I wish I read this book when I was in Middle School because I would have thought it was the coolest thing ever. Not to mention, I found it extremely relatable and really appreciated the story, even as an adult. Going into this, I completely expected that it would be something cringey and tedious to get through. I'm so glad that wasn't the case and I would be interested in reading more books in this kind of format in the future. My only complaint was that I didn't like how the bully who terrorized Ginny throughout the story ended up going to the dance with her and being her first kiss. He was sweet to her at the dance but I think this perpetuates a crappy mentality to young girls that guys that like you will treat you like crap and verbally attack you. Ginny could have done a lot better. Clearly, I got a little too invested in this book haha.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. The story is told using items from Ginny's (the main character) seventh grade year. Ginny is very optimistic as she starts her 7th grade year, setting valuable goals for herself and making good grades. As the year goes on, she faces challenges with her peers, her two brothers, and her mother's new husband. Each of these problems is presented through a series of items including lists, report cards, notes and instant messages to her friends.

[Arden · Rating 4 out of 5]

i’m a sucker for these scrapbook style books. adorable

[Leontyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I don't condone violence, the best part of this book is when Ginny slaps her ex-bestie for talking bad about her brother.

[Minni Chappidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love picture books. I also love random doodles and
notes. THIS BOOK WAS A COMBINATION OF BOTH!!!! I loved reading the notes and examining all of the pages. A very fun book.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very visually attractive book, fully illustrated throughout on glossy brightly colored pages. It's told as a scrapbook of ephemera: newspaper clippings, homework, notes on the fridge, bank statements, greeting cards, ims, poems, to do lists... but it still manages to pull together to tell the story of a difficult year in the life of a tween just becoming a teen. I was surprised at how much emotional resonance it had actually, I was expecting something much more frivolous, but over the course of her 7th Grade year Ginny has to deal with getting a new stepfather and feeling torn loyalty towards her late father as well as her older brother's delinquency becoming more & more serious in addition to all the usual troubles of middle school life like broken friendships, dances, destroyed homework, etc. I enjoyed reading it, and I think it is a good book to help coax reluctant readers away from glossy magazines. I was struck at how dated some of the material is, though. Always an issue with this sort of thing, and I will cut the book some slack for being five years old, but I can't imagine that telegrams even existed in 2007. I was surprised to read that the book is as recent as that though, because although there are a few ims, there are no texts, no emails, and it all felt a bit 1990s to me. But perhaps that is just a quibble on my part, I will see if the 21st century generation notices anything old fashioned when I give this book to my twelve year old niece!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ginny's seventh grade to-do list includes ten items, including lofty goals such as "Get a dad." and "Get the role of the Sugarplum Fairy in the Nutcracker.", as well as more mundane goals like "Ignore horoscopes whenever possible." Unfortunately for Ginny, it does not mention having the dog eat her science fair project or breaking the jacuzzi jets with watermelon bubble bath.

The unusual format of this book allows the reader to follow Ginny's year through the ephemera of everyday life. Drug store receipts, report cards, newspaper articles, and the occasional journal article tell the story of Ginny's ups and downs in middle school. Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf is a funny, endearing look at a fairly typical 12-year-old and her family. Although there is no narrative, Ginny is a well-rounded character with hopes and dreams, triumphs and disasters. Recommended for ages 9 to 12. Winner of the 2009-2010 South Carolina Junior Book Award.

[Cornmaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's too bad this is limited to middle school, because a lot is still relevant through high school,imho.

Almost an altered book thing, and that's what makes it very interesting. My daughter, who does not like reading all that much, kept peeking over my shoulder each time I turned the page, and got into it enough to pick it up when I finished it. So it's not going back to the library just yet.

The images are wonderful, the writing is perfectly average middle school. Middle school teachers can say whether the experiences are true. I think they are a little mild, but the themes are the same. Obviously identity being one. Parental relationships being two. Sibling stuff being three. I sort of like that they are mild, because then the book can reach a larger audience, not just kids who are experiencing/have experienced extreme situations.

[Chase · Rating 1 out of 5]

Novels Book Review
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf written by Jennifer L. Holm is a look into the life of a middle schooler named Ginny. This graphic novel will tell a story through notes and pictures to lay out the life of a middle school girl. Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf is written by Jennifer L. Holm and illustrated by Elicia Castaldi. This graphic novel will go through the life of a middle school girl at home and at school. This book has a lot of conflict for example with her brothers, stepdad, and friends at school. This also has a resolution at the end when she finished middle school. Middle schoolers might relate to parts of Ginnys life or stories about middle school. Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf is more for middle schoolers or elementary students because of the middle school setting.

[Book Concierge · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ginny Davis is a fairly typical 7th grader. She keeps a journal outlining her goals - #1 get a new dad, #2 get a lead role in the ballet recital, #3 look good in the school photo, etc. The book is organized as illustrations which are “snapshots” of her journals, notes on the refrigerator, report cards, notes to/from her teachers, test papers, text messages and postcards. It reminds me of Diary of a Wimpy Kid but I don’t think it’s done quite as well. Holm includes some serious issues here – accommodating a new stepdad, a brother who is “acting out,” bullying – but her format doesn’t really allow her to explore them. It might hold the interest of a middle school girl, but I don’t think my niece (age 11) would particularly like it. I was bored.

[Pita-eater · Rating 2 out of 5]

One star for the story. Two stars for the the formatting. This scrapbook of bits of paper, receipts, and lists tells the story of Ginny, a 7th grader who is experiencing the ups and downs of life in middle school. The story is rather thin, and I kept thinking -- this is a privileged white girl with money. Longing for a $68 sweater is ridiculous. The way things are communicated on paper does not hold up well to time. Most of the messages on the slips of paper would nowadays be accomplished by text message or phone. There are a few IM bits, but the format screams early Internet and no one calls it "instant messaging" anymore, do they? The collage-style design is innovative and well done. Just didn't care for the story.

[Anne Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a neat idea for a book - told through stuff like letters between family members, report cards, doodles, instant messages (you can tell this book wasn't written pre-2000), and school reports. I enjoyed it - quick read but wasn't all fluff. Middle school is a struggle for most kids - and this book showed Ginny's experience.

[Ginny Messina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just loved this book! The “stuff” through which the story is told includes to do lists that Ginny, the protagonist makes, notes to and from her mom, report cards, and text messages. The graphics are outstanding and the story is very funny.

[Chloe Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is totally amaze!!! My favorite part is when Ginny gets the card from grampa joe and he signs it, Love Grampa Joe (The old guy in flordia). AHHHHH this book is SOSOOOSOSOSOSOSO goood!!!!!! ;B

[Michelle Stimpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever book. This is one that I can't keep on the shelves in my classroom. It keeps getting stolen, which is the mark of a great book! This is one I'd like to teach - especially for teaching inference.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, about a seventh grader, came out when I was a seventh grader! Why haven't I discovered it until now, more than two years out of college? This series is fantastic. I love the detail and creativity, and I want to read more novels told through pictures.

[Andy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book. I rolled my eyes when I opened it. It's a gimmick book, and although it's a cute idea, and maybe the author thought it'd be a giggle, it's not.

[Theresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

i hated this book

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The pages really made it easier to read. It's way better than those boring black and off-white pages in other books.

[kayley peters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jsmkk