Can You Get an F in Lunch?

How I Survived Middle School #1

by Nancy E. Krulik

On the very first day of middle school, Jenny McAfee's hopes for the year are punctured when her best friend dumps her. An auspicious start to a light-spirited series about friendship, adolescence, and anxiety.

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary, Friendship, Juvenile

101 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Nancy Krulik is the author of more than 100 books for children and young adults, including three New York Times bestsellers. She is best known, however, for being the author and creator of the Katie Kazoo Switcheroo book series, which has brought her to the attention of second, third, and fourth graders nationwide.

Nancy has also written extensively for teens and is well known as a biographer of Hollywood's hottest young stars. Her knowledge of the details of celebrities lives has made her a desired guest on several entertainment shows on the E! network as well as on Extra and Access Hollywood. She can be seen there talking about the secret lives of such celebs as Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, and Frankie Muniz. Nancy has also been a guest on radio broadcasts nationwide discussing the superstars she has researched over the years.

As the author of several teen and preteen advice books, including Grosset and Dunlap's Prom!: The Complete Guide to a Truly Spectacular Night, Nancy has been interviewed by several prominent magazines including Cosmo Girl, Teen, Teen People, Seventeen, and Teen Celebrity. She has also been the celebrity guest for three Teen People chat presentations. Nancy has recently begun to delve into the teen novel market, writing four romances for young adults, all of which will be published between 2004 and 2005.

Nancy currently lives in Manhattan with her husband, composer Daniel Burwasser, their two children, Amanda and Ian, and a crazed cockerspaniel named Pepper .

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book last night and it wasn't as good as I expected. It's all about the "Pops" (AKA the popular girls in school). The main character, Jenny, gets pretty much ditched by her best friend Addie for the Pops. Addie turns into a big fat meanie who talks behind Jenny's back with her new BFF, Dana. The book does have a moral to it, though. When at first Jenny doesn't succeed in trying to fit in by using things such as the hottest new style of clothes and smothering herself in makeup, she finally makes some new friends. Despite the fact that her BFFs are known as the geek squad, Jenny soon learns that popularity might not be as important as true friends. Quite frankly, I would prefer to not read something as dramatic. So depending on what you like, (most of you, I'm guessing, don't love this sort of book) this wouldn't be my top reccomendation.

[Fatou · Rating 5 out of 5]

1) I like this book because it could be real and because it makes me think a lot about it.For example on page 12 when Jenny realizes that one of her old friends go to the same school as her, she tries to be friends with her but it doesn't go as she expects.I had different ideas for what will happen next.Another example is on page 25 when Jenny starts eating lunch in the hallway because she has no friends.I didn't know what would happen next so then I started to think about the ideas myself.This book really pushes you to think.

2) You would like this book if you like to read about books new school year and a new start.For example on page 14 it starts telling the reader that Jenny started a new school and all the background information.It's a new start for her.Another example is on page 32 when she meets new friends and start fitting into their friendship style.That's a new kind of friendship she has to get used to.

3) One challenge of this book was when they started talking about Addie's friends.She has too many friends and then on top of that I have to read about Jenny's new friends, then they start talking about the other kids that go there.There are too many characters.

4) I would describe Jenny as a problem solver because when it was time for lunch she couldn't find anywhere to eat so she went in the hallway.I would also describe her as unique because no one else would go in the hallway to eat they would try to make new friends.

[Yee-Sum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, it took SO much Googling to find this. I remember loving this series back in elementary school. I bought the entire boxset at the Scholastic Book Fair and they mysteriously disappeared from my bookshelf a while ago; middle school me probably got rid of them, thinking they were beneath me, but current me knows better because I was so there for that middle school drama (in the fictional world only, real life drama gets a pass from me) and the little in-book quizzes. I'm pretty sure I was in love with Sam from the 4th book – asymmetrical bob with a pink streak in it? Yes! If I were to read them again now there'd be a 75% chance I'd still find them entertaining.

[Aliya]

This book is an insult to my intelligence:(it is a very good storyline but the author cannot articulate it very well. i am in grade six and this book is worse than the book "Pat the bunny". Even though this book is aiming for our age group it does not appeal to anyone. The book tries to have three plots but it doesn't work she usually forget about the other plots and go's (sorry about my punctuation) on talking about something else. If I ever saw that book again I would definitely leave it alone

[claud. · Rating 4 out of 5]

listen. this book was published in 2006 and is aimed at middle school children, but believe me when i say it STILL holds up. i've been feeling so much nostalgia for the books i read as a kid lately, and this is one of the books i decided to re-read. i'm in my mid-twenties now and long past middle school, but i was still thoroughly entertained. it's not chock-full of pop culture references so it doesn't feel dated. the characters were very realistic portrayals of sixth and seventh graders and not overly glamorized ala the clique. i'm almost in disbelief that i liked this book as much as i did back when i first read it.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think lot of middle school girls will relate to this book, mostly about the ever-changing social climate of middle school. Every student will recognize "the Pops", no matter what this group is called in their school. I liked the strong character of Chloe and I think former-best-friend", Addie, is typical of many "mean" girls. I didn't like the way Jenny stood up to her tormentor . . . a food fight. I would have hoped for a more positive model of coping and problem-solving.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly did not expect this book to be so good, but I really enjoyed it. It is great for young middle schoolers, or anyone looking for a short, fun book!

[Lani Skelley Yeatts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series in middle school!

[Monica Nightfall · Rating 2 out of 5]

So the moral of the story is that blonde girls are bitches and we should care what people think, right?

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I know it's a children's book, but st ill, that's no excuse for it being so awful. The characters are bland and are all stereotypes of some sort.

The plot. Where do we begin? Well, for starters I will say Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life has a stronger plot. The only thing that happens is that Addie becomes a bitch and decides to stop being friends with Jenny in order to hang out with the Pops aka the most popular kids in school.

Also, Pops? Really? What are they made of popcorn or something?

Jenny was a really idiotic character to me. She spends the first half of this book trying win back Addie's affection by dressing like a street walker and putting on makeup (even though she's 11). Here's some advice kid, if she doesn't want to hang out with you than she DOESN'T WANT TO HANG OUT WITH YOU!

I mean, even when she gets friends she still won't shut up about Addie. She even ditches her new friends to go stalk Addie some more. The worst part is that the author is trying to make us feel sorry for Jenny.

What?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

How are we suppose to feel sorry for Jenny, when she is doing the exact same thing Addie did. Jenny treats her friends like shit and they just except it!

At the end of the book Jenny gets into a food fight with Addie and learns that her friends are much cooler.

So she learns her lesson, right? No.

I read books 1-5 of this series, and at the beginning of each novel she complains how Addie ditched her and how she wants to be popular. And at the end of each novel she learns the same lesson over and over again. So no. Don't read this.

[Audrey]

“Can you get an F in Lunch?”
(How I Survived Middle School Series)
By: Nancy Krulik
Reviewed by: Audrey T

Have you ever tried to find out that if your best friend really likes you the same way? Do you really want to know the truth? Can you really trust your real best friend?
Jenny McAfee’s first day of school in Middle School was pretty unusual. Her best friend, Addie Wilson doesn’t really talk to her as much as when they both were at elementary school, 5th grade. Once in lunch, Addie would save a seat for Jenny, but on that day Addie didn’t. Jenny felt sad and lonely.
Feeling sad for Jenny? Addie is a “Pop”, (popular) and so is Dana. All Pops put on their make-up in the bathroom after lunch. I like the part when Addie says mean stuffs to Jenny and that the moment when Addie turns around, here comes Jenny dabbing “mixed yogurt” on her hair! Everyone goes cheering for Jenny because it’s first time on history that a non-Pop beats up a Pop in 6th grade! I think this book is very good because this book helps ages around 9-12 year old about their friendships. I think this book teaches me how to handle my friendship in a good way. I rate this as a “5th-star-book”. So if you need “help” for maybe your friendship situation, then I hope this book will give you some advice for it.
I think this book is really all about friendship. Jenny thinks that her best friend, Addie doesn’t really like her anymore because Addie is friends with a Pop, Dana.
I would recommend this book around ages 9-12 who likes to deal with friends in middle school a lot. This book is mostly for girls though, but I would recommend this book to girls that maybe the age of middle school that would maybe have friendship problems in 5th grade or 6th.

[Amara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this story a while back and I fell in love with it, it’s so heartwarming and special to me. It’s a really cute story about friendship, finding out who you are and about fitting in. For me, I enjoy reading this story when I start a new school year, even if it’s no longer at my reading level.

At some points Jenny’s character seemed to annoy me slightly. She didn’t seem to understand that her friend was basically ditching her and didn’t want to talk to her anymore. But I did understand why Jenny wanted them to remain friends; the two had been friends for a long time. Otherwise she’s an adorable person that I was really able to connect with and understand.

My favourite two scenes from the whole story was the cafeteria and water fight scene. It truly showed the theme of the book, friendship. These two scenes made me smile and when I feel down I think about this.

This is one of my favourite books of all time, read it over six times. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading stories that reflect real life.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. I thought that some of it was stupid but funny because I can't believe some people would do that to their friends. At other times, I thought that people were really nice. At one time, I can't believe that a girl would actually buy some shoes just so that she could be popular. I think that 6 graders would like this book more.

[Natalia]

I probably hated reading this because I am totally not the target demographic. I read it with an elementary school that I tutor to get her interested in reading, so don't take my review into account when deciding whether or not to buy this book for your kids.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Umm... I don't know exactly why I read this book, it was one of those random picks.

[Haley · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book was boring and just like every other book that is like it. nothing new.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book , but kind of short.

[rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe Addie ditched Jenny that was so sad

[Karen Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly shorter than I expected! The book was only about a 100 pages and took an hour to read. It contains the typical troubles faced by a 12 year old entering middle school for the first time.

Jennie is a typical middle school protagonist. She goes through a lot of the same things 12 year olds experience: a desire to break free from parental supervision, express her maturity, be cool, be popular, get lots of friends etc. You know the drill. You were probably the same anxious and eager to please kid in middle school yourself. I know I was. So it was kind of heartening to see that the main character was going through a lot! It was also a delight to see her make friends with other characters who aren't so hung up on appearances. Marc enjoys making videos to show the true side of middle school. Chloe is loud-mouthed and wears whatever she likes but she is honestly the most sane character in the whole story. She doesn't care about the popular kids (or the Pops as they call them) and she doesn't chase their approval. Good for her! I also like Felicia and Rachel who were Jennie's friends from elementary school. But I found that the development of several characters were weak. Josh is the nerd kid, Felicia has braces...Rachel is just quiet I guess? But maybe their personalities will improve in book 2.

This book shows us that middle school is tough if you took it too seriously and you wanted to climb the popularity ladder! Jennie learned that the hard way and I cringed hard seeing her try and fail to get in with the cool kids. But no matter how many fancy clothes she buys or how much makeup she applies, she finds out the hard way that just because you used to be friends with someone, doesn't mean that they won't change and hurt you. So it's best to leave them behind.

I enjoyed Jennie's journey a lot. She remains true to herself, finds out who her true friends are and asserts her own independence by breaking away from Addie, her ex-friend turned popular mean girl. It is intriguing to see Jennie finding advice from a middle school survival website. That website didn't have much explanation on its origin but I guess it would be a cool idea for all kids to find such a miraculous gem on the web when we were clueless. The middle school quizzes on that middle school survival website will provide plenty of entertainment and wisdom for lots of young readers.

With a strong role model who learns from her mistakes and finds out the true meaning of friendship, I think this series stands the test of time. A fun and short read!

[Candy C · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my childhood days, I read and loved quite a few books in this How I Survived Middle School series, but none of them were the first few books chronologically. Now that I have gained access to these books, I can finally trace the intriguing breakdown in friendship between Jenny McAfee and Addie Wilson from the start. Some scenes are rather dramatic, though I guess they can still be realistic depictions of American middle schools. Also, I love how unique and apt the title is. The quizzes are a fountain of silly fun and downright comical at times.

I must add that I much prefer this series to Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo, another series by Nancy Krulik for young readers. It might be because Jenny’s school life is not fantastical and thus more relatable. Needless to say, I already look forward to completing this series. Hopefully, the story only gets better from here.

[Scout Mejia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I really enjoyed back when I was in middle school. It’s an easy read for a middle school student and tells a decently interesting story. I think the story is a bit fast with its pacing, though I suppose it makes sense, considering the book is only a little over 100 pages long, and there’s a lot to tell, so every scene, save for the beginning scene, tends to be in little segments.
I think Jenny is an likable protagonist, she’s going through a relatable phase in which she’s more of a follower then a leader, looking for her place, while trying to hold onto her dying friendship.

The pacing is the only thing that makes it four stars. But then again, I’m not exactly the target audience. I defiantly enjoyed this much more as a middle schooler then I do now.

[Booknerdreads Grace Haddad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is still intriguing to me like it was 10 years ago!

[REJOICE UDUOBA · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book and it is the best

[ashy]

read in primary

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorite series from my elementary school days, and for that reason alone it deserves a 5/5

[Sam Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this book in 06 in a grocery store and loved it, then did my best to get as many of them as I could.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute.

[Hannah Dougal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book slays so much.

[Amaris Heeg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Period end those pops for me again Jenny
This book is so cute Im glad I stole it back in the day when I was in middle school

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

A horror experienced by just about everyone - the first days of middle school. Changing classes, finding your way around, trying to keep old friends and making new ones - it's one potential disaster after another.

Jenny McAfee is excited and scared all at the same time. After eight weeks away at summer sleepover camp, she feels pretty confident that she's got what it takes to conquer middle school. She doesn't realize that her BFF (best friend forever) has suddenly become part of the popular crowd. It's amazing the changes that can happen when you're gone a few weeks over the summer.

The first frightening day finds Jenny dressed all wrong, rushing to class, and getting lost on the way to the cafeteria. The eighth graders play the famous `take the elevator by the pool trick,' and Jenny totally falls for it. When she does finally find the cafeteria, there's no room at her friends' table and she eats all alone in the telephone booth. It's almost more than she can take. How can she even think about coming back for day number two?

Nancy Krulik begins a new series with CAN YOU GET AN F IN LUNCH? by creating Jenny, a character most readers will find more familiar than they probably want to admit. This quick read is filled with typical frustrations of being a middle schooler. Added bonuses are little pop quizzes Jenny says she finds on a middle school survival website. Readers can try the quizzes right along with Jenny and her friends.

Middle grade readers, especially girls, are sure to enjoy this series.

[Rebekah Henschen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a good book for kids that have problems in school and get picked on by the POPS in their school. The main character Jenny McAfee is a sixth grader who is going to go to Joyce Kilmer Middle School. When she walks into the school she is kind of scared and excited at the same time. The only problem is that she doesn’t know that her best friend Addie over the summer was hanging with POPS and not with her and is for a big surprise. Jenny has a lot of trouble the first week of school, such as getting tricked by some eighth graders to find out where the lunch room is, not finding anyone to sit with and wears a summer camp t-shirt with a lizard on the front and gets picked on a lot just in the first day of school and she needs to eat lunch in a phone booth, the hallway and in library plus the steps. By the end of the book Jenny is tired of hearing her semi-friend Addie and all of her friends tell lies about her friends and her plus they are picking on them. Jenny and Addie get in a food fight and get grounded at their houses, having to help the janitor clean up the mess and got to go to the dance but not how they pictured it, they were in charge of giving out all the food and beverages. At the end of the book Jenny is the new hero of the school and is now the one everyone wants to hang out with because she was the only one that was strong enough to stand up on of old friends and she stood up to a POP which no would be able to do. I liked this book I am going through the troubles of getting picked on and my friends are getting picked on and I am the kind that stands up for who I am.