NPL’s Book Quest

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis.  Reviewed by a Children’s Librarian.

Emma-Jean is an odd sort of seventh grader – she is very smart, but prefers to observe her classmates rather than befriend them. She likes to look at things rationally and does not seem to care what people think of her. Colleen, another seventh-grader, is just the opposite. She cares too much what people think of her and is always working hard to make sure that her classmates like her. These two very different characters’ lives intertwine when Emma-Jean decides to use her ultra-logical problem solving skills to help Colleen deal with a social situation.  Because this seems successful, Emma-Jean begins helping other people but the effect she is really having on their lives is not immediately apparent.  Told in two different voices of seventh-grade girls, this is a wonderful story of life and friendship in middle school.  Both boys and girls, young and old, will enjoy this pleasing novel.  It makes an especially good read-aloud book for 5th and 6th graders.