Everybody Bugs Out
Leslie Margolis

Bloomsbury
2011 / ISBN 9781599905266
Children / Fiction / Family / Relationships (Ages 8-12)
Amazon

Reviewed by Bob Walch

There’s plenty of middle school drama, complete with first crushes, a boy-girl dance and one high-stakes science fair in this latest edition of the Annabelle Unleashed series.

Annabelle likes her classmates at Birchwood Middle School, but those positive feelings will be put to the test when the first school dance is announced.

Everyone is scrambling to get a date, and Annabelle and her friend Claire both have their eyes on Oliver. Annabelle has been working with Oliver on their science fair project, and she doesn’t want to jeopardize that assignment. To complicate matters, Annabelle believes one of their competitors is up to something not quite “kosher,” but if she blows the whistle will Oliver think she’s a snitch?

Dances, schoolwork, and friendships all make for a mélange of trouble for Annabelle but, as usual, she’ll get through the imbroglio in one piece. Dude, no one ever promised middle school would be a cakewalk!