One-Third Nerd by Gennifer Choldenko Illustrator: Églantine Ceulemans
Published by Wendy Lamb Books on January 29, 2019
Genres: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Pages: 224
Source: NetGalley, Blog Tour
My content rating: MG
My rating:
A funny, fast-paced, and heartfelt story from the Newbery Honor-winning author of the Al Capone series.
Fifth grade is not for amateurs, according to Liam. Luckily, he knows that being more than one-third nerd is not cool. Liam lives in the Bay area near San Francisco with his mom and two younger sisters. Dakota is fascinated by science and has a big personality but struggles to make friends; Izzy, a child with Down syndrome, makes friends easily and notices things that go past everyone else. Dad lives across town, but he's over a lot. And then there's Cupcake, their lovable German shepherd, who guards their basement apartment.
Recently, Cupcake has a problem--she's peeing in the house. The kids need to make enough money to take her to the vet before their landlord upstairs finds out. And Mom and Dad have said if Cupcake doesn't stop, they will find her a new home. But the kids will never let Cupcake go. Can they save her?
One-Third Nerd is a heartwarming middle grade story about a typically atypical family just trying to get by. I say typically atypical because, let’s face it, in today’s world very few families fit the standard nuclear family mold. Liam’s parents are divorced and they struggle financially. His youngest sister has Down’s Syndrome and his other little sis is brilliant (but maybe a bit of a handful). I think that Chodenko captured the family dynamic well. None of them are perfect, but they love each other and they’re doing their best.
Liam is sometimes self-conscious about his apartment and his brainy sister’s antics (she’s 100% nerd—perfect for her, but not great as far as Liam’s concerned). He’s especially concerned about how he looks to the new kid, Moses, who he thinks has it all together (especially since Moses is a superstar at tennis, Liam’s sport). To top everything off, the family dog is sick and has been peeing all over the house, and the landlord says they have to solve the problem or get rid of their beloved pet. Liam’s little sister isn’t about to let that happen so she puts her brain power toward saving her. Along the way, Liam starts to see his sister in a new light (at least a little) and he learns that maybe he doesn’t have to try to impress Moses—he’s just a kid looking for a friend. This is the type of middle grade where everything is tied up in a neat little bow, which might feel trite to some adult readers, but will probably go over well with the younger middle graders the book was written for. Overall, it’s a sweet story that will teach kids about the power of family, friendships, and not giving up.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley and Rockstar Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
About The Author
Choldenko is best known for her Tales from Alcatraz series, which has sold more than 2 million copies. Book #1: Al Capone Does My Shirts was a Newbery Honor Book and the recipient of twenty other awards. Book #4: Al Capone Throws Me a Curve is due out in 2018. BookPage said of her most recent novel, Chasing Secrets: “Choldenko’s ability to research obscure yet intriguing topics is uncanny, and as she did with the popular Al Capone trilogy she turns a tough topic into a high interest read … a compelling work of historical fiction.” Gennifer lives with her loyal husband and naughty dog in the San Francisco Bay Area.
3 winners will receive a finished copy of ONE-THIRD NERD, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
1/21/2018- Savings in Seconds– Review
1/21/2018- Novel Novice– Excerpt
1/22/2018- Twirling Book Princess– Review
1/22/2018- FUONLYKNEW– Spotlight
1/23/2018- Miss Magee’s Reads – Review
1/23/2018- Little Red Reads– Excerpt
1/24/2018- Character Madness and Musings– Excerpt
1/24/2018- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review
1/25/2018- Dazzled by Books– Excerpt
1/25/2018- Rhythmicbooktrovert– Review
Week Two:
1/28/2019- BookHounds YA– Review
1/28/2019- Ogitchida Kwe’s Book Blog– Excerpt
1/29/2019- Feed Your Fiction Addiction– Review
1/29/2019- Wonder Struck– Review
1/30/2019- Nerdophiles– Review
1/30/2019- Texan Holly Reads– Review
1/31/2019- Such A Novel Idea– Review
1/31/2019- For the Love of KidLit– Interview
2/1/2019- Owl Always Be Reading– Excerpt
2/1/2019- Two Points of Interest– Review
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16 responses to “One-Third Nerd by Gennifer Choldenko: Review & Giveaway”
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I love family tales so much especially when it is about embracing and supporting everyone’s uniqueness. Fitting in is so important about in MG! I know my son is very “aware” of all his family “peculiarities” and trying to deal with that LOL
Ha! Yes, our family has more than its fair share of uniqueness, so I could certainly relate.
Looks like fun.
It is!
Aw, this sounds like a really good read. I want to check out more MG this year. It sounds like the family dynamics are done really well and I love that.
-Lauren
I’ve been reading a lot more MG obviously. It’s been a nice change!
Wish my kids were still middle grade age – not because I miss tweens but I really miss those books!
Ha! My kids are actually a bit old for a lot of MG these days, but I still enjoy reading it. 🙂
I think I said “aww” at least three times while reading your review. This sounds really sweet and adorable.
Awww is a good word to describe it. 🙂
Oh this looks adorable! I loved the Al Capone series. I wish my stepson were old enough to buy this book for…but he’s only 6. He’s reading more Dogman level. 🙂
I haven’t read the Al Capone Series yet, but now I want to.
It sounds like there is a little bit of siblings comparing themselves to other siblings in this one and I think when you have siblings its inevitable to come across that at some point (says me who has three wonderful sisters!) so it’s nice to see that there is a MG book which discusses this a bit!
The comparison aspect wasn’t stressed as much as the dynamics of a family with unique challenges. Definitely focuses on sibling rivalry, though. 🙂
Looks like a good read and a book I think my granddaughter would very much like.
I hope she gets a chance to read it!