Worst Broommate Ever (Middle School and Other Disasters 1) by Wanda Coven

What worked:

Most kids don’t attend boarding school like Heidi but everyone must deal with meeting new classmates. She has the added pressure of living away from home so she doesn’t have the daily support of her family. Heidi must learn new routines and touring the large school can be overwhelming. Walking into a crowded cafeteria on the first day of middle school is intimidating as students search for friendly faces. Heidi and young readers will share these experiences which this character relatable.

Bullies and rivalries aren’t unusual for middle-school readers but this book adds some new twists. Heidi thought attending boarding school would leave her nemesis and bully behind but they’re assigned as roommates. Heidi doesn’t know why Melanie has hated her since second grade but attending a new school hasn’t helped. The story is told from Heidi’s point of view so readers know immediately that she won’t give Melanie any ammunition to tease her about. The competition is on. However, readers only get one side of the story as they don’t know what Melanie is thinking. The book reveals that the two girls have many things in common but Heidi’s defensiveness won’t let her consider that they might become friends.

The book offers a special focus on friendship. Heidi is ecstatic when she sees an old friend is also at camp and the two girls quickly find comfort in each other. Sunny has a nice roommate and all three girls are delighted to discover they’re all witches. Sunny thinks Heidi is a wonderful friend but she tells Heidi when things are getting out of control. Forgiveness and understanding are important between friends and Heidi and her classmates demonstrate these qualities toward each other. Later, uncomfortable circumstances require Heidi to withhold judgment toward others and force her to listen and communicate.

What didn’t work as well:

The author uses different-sized fonts in the narrative but it’s overdone; small, medium, and large. At first, readers might assume the font grows larger to emphasize the words but that doesn’t always fit what’s being said. I assume the author has a reason but it’s distracting trying to figure out what it might be.

The final verdict:

This book will be most popular for middle-grade girls since boys play a minor role in the plot. Heidi’s vulnerability and uncertainty will resonate with young readers and her rivalry with Melanie adds a familiar conflict to follow. Overall, this book offers an entertaining trip in the mind of a girl entering middle school and I recommend you give it a shot.