STARTING SCHOOL WITH AN ENEMY
1998, Knopf
Right when the problem of bullying is on everyone's mind . . .
Ten-year-old Sarah definitely has an attitude. But who can blame her? Her family dragged her along on their move from Maine to Maryland, she's left her best friend behind, and the first kid her age she meets calls her a "sick-o." What did she do?
All Sarah really wants is to make a good friend. But just as it looks as if she might find one in fast-talking, soccer-playing Christina Perez, Sarah's newfound enemy launches a crusade to make her life miserable. And Sarah can't stop herself from getting revenge - even though it threatens her new friendship.
Lots of laughs and spunky characters abound in this endlessly entertaining middle-grade novel, reminiscent in style to those of Barbara Park and Judy Blume. Sarah's witty observations and trouble making antics make for fun reading, and readers - even reluctant ones - will cheer as she finds an inventive solution to her "enemy" problem.
Review Excerpts:
"…after a few fierce temptations Sarah comes to the conclusion that sometimes it takes a lot more courage not to fight than to fight. This easy-to-read chapter book gallops right along, alternately riotous and serious."
- FamilyFun Magazine
"Reminiscent of Louis Sachar…Carbone has a spirited voice and a realistic heroine in big-mouthed, impulsive Sarah."
- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"This middle-grade novel belongs at the head of its class."
- Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Awards and Honors:
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice master list
Children’s Literature Choice List 1999
Starred review Publishers Weekly