Lexile = 760
I was drawn to this book by the cover. Cute, huh? I also thought that is sounded upbeat.... which was appealing after the ghost story I last read. Turns out, the format of this book is what is really appealing. (Format : general plan of organization, arrangement, or choice of material)
The Encyclopedia of Me is written in first person, but in encyclopedic style. That is, the main character, Tink, is writing about herself in small, alphabetically arranged chunks. And it is cross-referenced, as well. Sample entries include "Halloween" which then tells about Halloween activities in Tink's past; "Ice Cream Incident, The" which is a rather lengthy entry about how a stroll to the local hangout ends in an unexpected kiss; and "Autism" where Tink introduces the reader to Seb, her older brother who is autistic.
So this isn't a serious encyclopedia, but it is a clever way for Tink to tell her story. In fact, English teachers, this would make a great template for writing in your middle school classes! The small chunks of material are not only very readable, but would be very "writable" as well for middle schoolers.
The Encyclopedia of Me is supposedly written in the summer before Tink's 8th grade year. Might be a bit young for us, but it might remind you of the way things were! Nothing much new or earth shattering here, but it is an enjoyable read and a trip inside the mind of a 13-year-old girl.
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