Twerp (Twerp Series)

I very much enjoyed this story, set in Queens in the '60s. Goldblatt brings my memories to life, but it's not just a nostalgia trip. It's a story that's as relevant today as it was back then. Kids don't change; peer pressure doesn't change; growing pains may be accelerated for today's kids, but they still happen for the same reasons.I rate it a four only because I don't think I could recommend it to all the tweens I know (which speaks more to the readers than the writer). Some might find it too "old fashioned," but I think a reader who is open to reading things not just set in the 21st century, supernatural or not, or in fantasy lands would enjoy it. When I was a tween in the '70s, I liked reading teen books from the 50s and 60s--out of date but good stories and a picture of a different time, like reading Little Women, but not all of my peers liked that. When I was reading, I thought some of my nieces might think the 60s setting "uncool". It's a little disconcerting that my childhood is historical fiction for today's kids, but there it is!And I enjoyed reading it. Like all good YA writing, it's just good writing. I enjoy reading a lot of today's YA fiction, and I look forward to more of Goldblatt's writing, whether YA or adult. He's a good writer, and I also recommend his novel Sloth.

I really enjoyed this, it’s a simple read, but clearly defined spaces offer rich environments of the inside of a young kids psyche. I feel like the weaving individual story arch’s offer a lot of possibilities to create relationships to your own personal story. I only chose to read it to accompany a school project for my step daughter but I ended up devouring this in a day. It’s opened me up to have a conversation with my daughter to discuss a lot of topics she may not understand, more specifically the early chapters where Julian uses “Negro,” a hopefully less common word in today’s vocabulary, but not uncommon for civil rights era America. Read this, and have your kids read this, talk about it and learn from and about each other. Good stuff.

I read this story to my sixth grade class and they LOVED it! They were emotionally involved with Julian and the other characters, they loved the way it was told, and wanted me to read it every day. As the person who actually read aloud, I found that I had to adjust some references for mixed company, and the discussion of Shakespeare was a bit beyond what my students cared about. Toward the ending the character became a bit fixated on the fact he was nothing but dust and the constant reference was a bit much. However, reading this book to my class was one of the best reads because it lends itself for constant teachable moments.

Almost a coming-of-age tale, Twerp's premise is unique and interesting to this former educator. Julian is a sharp, caring 6th grader who finds himself on the wrong side of the metaphorical discipline rod way more often than he should. His misadventures, chronicled for his English teacher, include some serious and some silly pranks. Used for a class text, the bullying incident should allow for some interesting discussions.His gang of friends, the teachers at his school, and the milieux of late 1960s Queens come together in an engaging way. Julian's author makes few missteps with language and reactions of his young protagonist. I am looking forward to reading the sequel coming out in February, 2015.

My almost 9-year-old son really enjoyed this book although it is perhaps more suitable for 11 or 12 year olds due to certain themes such as girls and dating that my rising fourth grader doesn't yet get. The book does give you lots to talk about: peer pressure, friendship, etc. The story takes place in 1969, and the amount of independence kids had in those days is amazing.

I liked the book because it was hilarious 😂😂😂, but there were parts that were kind of gross and parts that were complicated.I would recommend this book to kids who like funny books😀😀.I chose a 4 star rating for this book because I really liked it but some parts were kind of confusing.

My son and I have loved reading this book together. I was looking for a book that would show the characters working through peer pressure and tough decisions and this has been exactly what I hoped. The story is comedic in just the right ways, and is giving my son great examples of how to navigate middle school. Highly recommend.

The book was really interesting. I loved it. I am a seventh grade girl, and it was great. It's one of those books that are great for either gender. Dating love letters for girls and boy humor for obviously boys😆. The one kinda flaw is that they are only in sixth grade they act and do thing way above their age. Anyways, it had an Awsome plot and you don't want to stop. 4.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999!

Beautifully​ written! A gem.