Valerie Thomas

Stacy Kramer

Using the power of a magic recipe box belonging to her hippie grandmother straightens out some of the problems in twelve-year-old Franny Flanders' life, but she learns that when you tamper with karma, it can strike back in unexpected ways.

Karma Bites

Jessica Nottingham

When I first started reading Karma Bites my first thoughts were as follows. 

Do kids in middle school really talk like this? 

Wow, who knew they could be so mean?

 Pom? What on Earth is a Pom? Beek? Peek? 

Obviously I had a very different middle school experience than most, although I didn't realize it until now. Then again I'm sure that growing up in a tiny town will do that to you. Honestly I had no idea that middle schoolers could be so mean to one another! The caste system that was set up in Franny's school was most definitely intense, and I felt the strain that went with it. That being said, Franny was quite a brave soul to be doing as well as she was in that setting!

On to Franny herself. Hers is a character that I really and truly adored! She was cute, spunky and really funny. Her demeanor made her seem like she was so older than her actual 12 years. Although Franny did end up making some poor decisions, I was impressed with the wisdom with which she made them. I don't recall myself ever being as pure of thought as she was at her age! Perhaps it was her crazy and brilliant Grandmother's inspiration, but Franny is currently my favorite middle grade character.

My absolute favorite part about this book had to be the witty humor that was thrown in. I found myself reading over something, then doing a double take and reading it again. A snicker would escape my mouth as I realized how perfect that joke was thrown into that sentence! Stacy and Valerie are masters of hidden and witty humor. I don't want to spoil things for you, but honestly I absolutely loved the Lama! The last half of the book had me laughing more than I thought was possible. What is amazing is that under all the wit there is a lesson to be learned. Karma bites my friends, oh yes it does.

Truly, this one of the sweetest and funniest books that I have read in a long time! It was the perfect follow up to reading Lindsay Faith Rech's It Started With a Dare and I'm smitten! Despite my initial confusion with the whole middle grade caste system, I finished this book with a smile. If you're looking for a light and airy read to get your mind off of things, I suggest picking this up!

Karma Bites

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