Rating: 
Summary: An accurate account of a middle schooler's mind
Review: As a teacher in middle school I found this book to be incredibly accurate in portraying the thoughts and actions of middle schoolers. It gives an earnest insight into what a middle schooler goes through. It is an excellent guide for parents as well as middle schoolers, to show that they are not alone in what they are experiencing. Today there is little research on the preteen age and this book offers great perspectives presented in the eyes of middle schoolers. I recommended it to not only my fellow teachers, but to parents of my students as well. I am currently reading it to my students and they love it!
Rating:
Summary: An accurate account of a middle schooler's mind
Review: As a teacher in middle school I found this book to be incredibly accurate in portraying the thoughts and actions of middle schoolers. It gives an earnest insight into what a middle schooler goes through. It is an excellent guide for parents as well as middle schoolers, to show that they are not alone in what they are experiencing. Today there is little research on the preteen age and this book offers great perspectives presented in the eyes of middle schoolers. I recommended it to not only my fellow teachers, but to parents of my students as well. I am currently reading it to my students and they love it!
Rating:
Summary: Great book!!!
Review: As the parent of a middleschooler, I found this book hit the nail right on the head. The author does a great job of explaining what is going on with these kids and why. A must read for parents and teachers of 6-8th graders.
Rating:
Summary: Perlstein's an amazing reporter
Review: Author Linda Perlstein gets inside the heads of middle schoolers in a way that no one has ever done. Middle schoolers are the most mysterious and impossible creatures. Every parent approaches those years with dread, knowing that their child will turn into an alien, a monster. But Perlstein decodes and demystifies these kids in a gloriously entertaining, suspense-filled narrative. Each of the five kids she follows is fascinating, and you rise and fall with them through the turbulent mini-dramas of middle school life. Perlstein brings to life in the most vivid and delightful way the crushes, and friendships, and squabbles, and triumphs that define these years. Anyone who remembers their own middle school years with horror--or looks forward to their children's middle school years with horror--should read it. It will reassure you, and fascinate you.
Rating:
Summary: I know how it is,
Review: First of all, everyone that says this book isn't accurate is retarded. I go to WSMS and this book is so right it's like it was written by an eighth grader. She does a great job, perhaps you people don't have the insight to realise this book goes deeper. This book even helped me understand myself, I recommend it to girls and boys my age (eighth grade) who are looking to see through the eyes of another. It's hard being who we are, and this kinda makes it easier. :)
Rating: 
Summary: A good read on an important topic
Review: I attended Wilde Lake Middle more than 20 years ago and Linda Perlstein has shown me either how much middle school has changed or how little self-awareness I had during those tender years. Or perhaps both. Perlstein opens the door into the strange world of 6th- through 8th-graders as they cope with increasing academic demands, struggle (above all else, it seems) to fit in as new social dynamics swirl about them and, of course, deal with the physical changes of adolescence. She does so with insight, humor and compassion -- and an engaging narrative flair. We come to know each child she follows and to feel for them even when we (not to mention their parents and teachers) are dumbfounded by their actions. In a few instances the details Perlstein reveals seem so personal and intimate that I was amazed at the level of trust she established with her subjects, always the hallmark of a good reporter. My one quibble with the book is that Perlstein uses pseudonyms -- to protect the children's privacy, I presume -- and so we are not treated to pictures of the kids she profiles. In one way or another, however, all of their parents should be proud of their participation in this ambitious project.
Rating:
Summary: From a middle school principal...
Review: I heard Linda speak at the National Middle School Convention in 2003. During her presentation, she used quotes from this text. I was so intrigued, I purchased the book that day and read it in its entirety throughout the following days.
Reading this took me back to my time as a 'junior high' student. The feelings came rushing back and that experience has changed many of the ways I deal with my middle school students each and every day. I recommend this to my teachers as it provides a unique, humorous and sometimes touching insight into the 'tweenagers' we encounter.
The book is well written and kept a reluctant reader VERY interested. I highly recommend this book to middle school teachers and parents of middle-aged children.
Rating: 
Summary: Not much here, just disappointed
Review: I heartily applaud what the author set out to do, and (as the parent of a 6th grader) I couldn't wait to get my hands on her book. I have to say I was pretty disappointed overall. While the author chooses to focus on 5 middle schoolers, she devotes a disproportionate amount of time to the girls' relationships and problems; by the end of the book I felt I knew much less about the problems facing boys. Why, for instance, does she go into great detail about the bat mitzvah of Elizabeth, but only briefly refer to the wedding of Eric's dad -- an event with equally large impact in his life?Often she makes recommendations for parents or teachers to follow without citing any reference (other than, presumably, the comments of these admittedly self-centered tweeners). And her style of narrative can be confusing -- characters are brought into the story with little or no introduction, only to disappear and never return. Having said all that, I still am glad I read the book. I feel I gleaned a few insights (and of course am comforted to know I'm not the only parent wondering where my wonderful child went). However, if you are looking for a more thoroughly researched book with clear suggestions for middle school parents and teachers, I highly recommend "Our Last Best Shot" by Laura Sessions Stepp. She takes a similar approach but, for my money, gets right to the heart of the matter while Perlstein floats on the surface.
Rating:
Summary: Proud to have gone to WLMS
Review: I just started middle school when Linda came. I'm so proud of how she portrayed our school. Even though I wasn't one of the kids she focused on she would still talk to everyone, even on IM. I'm really proud of what she did and even prouder that she stuck with us for so long. She was there from when I was in 6 grade all the way up to when I graduated to high school. She really showed what WLMS is all about.
Rating:
Summary: Not Much Just Chillin, a great read...
Review: I picked up Perlstein's book, intrigued after reading a story about her experience in the Washington Post Magazine. I was enthralled and read it cover to cover. It's a book for everyone interested in today's middle schoolers, whether they have their own children or not. I was intrigued by each character she got so close to. I'm grateful to writers like Perlstein. This book is a must-read.
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