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SMOKE SCREEN
by Amy Goldman Koss
Pleasant Company
ISBN: 1584852011
Age Level: 8-10
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Mitzi is in the sixth grade. Lots of things are going on in her life
this year, and they're all about to come together into a witch's brew
of trouble.
First, Mitzi's mother might be the only smoker still left in California.
Mitzi would like for her to stop smoking because it's so embarrassing.
But when her mother tries to stop, she becomes so irritable and obnoxious
that she drives the whole family crazy. Mitzi is almost glad when
her mother stops trying to stop.
Second, every month at school the teacher moves all the kids' seats.
Suddenly, in January, a boy Mitzi has never noticed before is sitting
right next to her, and he's got a smile that goes from ear to ear.
His name is Mike, and Mitzi is determined to make him notice her.
But she's not having any luck.
Third, Mitzi's best friend Birdy is ignoring her in order to be best
friends with Roxy. Mitzi has nobody to be friends with now except
Fern, who is a Girl Scout and never tells a lie. In fact, Fern is
dead serious about everything, and it's hard for Mitzi to be around
her for very long because Mitzi herself has problems telling the truth.
She likes to call it an active imagination; when the imagination gets
a little too active, she calls the results "stretchers."
The fact is, her stretchers are like rubber bands: stretch them far
enough and they're going to sail off across the room and hurt somebody.
Actually, that's what happens. All Mitzi's problems come together
into one terrific lie. Mitzi isn't quite sure herself where the lie
came from, but she learns that it's more than a stretcher. Will she
be able to control it, or will it mushroom into something that will
be too humiliating for words?
--- Reviewed by Tamara Penny
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