Sarah Kate Tate, otherwise known as Skate Tate, has mixed feelings about middle school. Her best friend, Susie, seems to be undergoing a sea change, causing her to hang around with a girl named Kiki ("I think that Kiki is a silly name. It sounds like a choking sound, Kiki."), dye her hair blue, and lose interest in The Happy Scrappys, the scrapbook-making club they've been in since third grade. Fortunately, Skate's favorite person in the world, GUM (Great Uncle Mort), is always helping her remember not to be afraid of what's "around the corner." But when tragedy strikes, how can Skate find the courage to go on, let alone see what's around the corner?

Paula Danziger (Snail Mail No More, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, the Amber Brown series, etc.) has her finger directly on the pulse of sixth-grade life in this authentic novel about the very normal, bubbly Skate. Her scrapbook insert could be out of any middle-school girl's world, with happy faces, goofy photos, silly captions, and mementos from vacation spots. Readers will probably want to go out and start "cropping" their own scrapbook right away! (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Young scrapbook artists, in particular, will take delight in this book's unique artwork, which could come straight out of any middle-schooler's collection of memorabilia. The pictures (collages of photos, stickers, cut-outs and humorous captions) synchronize perfectly with Danziger's (the Amber Brown books) sparkling narrative. Both effectively capture some significant moments in Sarah Kate ("Skate") Tate's sixth-grade year. At first, the 11-year-old narrator has mixed feelings about middle school. She struggles to get her locker open and hates having to take industrial arts ("Industrial arts sounds like factories are turning art out and selling it in art shows in local hotels"). She grows apart from her best-friend-and-cousin, Susie, but Skate also makes some new acquaintances, like Huey, Duey and Louie, the "D.D.T." (the "Donald Duck Trio"), who ride her bus (and "quack"), and cute Garth Garrison, who shares her passion for art. These minor changes pale in comparison to the loss of Skate's favorite uncle, a world traveler, who dies suddenly. However, his adventurous spirit is kept alive in the form of his last wish, a unique legacy. As always, the author is right on target, encapsulating the fluctuating emotions, intensified passions, quirky humor and secret dreams of preadolescent girls. The book, climaxing with a family trip to Plymouth, Mass., advocates trying new activities and making new friends, pertinent encouragement for "tweens," who may be intimidated about starting middle school. Skate's sample scrapbook pages may well inspire those who already indulge and attract budding "scrappys" to the cause. Ages 8-12.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Grade 4-8-Danziger offers up more of the contemporary family fiction that has made her a favorite with middle-grade readers for over two decades. Sarah Kate "Skate" Tate confronts the difficulties of starting sixth grade in a new school, Biddle Middle. Her cousin and best friend, Susie, seems to be changing before her eyes, even losing interest in the "Happy Scrappys," a group of friends who get together to work on their favorite hobby, scrapbooking. Luckily, Skate has an extremely supportive family to see her through, especially GUM, Great Uncle Mort, an eccentric and fun-loving globe-trotter who encourages his family to enjoy life and notice the world around them. When he dies unexpectedly, the family is devastated, but determined to fulfill his wish that they visit some of the places he loved. The novel ends with the family's trip to Plymouth Rock, and readers are then treated to Skate's scrapbook of the trip and her sixth-grade year. As always, Danziger's characters are likable, and the dialogue and situations ring true, but, aside from the scrapbook art, there isn't anything new or different here. That gimmick is fun, and will likely inspire some creative readers to start a new hobby.

Ronni Krasnow, New York Public Library.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

You gotta love Paula Danziger's dry delivery as she voices Mrs. Lipschitz, the teacher who oversees the student newspaper at Biddle Middle School, in this full-cast (16 voices) recording. Sixth-grader Skate Tate (convincingly voiced by teen actress Carmen Viviano-Crafts) is on staff as artist and travel correspondent, coping with unfaithful friends, budding crushes, and, worst of all, the untimely death of her beloved Great Uncle Mort. When the young voices in the cast choke up as they try to express their grief, you're guaranteed to get a lump in your own throat. Funny, real, and like, totally sixth grade, "United Tates" is a great place to visit. M.C. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Gr. 4-6. Eleven-year-old Sarah Kate "Skate" Tate is having difficulty adjusting to sixth grade at a new school in New Jersey. Still, she has her favorite activity, "scrapbooking," and her favorite person, Great Uncle Mort (GUM), who provides unconditional love and support. Then GUM unexpectedly dies, leaving Skate devastated at first, then comforted by a legacy of joyful memories. Danziger characteristically blends droll wit and insight in an engaging, compassionate story of adapting to change. GUM is a great character, likely to win kids' hearts, and Skate is a likable, sympathetic protagonist whose journal-like narrative entertains as it explores issues kids will easily relate to--school, friendship, and family relationships. Skate's enthusiastic scrapbooking tips, and the 32-page color insert (black-and-white in the galley) meant to be Skate's scrapbook (it's a photo melange of real people and places) may inspire kids' creativity. A balance of humor, heart, and art. Shelle Rosenfeld

Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Carmen Viviano-Crafts accurately captures the emotions of the adolescent protagonist. An unforgettable audiobook. -- Booklist, January 2003 --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.