Starting high school is more than a little intimidating to freshman Scott Hudson. Surviving the ride to and from school on the bus is challenging enough. But his college prep classes require crazy amounts of homework, and he’s not sure where he stands with his old friends, who are far less academically oriented than he. When his parents announce that his mom is pregnant, it’s almost more than he can take. As a way to cope with the stress, and to preserve some of the lessons he’s learned in high school for his unborn sibling to read some day, Scott starts a diary. In entries addressed to the new baby (referred to sometimes as “Smelly,” and others as a “fluid-dwelling piece of protoplasm”), he offers tips on what to do and what not to do during freshman year. Scott’s sense of humor, often hidden in his interactions with family and peers, comes out fully on the page. His true self emerges through the diary entries, and, as his confidence grows, in daily life as well. English is Scott’s favorite subject, so he spends a lot of time writing about the things he learns with Mr. Franka, his favorite teacher. Scott loves playing with grammar and language. Nowhere is he more confident than when he is interpreting Shelley’s poetry, writing couplets, or creating his own silly Tom Swifties. (Ages 12–15)

Starting high school is never easy. Seniors take your lunch money. Girls you’ve known forever are suddenly beautiful and unattainable.The guys you grew up with are drifting away.And you can never get enough sleep. Could there be a worse time for Scott’s mother to announce she’s pregnant? Scott decides high school would be a lot less overwhelming if it came with a survival manual, so he begins to write down tips for his new sibling. Scott’s chronicle of his first year of bullies, romance, honors classes, and brotherhood is both laugh-out-loud funny and touchingly wise.