New Review Tuesday: Tell Me Who

If you've ever been a 12-year-old girl, it's hard not to be drawn to the premise of Tell Me Who, by Jessica Wollman. Sixth-grader Molly and her best friend Tanna discover a machine that accurately predicts who you're going to marry when you're older. Squee!

As you can imagine, hilarity ensues, especially when Molly finds out she's destined to marry...a fifth grader. Uh oh! I loved the funny moments in this book, which brought me right back to playing MASH with my own sixth-grade buddies. But I also appreciated the more serious plot line, in which Molly struggles to talk to her dad about his upcoming wedding to the dreaded "Claw." Ultimately, Tell Me Who asks readers to think about whether or not we can change our destinies, a message that goes way beyond lunchroom antics.

This book would also be a fantastic accompaniment to a unit on inventions. Why not challenge readers to come up with their own machines designed to solve a question or problem? Best for grades 4–6.