The (Short) Story of My Life

When you're the shortest guy in the sixth grade, standing tall isn't easy.

Michael Jordan does not play basketball. He's not named after the Michael Jordan. In fact, he doesn't resemble an NBA player at all. Michael is the shortest boy in his grade, which is a problem for someone starting middle school. As if being the only boy sitting in the front row of every class photo isn't bad enough, his younger sister Emma loves pretending that she is his twin-and everyone believes her. Needless to say, Michael worries that the journal entries he must write every week for literature class will immortalize a very bad year. But then an amazing thing happens-Macy, a pretty, blond eighth-grader, starts being very, very nice to him. Why she would go for a shorter, younger guy is a mystery, but Michael isn't complaining. He just enjoys getting tutored by her (even though he doesn't need it) and seeing her at his older brother's soccer games. Who knows where things could go from there? Jennifer B. Jones's funny, upbeat novel perfectly captures a boy's nervousness about middle school, girls, and learning to stand up for himself.