I was (and am) the baby of the family. I have three older half-brothers (one now
deceased). All of them were grown,
married and gone by the time I was five which left my mother and I. I never had to suffer the slings and arrows
of being the “middle child”. My best friend
did.
I used to hear horror stories how my friend’s older sibling
lauded over the two younger children.
The youngest was (“Mommy and Daddy’s) favorite and my friend (the middle
child) somehow managed to get blamed for almost everything. It seemed he was always trying to prove himself
and as a result he sometimes drew too much attention to himself-to his
detriment.
Confessions Of a So-called Middle Child, by author Maria T. Lennon
and published by Harper, takes a more light-hearted look at being the middle
child.
“Charlie” is a typical pre-teen girl: gawky, all arms and
legs and a little too smart for her own good.
So smart in fact that she landed herself in trouble-big trouble-and has
to pay the price along with her family.
Her trouble making winds up seeing her family move away
because of her unwise choice. Now’s she’s
in a new school, seeing a shrink and stuck between her “oh-so-perfect” older
sister and “cute-as-a-button” younger brother. Life stinks!
To make amends her shrink gives her an assignment of
sorts. She is to search and befriend the
most unpopular kid in her new school and do it in public!
She winds up with Marta the Farta and Marta and her life are
about to change-forever!
Confessions Of A So-called Middle Child is a fun romp
through the life of a young girl transitioning into a woman. It’s about friendship, discovering meaning in
life and the chance to start over. I
recommend the book to any pre-teen (middle child or not) to read and I
guarantee they will see a little bit of themselves in both Charlie and Marta.