Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie
Author: David Lubar
Publisher: Dutton Books
Publication Date: July 2005
Pages: 279
About the Book: 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 sibling-to-be. He has a knack for writing, and it allows him to observe life from the sidelines (the best choice for the sleep-deprived.) But, in trying to capture the attention of Julia, the freshman goddess, Scot finds himself pulled out from the sidelines and dragged in to all of the action — school plays, student council, the school paper. Could be he’s in over his head. Will Scott eventually find his place in the confusing world of high school? Will he win Julia’s heart? Will he ever get enough shut-eye? Scott’s chronicle of freaks and bullies, ridicule and romance, homework and home havoc is both laugh-out-loud funny and touchingly wise.
My Thoughts: Funny, funny, funny! I love David Lubar!!! This book is fabulousness! I love the idea of a teenaged boy writing a high school survival guide for a younger sibling. The fact that this sibling is not yet born makes it even funnier! In his entries Scott refers to his sibling-to-be as microscopic intruder, stomach virus, toe sucker, and other such “endearing” nicknames. He gives his unknown sibling advice on everything from the different types of bus drivers to the perks of being beaten up. One of my favorite entries in the very first one in which Scott lists “Scott Hudson’s High School Survival Tips.” The first three are:
Keep away from seniors.
Keep away from juniors.
It’s probably a good idea to avoid sophomores too, since most of them seem to want revenge for what happened when they were freshmen.
His entries are hilarious and fresh. I also loved his articles for the school paper. David Lubar knows how to do funny! Scott is a witty but still believable as a teen.
The book isn’t just journal entries, articles, and lists… there are actual chapters. And they too are awesome. I’ve read so many high school stories from a female perspective. It was fun and refreshing to experience a male point of view. Boys struggle with fitting in and making a good impression too! Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie is popular with my students who have enjoyed The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. And, if you couldn’t tell, it’s popular with me too 🙂
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