Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf | 2006 | Jennifer L. Holm | Buy |
| 2 | Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick | 2012 | Jennifer L. Holm | Buy |
The Ginny Davis series by Jennifer L. Holm tells its stories through an unconventional format of notes, lists, recipes, and other everyday ephemera. Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf (2006) and Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick (2012) capture the humor and drama of school life through scraps of Ginny’s world rather than traditional narrative.
The format makes these books stand out from other middle-grade fiction. There is no traditional prose. Instead, the reader pieces together Ginny’s life from permission slips, grocery lists, report cards, and handwritten notes. Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf follows her through seventh grade, while Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick jumps ahead to the following year.
Holm is a Newbery Honor-winning author whose other works include Our Only May Amelia and the Babymouse graphic novel series (with her brother Matthew Holm). The Ginny Davis books have a different feel from her historical fiction, leaning into comedy and the everyday absurdity of being a kid.