All About Middle Grade Review: Watch Out, Hollywood! More Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child [blog tour]

Watch Out, Hollywood! More Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child (Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child, 2) by Maria T. Lennon, August 26, 2014. 240 pages. Published by HarperCollins. Source: publisher.

Charlie's adventures offer a fresh look at middle school, bullying, and mean girls. In Book Two, Charlie navigates sudden celebrity and auditions for a television series, but a little white lie may endanger the one friendship Charlie can truly count on—and her connection to swoon-worthy crush Bobby! Poignant and seriously funny, Charlie's account of her dilemma is one all tweens will relate to.

Charlie knows what it feels like to be stuck in the middle, but it's finally her time to shine. After saving her friend Marta in the old Houdini tunnels of Los Angeles, Charlie's become a local hero, gained sudden celebrity, and *MIGHT* just become a TV star! But will Charlie let her newfound fame go to her head? Watch out, Hollywood!

First Sentence:

Here's why I believe in second chances:
    Yesterday, I nearly got kicked out of school for something I didn't do.

If you remember, early in the month I talked about how much I enjoyed Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child, so, you know I was excited at the prospect of reading the follow-up and seeing what new trouble Charlie would find herself in.

There's just something refreshing about the humor and overall character development that makes Watch Out, Hollywood! More Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child such a fun book to read. In this one, I really enjoyed the calamity that seemed to fall into Charlie's lap as she tried to obtain her dream, of being a star, while still trying-in her own way- to help Marta achieve her own. Sure, it would have gone much smoother if she had come out and said certain things beforehand but alas things wouldn't have been the same if she had.

You can most definitely expect more craziness as Charlie aims right for her dream of being the star she's always wanted to be. Yeah, it is pretty easy to see that things could not possibly go the way she'd planned when the 'mean' girls are still patrolling and seeking to close ranks within the gymnastic squad. It is still hard to imagine that anyone would act the way these girls do. They are some seriously devious little monsters.
    So, while I usually do not enjoy petty deviants and the trouble they leave in their wake, I enjoyed watching the ensuing drama because it gave Charlie a chance to grow more as she learned to deal with them and make things right with her (few) friends. I think books are so much better when the character is pushed to the limit within their circle because it gives them more room to grow into the person they're meant to be; though, that only works if the author is able to reasonably add it in and show that the character does in fact learn/grow from the encounter.

Again, I can not say enough of how much I enjoyed Maria T. Lennon's writing. I really think she did a smashing job capturing the middle child-ness that makes up Charlie, and, I also enjoyed just watching her struggle through her troubles and come out on top.
   In the end, what really makes this book such a fun read is the perfect balance of humor, wit, and craziness. It all combines into a fun read that is pretty hard to put down.

Final Verdict: Watch Out, Hollywood! More Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child- Is a crazy fun read that you really don't want to miss out on.

Watch Out, Hollywood! More Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child earns

This book was received in exchange for an honest review.