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4-6
Illustrated by
J. P. Coovert.
Middle schooler Charlie Joe Jackson hates reading so much that he enlists friends, siblings, and others in schemes to avoid it. His punishment is writing a book (the one we're reading), and he discovers he likes writing. The narrator's faux I'm-one-of-you tone won't fool reluctant readers. However, his smart-alecky voice--and the lengths he goes in his attempt to escape reading--may entertain them.