Reviewed by Isabelle M. (age 10)
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this book a 10. I liked how the author made the book a diary. The dates helped me keep track of what Jamie does each day and what she thinks. The illustrations in the book are supposed to be Jamie's sketches. These show how things look to Jamie. The author also made the book funny by making fun of people like the popular girl Angeline and a girl named Margaret who bites her pencils. Jamie Kelly, the main character, even makes fun of herself sometimes in her diary.
Jim Benton isn't a middle school girl but what is unique about his writing is that most of his characters he has in the Dear Dumb Diary series are girls. I wonder how a man knows what middle school girls would think.
I recommend this book to girls in grade 4-7 because the Dear Dumb Diary series might be something a girl can understand better then boys. If boys pick up a Dear Dumb Diary they might not appreciate the situations in the book and how a girl would feel.