While not to my taste, I think this book will enjoy wide popularity. The illustrations are charming and the plot funny, if occasionally preachy and weirdly focused on middle school social order. Think Diary of a Wimpy Kid but with more text and far more potato-based puns.

Such a fun book! I really enjoyed the very MG voice of this.

One thought - I think I saw a mention of Ellie's mom as a Latina woman which seems a bit redundant since Latinas are also women.

This was one of the funniest and cutest middle grade books I’ve read. Right on par with The Wimpy Kid.

I laughed and grinned and held my breath during Ben’s adventures as a spud.

I read this out loud to my kids (ages 7 and 10) at bedtime. Suffice to say, this wasn’t a good idea, because they were always requesting, “one more chapter, Mom.”
They both LOVED it and took away such different things from the same story.

Arianne, I’m going to be buying this book for all the kids I know, and I know A LOT of kids. Thanks for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this fun, light-hearted, and loud-out loud funny romp. This book is perfect for fans of Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I also loved the focus on sports, friendship, navigating first crushes, and the really thoughtful take on trying to be popular vs. just being yourself. If I were a teacher, this would be a classroom must-buy for me!