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The Secret Life of Hubie Hartzel
Reviews:
From Publisher's Weekly:
In this first novel about the trials and tribulations of a fifth-grader, chronic daydreamer Hubie Hartzel has decided that "life stinks." His cat is sick, his best friend is treated better at home than Hubie is, he's the chief victim of Marucci, the local bully, and he's fallen in love with his art teacher. But Hubie fantasizes that he'll be thin, that he'll defeat Marucci, that he'll find his real parents who will treat him better and that his art teacher will love him back. Finally, when Hubie decides to take his life into his own hands, the results aren't exactly as he dreamed them, but they can sometimes come pretty close. With its likable characters and funny scenes, Masters's light and breezy saga is eminently appealing. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)
From School Library Journal:
Gr 4-7-- Hubie Hartzel has problems. He's failing math, he's overweight, he's stuck between a spoiled little brother and an impossible older sister, and he's the target of Ralph Marruci, class bully. But he has an escape--daydreaming. He imagines himself everything from a rock star to a prize fighter, depending on his current dilemma, and draws pictures in his notebooks in class, specializing in caricatures of his teachers, family, and friends. Unfortunately, Hubie's attempts at coping with life often backfire. He winds up in more trouble than before, and when the perfect plan for revenge on Marruci blows up in his face, he really hits bottom. Masters does manage to rescue Hubie from peril in this entertaining first novel. She writes confidently and engagingly of the ironies that beset fifth-grade Hubie. Her characters are developed with a light, humorous touch that renders them human, and the plot moves quickly along to its happy but not-too-obvious ending. Most readers are sure to identify with Hubie's plight and cheer him on. --Joyce Adams Burner, formerly at Spring Hill Middle Sch. , KS
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