HOW LUNCHBOX JONES SAVED ME FROM ROBOTS, TRAITORS, AND MISSY THE CRUEL, by Jennifer Brown

The story: All Luke Abbott really wants is to hang around, play Alien Onslaught with online friend Randy, and keep his brother from going into the Marine Corps and possibly getting killed. Is that so much to ask? Dad says “Yup” and forces him to join the robotics team at Forest Shade Middle School, famous for never having won anything EVER. Could Luke and the team start a new trend? Unlikely, with the group of losers assembled here. But Luke’s going to have to figure out how to take charge of his own life if he ever hopes to keep out of the clutches of Missy the Cruel–and giant Lunchbox Jones may be just the guy to help him do it. Stranger things have happened.

Mrs. Friend’s opinion: Luke is a funny, wise-cracking narrator trying to hide the fear he has about his brother’s upcoming departure for boot camp. This is a story with a lot of heart, that even kids who aren’t robotics-team nerds will like.