Monopoly

"It's not a good game of Monopoly unless somebody cries."  This is the viewpoint held by my husband and his family.  I'll be the first to admit I am a very competitive game player but bringing somebody to tears is just a little too intense even for me.  Thankfully, Will Tuppence and his friends have a very different outtake.  They gather weekly for a round of Monopoly, and though there are some surprising upsets, there aren't any tears.

Will is the main character in Jerry Spinelli's Smiles to Go (see Spinelli's Newbery winning novel here), and Monopoly is not the only unusual hobby he and his friends share.  This group of 9th graders also enjoy Astronomy and Will is a chess champion. But wait!  Before you think this is a nerd book let me tell you that Will and his pals are also avid skateboarders.  I love that Spinelli's characters don't conform to any one specific "type."  They're real-like us, multi-faceted and unable to be pigeon-holed.

That's not to say there aren't universals.  Like many other 9th graders Will struggles with knowing his place at school, what should he do with his life, and-the big one-why do I get so excited when I see certain girls.  How does this boyfriend/girlfriend thing work?

And, as many people can relate to, Will has a younger sister.  A charming though pesky and often irritating younger sister.  Like all siblings they test each other, but when the unthinkable happens (and no-of course I'm not going to tell you what it is), they realize how much they really love each other.  Wait-I know what you're thinking and don't worry, this isn't a sappy book either.

  Finally, Will is a planner. This is something I definitely relate to.  As soon as Will started listing out his plans I immediately felt connected to this character.  I rooted for him, I wanted his plans to work.  Did they?  You'll just have to read the book.

Taking games seriously....that's kids stuff.