Callie’s Rules

Raised in a liberal household by their artist mother and attorney father, 11-year-old Callie and her six siblings have always been encouraged to be free thinkers, and in middle school, Callie feels stifled by rules. The new set of social norms she believes she must follow to fit in—“Don’t ride your bike to middle school”; “When you take a test, take your time. The worst thing in the world is to be finished ahead of everybody else”—are as repugnant to her as the restrictions set forth by her teacher and uninspiring principal. Not wanting to stick out from her classmates or seem strange, Callie reluctantly tries to blend in until plans to replace Halloween with Autumn Fest (promoting “good, wholesome, God-centered American values”) force her to stand up for what she believes. Independent-minded readers will relate to the disgruntled heroine as she hatches a plan to bring fun and creativity back to Halloween. Zucker (Benno’s Bear ) paints morals and characterizations in broad, familiar strokes, but the antics of Callie and her large, boisterous family keep the material fresh. Ages 8–12. (Aug.)