FIRST DAY, WORST DAY

An embarrassment-prone kid starts at a new school.

The protagonist’s name is redacted, and an emoticon-style sticker (showing different emotions) covers his face in the illustrations, because, as he explains, it would be far too humiliating for readers to know his identity. He hopes his new town and school will be a fresh start, but right away, he’s plagued by misfortunes. Once he finally makes it to school (late because of a hilarious incident involving maple syrup and a pack of dogs), he searches for his classroom, encountering more woes. Along the way, he crosses paths with star athlete Jake Gold and video game heiress Regina Du Lar, who help him find room 31-Z. The unusual school becomes even odder as the trio uncover a staircase hidden in a locker. Nothing comes of the discovery, however, other than the kids making a new friend (described as having “ghostly pale hands,” though in the illustrations, her skin color is somewhere between the narrator’s and Jake’s paper-white skin tone and Regina’s dark brown complexion), who quickly solves their problem and leads them to the classroom. And though the protagonist endures one last embarrassing moment, he’s also reassured that his new friends like him anyway. Some readers may be distracted by illustrations that occasionally don’t match the stated character details. Though the plot’s a little thin, it sticks the landing, and the occasionally gross-out, cringe-type humor will please many readers.

Carried by wackiness and jokes aplenty.