The school year is almost over, and Alex Ryan still has plenty of pranks to pull and jokes to tell. Then his dad attends the meeting about the seventh-grade outdoor education trip. Alex knows nothing good can come of this, Mr. Ryan is a jester, too, and the butt of his funny stories is often Alex. Still, Alex is not prepared for the comment that mortifies him in front of pretty, popular Marcia Faitak, his friend Dave Barnett, and the rest of his classmates. When Marcia tries to comfort him, Alex pounces on her. Marcia crumples, and Alex sets out to make up for his remark, even as he struggles to understand what impelled it. When all his attempts at reconciliation fail, Alex conceives a plan, to be executed during the outdoor ed trip. A surefire attention-getter, this should bring Marcia around, entertain Dave, and impress Alex's father. But, is this really what Alex wants to do?
"Mills has a great ear for middle-school dialogue, and her characters ring true. Readers are sure to identify with Alex, his friends, and the problems they face."
