Published: 2022
Author: Arianne Costner
Illustrator: Billy Yong
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Humor, Friendship, Juvenile Fiction, Family
Audience (Grade Levels): Grades 3–7
Number of Stars: 4-Stars
Goodreads Link: Confessions of a Class Clown
Triggers: Brief allusion to a possible eating disorder
Review By: Molly Clark
Publisher’s Summary:
This middle-school class clown’s hilarious online videos might get thousands of views . . . but is fame worth the price of friendship? The humor of I Funny meets the multiple perspectives of Because of Mr. Terupt. Meet Jack Reynolds. Making people laugh is his life’s work. Jack’s wacky MyTube channel is really starting to take off. The only problem is, for the truly epic posts, he needs a collaborator. And, well, he doesn’t exactly have any friends. So Jack has to swallow his pride and join the new afterschool club, Speed Friendshipping. But who would make the best partner in comedy?
- Brielle, Miss Perfect candidate for student body president?
- Mario, whose mom won’t even let him have a smart phone?
- Or Tasha, the quiet, mysterious girl with a shaved head and a crocheted hat for every day of the week?
One of these kids could help catapult Jack to internet fame . . . or even become a true friend. But what will it cost him to go viral?
With an unfailing knack for the middle-grade voice, Arianne Costner, author of My Life as a Potato, explores themes of friendship, belonging, and the ways social media can put pressure on today’s kids.
Review:
I think we all know a kid like Jack. You know, the kid who tries so hard to get laughs that he sometimes alienates his classmates. As I read the book it was easy for me to identify students who would relate to each of the characters in the book. The book is told mostly from Jack’s point of view, but the other characters tell their sides of the story in “Short Takes” that appear periodically in the book. The book makes it easy to identify these Short Takes by including an illustration of the character who is speaking as well as using a different font from the main story.
The story opens with Jack realizing that the boy he considered his best friend has moved on. He attends “Speed Friendshipping” after school in an attempt to meet a new partner for his video antics. Through this activity and the required interactions with kids who are not in his normal social circle, Jack learns that his classmates are more interesting than he first thought. The characters are diverse in terms of ethnicity, gender, and family composition and the author tells the story with a voice that is authentically middle school. Readers will relate to the classroom antics and the social anxieties shared by Jack, Brielle, Mario, and Tasha. This would be a good class read aloud or book club book since it presents many opportunities for discussion about characteristics of friendship and social success in middle school.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- Social-Emotional Learning (Digital Citizenship & Friendship Dynamics): This book directly addresses how social media pressure impacts real-world relationships and personal integrity. Educators can use Jack’s quest for viral internet fame to discuss peer pressure, healthy boundary setting, and the value of sincere offline connections over superficial online popularity.
- English Language Arts (Multiple Perspectives & Point of View): The narrative structure utilizes “Short Takes” to present different perspectives alongside Jack’s main point of view. Teachers can use these transitions as mentor texts to teach students how varying narrative voices, visual font cues, and character illustrations change a reader’s understanding of a shared event.
Diversity & Representation:
Confessions of a Class Clown supports diverse collections by showcasing a realistic, varied cast of characters across different genders, ethnicities, and family dynamics. By shifting perspectives to spotlight supporting characters like Tasha, Mario, and Brielle, the text explores the distinct social anxieties and diverse home environments that shape how middle schoolers interact and seek belonging.
Readalikes
- My Life as a Potato by Arianne Costner
- I Funny by James Patterson
- Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
