Don't Make Me Smile (1981)

Charlie Burger is an eleven-year-old boy dealing with his parents' recent divorce and his mother's decision to start dating again. He lives with his mother in their house in New Jersey, while his father has moved into a nearby apartment. Charlie devises plans to get his parents back together, convinced that their separation is temporary. He navigates school, friendships, and family dynamics while processing this major change in his life. Between managing his mother's expectations and maintaining his relationship with his father, Charlie faces challenges that test his understanding of love, family, and acceptance. His inner world is filled with questions about relationships and what makes a family work. The novel explores themes of childhood resilience and the complex emotions children experience during divorce, offering a realistic portrayal of family transitions through a child's perspective.

Readers describe this book as a realistic portrayal of divorce from a child's perspective, with many noting it helped their own children process similar situations. Multiple reviews highlight the main character Charlie's authentic voice and relatable emotions. Liked: - Handles serious topic with appropriate humor - Validates children's feelings about divorce - Short chapters make it accessible for young readers - Honest portrayal of family dynamics Disliked: - Some parents felt the ending was too neat - A few readers found Charlie's attitude occasionally disrespectful - Dated references and scenarios Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (1,232 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (42 ratings) One teacher wrote: "My students connect with Charlie immediately and it opens up important discussions." A parent noted: "This helped my daughter understand she wasn't alone in her feelings about our divorce." Some readers mentioned rereading it as adults and finding it just as impactful as when they first encountered it as children.

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The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff A fourth-grade boy navigates his parents' upcoming new baby, friendship troubles, and his insecurities about being a dwarf.

Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park A sister processes the death of her younger brother through memories and learning to live with loss.

Rules by Cynthia Lord A twelve-year-old girl balances her relationship with her autistic brother and her desire for a normal social life while learning about family bonds.

🌟 Author Barbara Park is best known for creating the beloved Junie B. Jones series, which has sold over 60 million copies worldwide 📚 Don't Make Me Smile tackles the sensitive topic of divorce from a child's perspective, which was relatively uncommon in children's literature of the early 1980s 🏆 The book earned a place on several state reading lists and received recognition for its honest portrayal of a child dealing with his parents' separation 💭 The main character, Charlie Hickle, became so popular with readers that Barbara Park wrote a sequel titled "My Mother Got Married (and Other Disasters)" in 1989 📖 The book was among Barbara Park's earliest works for middle-grade readers, published several years before she began writing for younger children with her Junie B. Jones series in 1992