as if being 12 3/4 isn't bad enough, my mother is running for president!

Donna Gephart has written an engaging quick read about the life of a 7th grade girl whose mother is running for president. Vanessa is clumsy, self conscious, and a great speller. However, having a mother who is running for president has some major drawbacks. She never can attend your spelling bee. She's not home to talk to about your latest boyfriend problems. You have to schedule an appointment to talk to her. All of those are minor inconveniences compared to the fact people may try to kill you or your mother if they disagree with her politics. So Vanessa, besides trying to figure out if Reginald, the hottest boy in seventh grade likes her, has to figure out how to get her mother to drop out of the presidential race before she is killed.