Your Move, J.p.!

"Spontaneous, natural, and humorous." —The Bulletin    J.P. is in love, and it’s making him do all sorts of weird things. Like using deodorant, bumping into walls, and imagining he hears serenading violins. J.P. has even forgotten his obsession with chess, too caught up in pondering the beauty of Angela Patricia Galsworthy, a girl who has just moved to town from London and has the most charming British accent.   J.P. will do anything to impress Angela, even lie about having a fatal disease called triple framosis. From there, his lies grow bigger and bigger and bigger, until he can barely keep them all straight. What’s a poor lovesick boy to do?

• Funny School Story: J.P. is the school’s chess champion, but his first big crush on the new girl from London has him bumping into walls, forgetting his best moves, and using deodorant for the first time.
• A Lesson in Honesty: One tiny, totally made-up lie about a fatal disease called "triple framosis" snowballs into a massive tangle that J.P. can’t control.
• Relatable Middle School Life: From embarrassing moments in the school hallway to the agony of trying to impress someone, this story captures the awkward and hilarious moments of being twelve.
• Classic Children’s Literature: From Newbery Medalist Lois Lowry comes a timeless and hilarious story about the lengths we go to for love—and the trouble we find along the way.

"Lowry articulates her hapless hero's thoughts in words more witty than he could imagine . . . at the same time she keeps the narrative and dialogue spontaneous, natural, and humorous." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books