So I'm not sure if the David Lubar of Pepper Weenie fame is the same as the David Lubar from Sleeping Freshmen, but the Pepper Weenie collection of short stories is quite amusing. Geared toward middle school students, Pepper Weenies is a book full of stories with twists. If nothing else, it'll keep the kids reading because they wonder what will happen next, as nothing happens as the reader would expect.
My favorite story from the collection is called "Smart Little Suckers." Here's the jist: The first person narrator has a tire swing in his backyard, a breeding ground for annoying insect life. His dad made mention previously of taking the swing down, but is a little short on the follow-through. Thus, the biting bugs that the narrator encounters every time he goes outside. These bugs, well, they make people smarter. The narrator, he's greedy with the smarts. I'm not going to say anymore if only because I don't want to give away the ending.
Two thumbs up for reluctant readers, though. I bet I could get my students to read these.
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