Jawbreaker

I knew Jawbreaker was something special. It's an Editor's Choice and Favorite on a lot of lists. But I didn't know how much I would love it. A. WHOLE. LOT. I have been recommending Jawbreaker to friends with middle-grade kids, but also to friends without kids (like me) who just love great writing and stories about growing up. C. Wyman has created a whole world of characters who are so very real and who are going through real things. This is the kind of book I wish I had in grade-school, junior high and high school. The kind that makes you laugh and cry and feel real feelings and root for everyone. I don't want to give away too much of the plot because it's such a joy to read it and have it unfold. Just know that Jawbreaker is the kind of read that leaves you feeling like you were there - in the school, in the home, on the journey and you hate finishing it because you feel like you really knew these characters and you want to keep them in your life. Bravo! I can't wait for anything and everything C. Wyman writes next. (And yes, even my cat was into Jawbreaker). If I could give this book ten stars, I would.

I would recommend this to any older child or young teen, and honestly to many adults. There are many things I've never seen done this well in literature: the experience of being chronically broke but not poor, of having a family that is deeply dysfunctional but still shows love, of having good friends but not being able to figure out how to talk to them about hard things, and the distinct loneliness of having an experience that everyone in your family is going through but no one is talking about with each other. Braces and bullying may be the central focus in this book but there is so much more. I especially loved a part where the main character writes about how school policies don't take into account differences in student resources. I hope all educators read that! Loved the characters, funny dialogue, and story arc from miserable beginning to triumphant ending. Well done.

Solid middle grades title about orthondontia, bullying, friends, family, sibling rivalry, and more. Max is dealing with major changes and her sister who used to be her best friend! When her sister joins her at middle school, suddenly she becomes a bully!

JAWBREAKER is a heartbreaker that will make you angry, sad, and hopeful that things will get better for Max, the girl with the class II malocclusion that has taken over her life. The story is a treatise of the horrible effects of bullying when adults who are supposed to protect children seem clueless. Alone in the world where even your family seems not to care. This story will hurt you, break you, and then stitch you back together so you will never be the same.

I purchased this book for my 13yr old grand daughter. She loved it, especially the ending. She brought it back to me and said she thought I would enjoy reading it too. So I did!! And she was right - I read it all one morning. What a great story and important message . I would love to see this in movie-form

This middle grade book takes us into the lives a several middle grade families. Life lessons abound, and invite us to see how others feel.

Love the title! Great cover illustration that grabbed my attention! An appropriate choice seeing as my Middle School aged Granddaughter just got braces!

Having recently had braces as an adult, I totally connected with Max Plink, the main character, of Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman. Max has a difficult life. She has a Class 11 Malocclusion which means not only does she have to wear braces, but she also needs to wear headgear about 8 hours a day. She nicknames the headgear "Jawbreaker". In addition, her relationship with her sister has deteriorated to the point where her sister relentlessly bullies her and her parents are constantly fighting and Max suspects the cost of her braces is a contributing factor in their fights.She wants to enter a journalism competition and meet her journalism hero, but to do that she has to produce a video and let the whole city see her often ridiculed face. Can she do it? Read the book to find out!