Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes

If you’re looking for a younger read-alike to recommend to tweens who aren’t quite ready for Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist, Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes would be a great choice.  An age appropriate read-alike without all the music would be The Schwa was Here for all those kids who consider themselves outside the norm.  For the middle school years, isn’t that everyone?  This is a good story for helping to learn that normal is freaks and  geeks.  Somehow 5 self-identified freaks who meet in detention, mix some frozen lemonade, a ukulele, drums, and a dying cat into their story, and with the help of an ok teacher, find themselves creating a successful band and student protest in this fast paced journal style novel.   I couldn’t  help but imagine Phoebe,  from Friends singing her cat song while I read about Skinny Nancy.