The Tapper Twins Go to War (With Each Other)

Gr 4–6—What's wrong with a little pranking among siblings? Things couldn't possibly escalate, could they? Twelve-year-old twins Claudia and Reese Tapper live on the Upper West Side of New York City with their rather clueless, professional parents and a nice but also clueless nanny. In an effort to examine the events that led up to a full-scale war between the twins, Claudia decides to interview the combatants as well as a variety of allies and enemies, bystanders, and parents. The result is this "oral" history transcript complete with text messages, photographs, emails, and gaming chat logs. Like any self-respecting millennial, Claudia consults Wikipedia about war and sees parallels between World War I and her battles with Reese. And to think it all started with a misappropriated toaster cake. While there is plenty of hilarity, readers will experience many little pings of recognition; the dynamics between siblings and schoolmates rings true. Rodkey keeps the action moving and relatively light while maintaining a laser-beamlike eye on the complicated bond of twins, navigating the minefield that is middle school without judgment or didacticism. Fragile egos, misunderstandings, and actions that seemed like a good idea at the time are laid out in an engaging format that will be appealing to tween digital natives and fans of "Origami Yoda" (Abrams) and "Charlie Joe Jackson" (Roaring Brook). A fine beginning to a funny, new middle grade series.—Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ