My nine-year-old son really enjoyed this one! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Ben Hardy's family has moved from California to Idaho, and he's having a bit of a hard time adjusting. Luckily, he has made two friends, Ellie and Hunter, so has secured a safe place in the cafeteria. He also has a crush on a cheerleader, Jayla, and she seems to like him as well. When he gets involved in a hot dog throwing incident in the cafeteria that ends up putting the school mascot (a giant potato!) out of commission, the coach gives him an option--act as the mascot for the next four games, and stay out of trouble. Ben reluctantly agrees, even though he doesn't completely understand what he needs to do as the mascot. The coach, a former mascot himself, gives him some pointers, and Ben does some research on the internet, but it isn't until he has an underwhelming performance during the first game and his team loses that he begins to take his job seriously. He gets invited to a dance by Jayla (with an elaborate locker surprise) and agrees to go with her, and even meets her for a date before that. He has to lie to his friends and tell them he is grounded, since he doesn't want anyone to know he is the mascot. He does talk to Mitch, the custodian's son, who finds out his secret. He even makes an attempt to get the lonely Mitch to eat lunch with his friends. He also doesn't tell his parents that he is the mascot. This is a tenuous situation, and things will eventually meet with disaster. How long can Ben manage to make things work?
Strengths: This was such a delightful relief after months of deep, sad, lyrical middle grade fiction. The cover is fantastic and shows how much fun the book is going to be. The page illustrations are helpful in getting readers of Wimpy Kid to pick this up. I loved Ben-- he meant well but occasionally did stupid things. His crush on Jayla is perfect, as is his eventual realization that there is a better girl for him. There are lots of good details about life in middle school. I just adored this one!
Weaknesses: Found it hard to believe that Ben was able to keep his mascot duties secret from his parents (Permission slips? Pay to play?), and some of the team names and mascots walked the line of overly goofy. Small quibbles, though!
What I really think: Buying at least two copies for the fans of Richards' Stu Truly. I need a LOT more books like this-- fun, but with small underlying middle school problems. Brilliant stuff.

This was a really enjoyable read about a boy who secretly becomes the school mascot, and has to live with the highs and lows of his double life. I loved that it will appeal to sports fans, as a lot of the book takes place on the basketball court, but there's much more to the story with his changing friendships, sudden popularity, and the fallout from accidents to which he is prone. It's very funny, and I definitely agree with the comparisons to Gordon Korman. I'll be purchasing this book for my collection when it's out on March 24th.

Brilliant. I needed a pick-me-up and hoped MY LIFE AS A POTATO could deliver, and it didn't disappoint. I was chuckling and laughing out loud all the way through. Such fantastic classic comedy here, with a real Ross and Rachel Friends vibe for our hapless hero Ben when he gets near his crush. I particularly loved Ben's first encounter with the suit -- "The suit has it in for me, I swear. After all, it is a potato— aka the starchy root of all evil. I sense hatred in its eyes and glare back to assure it the feeling is mutual." Fantastic situational comedy and excruciating relatable middle school scenarios. I loved it.

While not to my taste, I think this book will enjoy wide popularity. The illustrations are charming and the plot funny, if occasionally preachy and weirdly focused on middle school social order. Think Diary of a Wimpy Kid but with more text and far more potato-based puns.

Such a fun book! I really enjoyed the very MG voice of this.

One thought - I think I saw a mention of Ellie's mom as a Latina woman which seems a bit redundant since Latinas are also women.

This was one of the funniest and cutest middle grade books I’ve read. Right on par with The Wimpy Kid.

I laughed and grinned and held my breath during Ben’s adventures as a spud.

I read this out loud to my kids (ages 7 and 10) at bedtime. Suffice to say, this wasn’t a good idea, because they were always requesting, “one more chapter, Mom.”
They both LOVED it and took away such different things from the same story.

Arianne, I’m going to be buying this book for all the kids I know, and I know A LOT of kids. Thanks for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this fun, light-hearted, and loud-out loud funny romp. This book is perfect for fans of Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I also loved the focus on sports, friendship, navigating first crushes, and the really thoughtful take on trying to be popular vs. just being yourself. If I were a teacher, this would be a classroom must-buy for me!