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!