Smells Like Tween Spirit

Gelman’s fourth “Class Mom” novel (following Yoga Pant Nation) is, as always, fabulous. Filled with her signature one-liners and painfully truthful and funny emails, this entry follows fearless Jen Dixon as she navigates her son Max’s seventh-grade year. Max is on the wrestling team, so Jen becomes a “mat mom” for the squad at Pioneer Middle School (PMS for short, and the irony is not lost on Jen), in addition to her other activities: helping with the dreaded science fair; teaching her spin class; caring for her ailing parents; and being cheerleader for her daughters’ new healthy cooking venture. Her daughters fall for Max’s wrestling coach, who’s so attractive that Jen herself can barely look him in the eye. The other “mat moms” are reminiscent of her previous class mom and PTA days, with one mom in particular egging Jen to get her own wrestle on. The hysterical scenes are interspersed with more intimate moments as the dynamics change between her husband, her children, and her parents.