Eddie Whatever

  • Interest Level: Grade 5 - Grade 8
  • Reading Level: Grade 5

“Comic, creepy, calamitous, and . . . completely satisfying.”—Claudia Mills, author of The Lost Language and Zero Tolerance

With his bar mitzvah on the horizon, thirteen-year-old Eddie needs to do a community service project, and he needs to start yesterday. Against his better judgment, he ends up with a volunteering gig at Silver Brook Pavilion retirement home, where the elderly residents call him “Eddie Whatever” so they won’t have to remember his last name. Eddie expects his time at Silver Brook to drag, but at least his friend (and secret crush) Tessa will be there to keep him company—if he can manage to avoid embarrassing himself in front of her.

Soon, though, the seniors upend all Eddie’s assumptions. Their lives are full of excitement, with a dramatic courtship unfolding, long-hidden secrets emerging, rumors of a vengeful ghost running rampant, and a thief on the loose.

When suspicion for the thefts falls on Eddie, he has to team up with the seniors—and Tessa—to clear his name and solve the mysteries of Silver Brook.

Format Your Price Add
979-8-7656-2691-7
$12.99
978-1-7284-3242-7
$22.99
Available at all major wholesalers and distributors. Save 25% off list price on hardcovers and ebooks when you buy direct! Digital purchases will be accessed on Lerner Digital Bookshelf. An account will be created for you after purchase.
Interest Level Grade 5 - Grade 8
Reading Level Grade 5
Category SEL: A Self-Awareness, SEL: B Self-Management, SEL: C Social Awareness, SEL: D Relationship Skills, SEL: E Responsible Decision-Making, Social Emotional Learning
Copyright 2021
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Carolrhoda Books ®
Language English
Number of Pages 264
Publication Date 2021-11-02
Text Type Fiction—Humor
BISACS JUV013030, JUV028000, JUV033020
Dewey [Fic]
Dimensions 5.25 x 7.5
Lexile 760
Guided Reading Level X
Features Author/Illustrator biography, Awards, Reviewed, Teaching Guides, and eSource

Author: Lois Ruby

Lois Ruby is a former librarian and the author of twenty-two books for young readers. She divides her time among family, community social action, research, writing, and visiting schools to energize young people about the ideas in books and the joys of reading. Lois lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, and shares her life with her psychologist husband, Dr. Tom Ruby, as well as their three sons and daughters-in-law and seven amazing grandchildren, who are scattered around the country.

Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!

Eddie Whatever

“Comic, creepy, calamitous, and . . . completely satisfying.”—Claudia Mills, author of The Lost Language and Zero Tolerance With his bar mitzvah on the horizon, thirteen-year-old Eddie needs to do a community service project, and he… View available downloads →

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Awards

  • Mark Twain Readers Award Nominee, Nominated, 2023
  • South Carolina Book Award Nominee, Nominated, 2023

Reviews

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)

“Ruby does a fantastic job developing characters, giving them life and voice, so that they lift off the page. The mystery is well-plotted, layered and keeps readers guessing.” —Children’s Literature

School Library Journal

“[A] winning and unexpected combination of mystery, intrigue, and social commentary, interlaced with wisecracks and school woes.”—School Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

“Short chapters and snappy first-person narration give this wide appeal. . .An enjoyable intergenerational story.”—Kirkus Reviews

Claudia Mills

“Comic, creepy, calamitous, and (in the end) completely satisfying.”—Claudia Mills, author of The Lost Language and Zero Tolerance

Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

“Eddie will win your heart.”—Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, author of No Crystal Stair

Doris Baker

Once again, Lois Ruby delivers a story middle-grade readers will relish!—Doris Baker, Publisher, Filter Press, LLC