Sixth-grader Clay Hensley is no stranger to the principal's office, and he is sure that his latest prank drawing a picture of the principal as a donkey will land him there again, hopefully impressing his older brother, Mitchell, who has just returned from a brief jail stint. Tough-guy Mitch, though, is newly committed to staying trouble-free, and he wants Clay to be, too. Clay begins to reconsider his past actions and their impact and who he wants to be, even as both brothers discover that staying on track and changing others' perceptions isn't easy. Then Clay is wrongly accused of vandalism, and proving his innocence requires courage and determination, which lead to unexpected revelations and insights. Clements offers a characteristically engaging story with realistic dilemmas and topic kids will respond to. The perspectives of diverse, memorable characters, including Principal Kelling and school secretary Mrs. Ormin, add depth to Clay's story and further convey the challenges and rewards of moving beyond assumptions, offering and receiving support, and believing in oneself and others.--Rosenfeld, Shell. Copyright 2010 Booklist

Do the math: Clay Hensley has been sent to the principal's office, on average, four times a month, nine months each year, from kindergarten to sixth grade. Six and a half years of trouble. And Mrs. Ormin, the school secretary, is quite proud of her two-inch-thick file on Clay, a nonfiction masterpiece written in her shorthand. Now it's time for her to add a new chapter. Clay has been sent to the office after drawing a long-faced donkey with a sport coat, glasses, and mustache, an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Kelling, the principal everyone is afraid of. Clay can't wait to tell his older brother Mitch all about it, since Mitch was a notorious troublemaker in his day, too. But Mitch has just gotten out of jail, and he doesn't want Clay to follow in his footsteps. He cuffs Clay on the side of his head and lays down the law: "Send a big message to everybody that the old Clay Hensley is gone." Clay looks up to his brother and wants to promise him he'll stop his jackass behavior. But how does Clay go about reinventing himself, removing the mask he's worn for so long? What happens to friendships when you do? Clements has fashioned another fine school story, this time about the possibility of change, with some help from a brother, an art teacher, and a principal willing to give a kid yet another chance. dean Schneider (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In books about boy troublemakers, two bullies are redeemed through art and one remains defiantly unrepentant. TROUBLEMAKER By Andrew Clements. Illustrated by Mark Elliott. 160 pp. Atheneum. $16.99. (Middle grade; ages 8 to 12) MIDDLE SCHOOL The Worst Years of My Life. By James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts. Illustrated by Laura Park. 281 pp. Little, Brown & Company. $15.99. (Middle grade; ages 8 to 12) JOURNAL OF A SCHOOLYARD BULLY Notes on Noogies, Wet Willies, and Wedgies. Written and illustrated by Farley Katz. 208 pp. St. Martin's Griffin. $12.99. (Young adult; ages 9 and up) WOULDN'T it be nice if "Diary of a Sweet-Natured Kid" were the best-selling young adult book of the last couple of years? Instead, we've got this horrible little human being, Greg Heffley, protagonist of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." Not really wimpy, he's better described as a deceitful, self-absorbed, scheming, arrogant, callous kid. He's also, alas, vastly entertaining. Truth is, literary bad boys are far from new. Tom Sawyer was a cheater and a thief (and a smoker to boot). Goody-goodies just don't make as compelling characters as the morally handicapped. We'd rather watch Bart Simpson than Ned Flanders's robotic, rule-abiding kids. As a parent, all you can do is pray your children understand irony. And that they don't view the Greg Heffleys as role models. And that they read long enough to see that bad behavior does have consequences. All iffy propositions, if you ask me. Now parents will have plenty more chances to wrestle with this notion, with three new antiheroes on the shelves. "Middle School" is by the alarmingly prolific writer James Patterson and the young adult author Chris Tebbetts. Told in diary form, the book follows an unpopular sixth grader, Rafe, who comes up with what he calls a "stupendous, really, really Big Idea." As a way to distinguish himself and make friends, he embarks on a quest to break every rule in his middle school's 26-page code of conduct. He sets off the fire alarm, runs in the hall and uses inappropriate language in class. It's a chatty, funny, engaging book, one that often addresses the reader directly. It's filled with energetic cartoons - ostensibly by Rafe - that will appeal to your little rebel, depicting teachers as dungeonkeepers, matadors and flying dragons. Patterson, as might be expected, knows how to structure a plot and builds in some surprising - even touching - twists involving Rafe's dead brother and his mom's no-goodnik boyfriend. Rafe is the bad boy with a heart of gold. He's a victim of bullying, and he chivalrously tries to get a girl out of detention. Plus, he has a rule that no one gets hurt by his mischief. To which I say, Really? As a father, I want to give him a stern talking-to. Cutting in line is not a victimless crime. In the end, Rafe does get punished, but is also redeemed by his artistic skill. He's not bad, you see; just different and creative. We quixotic parents can hope our children will pick up paintbrushes instead of stink bombs. In "Troublemaker," Andrew Clements has written a more earnest take on a similar topic. Clements is a genius of gentle, high-concept tales set in suburban middle schools. His best-selling "Frindle" featured a boy who invents a new word for "pen." "No Talking" was about a contest among middle schoolers to stay silent. Here, we meet a troublemaking sixth grader named Clay. Clay hides beeping digital watches in the classroom. He slips Jell-O into backpacks. And in art class, he draws a cartoon of the principal as a donkey. Like Rafe or Ferris Bueller, he's meant to be a likable rascal, described as "charming" and "inspiring." But his troublemaking career is in its twilight. His older brother and idol has just gotten out of jail (nothing serious - speeding ticket and contempt of court), and decides to scare Clay straight. He forces Clay to embark on the opposite quest from that of Patterson's character: Clay must follow every rule. He trades in jeans and a hoodie for khakis and a flannel shirt. He does all his homework. The book follows Clay's struggles as he backslides, gets tempted by friends, and is falsely accused of spray-painting the principal's door on Halloween. In the end, Clay, like the protagonist of Patterson's book, finds redemption through art. Clements once again proves he can pull off writing about middle schoolers' emotions without being cartoonish or cloying. "Frindle" is still my favorite, but this is a worthy addition to the Clements canon. The final book in this vein is "Journal of a Schoolyard Bully" by Farley Katz, a cartoonist at The New Yorker. The closest to "Wimpy Kid" in format and style, the book centers on Niko, a middle schooler who, as his business card reads, specializes in "beat-ups, hit-downs, insults, general punches and nerd-crushing." Niko ties a nerd to a ceiling fan. He shuts the debate team in lockers and makes them debate the merits of being let out. In his off hours, he gaslights his psychologist or enjoys his favorite video game "Dr. MurderGun - Revenge of the Violence." THE book has many funny moments, and it's clear Katz has an inventive mind along the lines of Roz Chast's. There's a series of maps illustrating a cooties pandemic. Several pages are devoted to a Bullies Hall of Fame featuring Genghis Khan and Garfield the Cat. But the book also had moments that made me - an admittedly overprotective father - wince. Niko remains unrepentant to the last, never showing a glimmer of empathy. At one point, he thinks: "If only Toys 'R' Us sold flamethrowers. A boy can dream." Honestly, he kind of scares me. Katz knows he's treading on controversial ground. In a note to reviewers, he writes: "In the wake of all the terrible bullying in our country's schools this past year, a glance at the title or cover of this book may mislead some to believe it a celebration of bullies. A brief read inside, however, will make the intentions and tone of this book crystal clear: to have a laugh at the expense of the bully and chuckle along at antics and pranks that never go beyond playful and absurd." I admire the sentiment. But I'm not sure kids will find the tone so crystal clear. How playful are beatdowns? Or sticking a kid's head in the toilet? If you're the one with the head underwater, not so playful. Maybe Katz's next book could be the "Journal of a Bull-ee." A. J. Jacobs's next book, "Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection," will be published in 2012.

Gr 4-6-Clayton Hensley wants to be exactly like his older brother, who just got out of jail for wielding his own brand of trouble. When he uses his free art period to draw the principal as a donkey, he makes sure he's the talk of the school, showing off on the way to the office. But, when Clay reveals the drawing to Mitch, he's in for a surprise. Not only is his brother not proud, but he's also disappointed. Mitch wants Clay to turn his life around. The problem is, Clay isn't sure he can do it, or if he even wants to. Being good isn't any fun at all. Or is it? Clements forms interesting parallels between choice, habit, and repute, asking the questions: Can people change their reputations? And, is having fun at the expense of someone else really fun? Occasional pencil drawings of Clay's antics highlight the best parts of the story. Clay will encourage kids who want to forge a new path, placing their own brand on doing the right thing. An inspiring and comical read.-Terry Ann Lawler, Phoenix Public Library, AZ (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Clements (Extra Credit) delivers another rock-solid school story that will resonate with middle graders. Like his older brother, Mitch, sixth-grader Clay is habitually in trouble, and he can't wait to tell Mitch about his latest coup-a realistic portrait of Principal Kelling as a donkey. But his 19-year-old brother, who's just finished a 30-day jail sentence after losing his temper in court, is not amused, and he orders Clay to straighten out ("You're gonna do all the stuff that I never did-and do things right, the smart way"). Clay promises to do so, but learns that his well-established reputation is hard to shake, backsliding is easy, and taking his life in a new direction might mean leaving old friends behind-or being pranked himself. Though the story is largely Clay's, Clements offers the perspectives of other characters, demonstrating how Clay's tussles with his conscience have an impact on the environment around him. Clements's empathy for Clay is clear-he's not a bad kid, just someone whose mischievous tendencies have always been encouraged. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Clay learns that it's easy to get into trouble but far more difficult to get out of it in this breezy Scared Straighttype novel for the elementary-school set.Clay has finesse. He can create mischief with such cheerful aplomb that he can charm even the principal's assistant, who has been documenting Clay's misdeeds since kindergarten. A clever boy and a talented artist, Clay is bursting with enthusiasm for his pranks. Clay loves and emulates his older brother, Mitch, who was the pre-eminent troublemaker before him. However, Mitch, unlike Clay, has taken his misdeeds to a level of aggression that fun-loving Clay does not. The day Mitch is to come home from prison, Clay undertakes a master antic to impress him and is devastated when Mitch slaps him and demands that he shape up or else end up like himself. Thus begins a makeover, as Mitch gets Clay a new wardrobe and stipulates new rules by which to live. Clay is certain that he looks like Mr. Potato Head with his new haircut, but he's dedicated to pleasing his brother. School provides terrific opportunities for mischief that Clay finds hard to resist, especially the launchable lunch food. But the hardest part of this new life is the rift growing between him and his best buddy, co-trickster Hank. Clements here enters into provocative territory and pulls it off like the pro he is. Kids will easily relate to Clay, and the secondary characters come alive as well.With easygoing prose enhanced by occasional sketches, this slender school story does its job with no trouble at all.(Fiction. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.