Me and Rolly Maloo by Janet S. WongIndieBound Description: When popular Rolly Maloo asks outcast Jenna Lee to help her cheat on a math test, Jenna doesn't know what to do. Cheating is wrong. But maybe Rolly just needs a little help?
My Thoughts: A very timely book! Half-told in a graphic novel format, this explores the reasons and consequences of cheating in a realistic and accessible way. What is extremely interesting to me is that there are several scenes of the mothers talking to each other, subtly showing the pressures that kids face that make them turn to cheating. This particularly struck home to me, as the adult book Hymn of the Tiger Mother (please don't purchase it, borrow it from the library if you want to read it) has caused huge waves and controversy. In that book, the mother expounds and praises the high pressure Chinese result/accomplishment-oriented methodology of raising kids. That methodology may "work," but the intense pressure can cause desperate actions-- which I saw as I watched my Asian-American classmates cheat their way to the top of the class...but I digress.