SPIDER STORCH’S CARPOOL CATASTROPHE
(Albert Whitman, 1997)

“In this delightful, easy to read novella, third-grader Joey, nicknamed Spider, is dismayed to find out that his mother has become friends with the mom of a girl in his class.  To make matters worse, the two mothers arrange a carpool, meaning that Spider must sit with Mary Grace in the car and must contend with his classmates teasing him.  To end this unacceptable situation, Spider takes matters into his own hands and tries to sabotage his mom’s friendship with Mary Grace’s mother and thus sever his ties to Mary Grace.  The results are very amusing.” (Children’s Literature)