A Season of Wedgies

To seventh-grader Georgie Martarano, problems are like wedgies. And this year, he seems to be getting a whole bunch of them. His dad’s been out of work for almost a year, and his entire family has had to scrimp and pinch and cut back on almost everything in order to save money. On top of that, he’s got to worry about all the other junk that you’d expect for a Sassy Girl-shoe-wearing dork (who’s a tad on the husky side): fatheaded bullies, know-it-all teachers, butt-biting dogs, ear-gnawing rats, plunger-wielding thieves—typical stuff. However, when the Martaranos are given an eviction notice on Thanksgiving Day, Georgie realizes that his problems are only beginning.

To help his family out, Georgie’s willing to do just about anything, even if it means making a fool of himself in front of hundreds of people. So he does the only thing he can think of—something that he knows will bring shame to himself and his proud Italian father if it ever comes out: He enters the Seventh Annual Little Mister Chicago beauty pageant, determined to win the thousand-dollar grand prize.

But when life spirals out of control for Georgie, he quickly realizes that you don’t always get to pick your wedgies—sometimes they pick you.