Born Too Short: The Confessions of an Eighth-Grade Basket Case

by Dan Elish

Book Overview

An ALA Best Book for Young AdultsMatt Greene is 5'1," a nerd, invisible to girls, and has a best friend who's the biggest stud at Hannaford School in New York City. Babes practically trip over Matt to get to Keith, a guy so studly his smile is featured in a toothpaste ad. Sure, sometimes Matt gets a little jealous. And once, Matt even wished his friend's life would fall apart.Available only in The Literacy Bridge 5.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689843860
• ISBN13: 9780689843860
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: Atheneum Books
• Length: 152 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

born to short by dan elish

Born to Short I read a book called born to short. The confessions of and eighth grade basket case. It was written by Dan Elish who also wrote the world wide dessert contests which he made into a musical. The book is mainly about a kid named Matt Greene who is a shot nerd and his best friends with Keith Livingston a stud/athlete/Adonis. .matt becomes really jealous because he is a non stud / non athlete/non Adonis. After the end of Keith's play Matt could not take any more. It is one of those great be careful what you wish for stories .when he wish bad luck on his friend What I liked most about the book is how much it sounded how a real eight grader might feel. I am in the eight grade and I do feel some times like one kid gets everything like in the story y how matt Greene fells with his friend Keith Livingston. Matt is probably my favorite character, because he is really dictated to what he does. I wish I was as dictated to my baseball has he is with his guitar and he is the underdog in every thing he does I really recommended this book to any one who wants to get in to the head of and eighth grader. If is an easy read but it is still really good. This is and good moral booster with real problems and a really friendship. I loved it

An amazing book

Born Too Short: The Confessions of an Eight-Grade Basket Case by Dan Elish is a great book. Not only is it funny, but it shows meaning to how you get used to high school/junior high and it tells a story of who you are becoming as an indivivual. Well anyways, I am a kid and I think that this book got *****(5) stars! And check out her other books too. If you are into comdy/family(yourself)/problems and learning who you are, then defenitly read this book. It is fiction too, which I think is great.

About "Born Too Short"

About "Born Too Short"Born Too Short was a great story. The story was about two teenage boys living in New York City. One of the boys named Matt Greene is a 5'1'' nerd and is about five inches shorter than his best bud named Keith Livingston. Now Keith is the kind of guy who is the stud and also the athlete in the ninth grade. He also is so handsome and charming that he practically needs to keep a chart of all his babes. While Matt is the kind of kid who played a guitar all day and has never made out with a girl before. Later in the Story, Keith is having a wonderful time being a stud and having all the babes and all that fancy stuff while Matt is getting jealous. But then, finally Matt meets a girl and really likes her and asks her to go on a date with him to Keith's rock/jazz performance. But when Matt takes his date to the performance, she sees Keith and is hooked. So she leaves Matt and goes and hangs around Keith. And while all of this is happening, Matt gets even more jealous of Keith. Then, later that night Matt is talking to a friend of his from school when he sees Keith making out with the tenth grade "hottie". Now keep in mind that both Matt and Keith are in ninth grade. So Matt gets really mad about the fact that he is a loser and his best friend is inside making out with the tenth grade knockout. So then, after pacing a couple of times up and down the sidewalk outside, he yells out a bunch of wishes. Well, further through the story, Matt's wishes start coming true and he wants to set everything back to normal but he can't. This story is very exciting. It made me laugh and sit on the edge of my seat at some points. So if I were to rate this story from one to five stars, I would rate it a five. I really liked this story and would recommend itm to everyone who likes a good story that will make you laugh.

A Very Funny Read

This often hilarious book also has some serious things to say about friendship and responsibility, but Elish always makes his points with a light touch. Matt's envy of his over-achieving friend is handled in a completely believable way that doesn't soften his emotions; at the same time, he and the other characters are likable, humorous kids. Probably the best aspect of the book is Matt's extremely funny, hyperbolic narrative voice and his at times wild fantasy life--a great rendering of an adolescent's intense point of view. Very much recommended.

great fun

Elish's book is groovy and age-appropriate. It is a candid, clever treatment of life as a young adolescent. True to life, funny, smart.