Author: Arianne Costner
Published: 2020
I suggest 4th grade through 8th grade

Does your kiddo need a break from heavy fantasy and life-and-death magic or sci-fi? It’s time to laugh out loud and spend some time thinking what it would feel like to be your school mascot. My kids and I enjoyed this book as a read together. Hilarious and off-the-wall moments abound in this fun novel. It does talk about middle school “liking” and the drama that goes with that, which makes it a good fit for both boys and girls.

Here’s the Publisher Description:

Ben Hardy believes he’s cursed by potatoes. And now he’s moved to Idaho, where the school’s mascot is Steve the Spud! Yeah, this cannot be good. 

After accidentally causing the mascot to sprain an ankle, Ben is sentenced to Spud duty for the final basketball games of the year. But if the other kids know he’s the Spud, his plans for popularity are likely to be a big dud! Ben doesn’t want to let the team down, so he lies to his friends to keep it a secret. No one will know it’s him under the potato suit . . . right? 

Life as a potato is all about not getting mashed! With laugh-out-loud illustrations throughout, hand to fans of James Patterson, Gordan Korman, Jeff Kinney, and Chris Grabenstein!