JAWBREAKER by Christina Wyman

 

Max Plink is dealing with a lot. It is bad enough that she's in middle school where bullies abound, but she has become the perfect target. Max has what many call buck teeth. She has braces which are bad enough, but now she has headgear. Although, she doesn't have to wear it to school, she has to wear all the rest of the time.

Max's orthodontist explains that Max may have to have jaw surgery. It would require breaking her jaw and then wiring it shut for a time. She'd eat through a straw with the only bright side being she might get to eat a lot of ice cream. Wearing the headgear, Max calls the Jawbreaker, is treatment that might make the jaw surgery unnecessary. In the meantime, her jaw aches and the headgear feels like torture.

Other complications in Max's life include her parents constant fighting about money and her father's drinking problem, her annoying sister, and a best friend who seems to be keeping secrets like she never has before. When she's not worrying about all that, her horrible teeth have the bullies relentlessly teasing her at school and every day on the bus. No one seems to understand what Max is dealing with.

Author Christina Wyman has created a story many readers will relate to. Whether it's braces, parental problems, sibling issues, or bullying, there is plenty to keep readers on the edge of their seats.