This Journal Belongs to Ratchet by Nancy J. Cavanaugh

A debut middle grade novel about a girl named Ratchet and her quest to make a friend, save a park, and find her own definition of normal. Ratchet tells her story through the assignments in her homeschool journal.


If only getting a new life were as easy as getting a new notebook.
But it's not.

It's the first day of school for all the kids in the neighborhood. But not for me. I'm homeschooled. That means nothing new. No new book bag, no new clothes, and no friends – old or new. The best I've got is this notebook. I'm supposed to use it for my writing assignments, but my dad never checks. Here's what I'm really going to use it for:

Ratchet's Top Secret Plan
Project Goal: turn my old, recycled, freakish, friendless, motherless life into something shiny and new.

This year, I'm going make something change.

I gave this book 4 stars not because I personally found it entertaining, but because I think apprehensive struggling readers will definitely like it. "This Journal Belongs to Ratchet" is about a girl named Rachel...aka Ratchet, who is homeschooled by her eccentric mechanic father. The two of them are always moving into fixed users and because of this, Ratchet has never had a true friend. Through a variety of different writing assignments ranging from poetry , to essays and even freewrites.......Ratchet lays out a plan in which she learns about her late mother, makes a real friend, and tries to save Moss Tree Park from being cut down and turned into a strip mall. The variety of writing styles makes the book flow very quickly and the plot will keep readers hooked.