| Author | Geoff Rodkey |
| Print Publisher | Little Brown Books for Young Readers |
| Audio Publisher | Hachette Audio |
| Genre | Contemporary Middle-Grade Fiction |
| Release Date | April 2015 |
| Page Count | 240 |
| For Ages | 9 – 14 |
| For Grades | 4 – 8 |
| Lexile | 880L |
| ATOS | 5.4 |
| Formats | Print, Digital, Audio |
| Mood | Hilarious |
Themes
- Cyber bullying
- Sibling rivalry
- Middle school drama
- Cycle of revenge
- The golden rule
- Online ethics
- Social media
- Video games
- New York City
The Tapper Twins Series in One Sentence:
Uproarious antics of tween twins stumbling their way through middle school in the digital age.
Summary
Join smarty-pants Claudia Tapper on her highly opinionated oral history of how an act of sibling unkindness spiraled out of control through a series of amusing tit for tat pranks. Her soccer and video game obsessed, immature twin brother Reese hurts her feelings, and instead of talking to him about it, she strikes out to hurt him back and before they know it, the twins are stuck in the age old cycle of escalating aggression: you hurt me, I hurt you back. Both siblings eventually start to realize the cycle is negatively affecting their lives and their selves, and its not worth the energy. They both make efforts to stop, but find themselves stuck. Neither one is able to let the other win, that is, until things get truly out of hand. It should be noted that harm done is entirely emotional and material. The metaphor of a war is used to frame the events of the story but what physical violence is present in the book is quite mild, unless you count video game violence that is. The worst the pranks get is moderate cyber bullying that is resolved by the end. Claudio does at one point throw a plate at Reese’s head, but it does not hit. She also kicks a friend of Reese’s who motivated him to do something truly cruel. But all the events are described in a tongue and cheek fashion. Don’t expect a super serious plot line or high-minded, thought provoking dialogue. The Tapper Twins series is awesome, but the main thing they accomplish is laugh out loud entertainment, not education. If its motivating your middle schooler to get interested in reading for the sheer fun of it, there are few better options.
Central Message
Revenge just isn’t worth it in the end. It is hard to resist when your feelings have been hurt, but striking back only escalates the situation. It might make you feel good temporarily, but eventually it will make you feel worse than ever.
The Tapper Twins Series List
Check out the subsequent series entries, all of which are equally amusing as the first.
Series Special Features
- Full cast audio productions (highly recommended)
- Accompanying PDFs with full color illustrations
- Series page on author’s website offers interactive fun and animated videos