My letter “Z” pick for the A To Z Reading Challenge was ZERO TOLERANCE by Claudia Mills. I realized a few months ago that I had no Middle Grade books on my list, so I figured I’d end the year with a quick and easy read. Wow, was I ever in for a treat!

Sierra is a seventh grade honor roll student, reasonably popular, and has never set a toe out of line in her entire school career. One day, in a rush to get to school, she mistakenly grabs her mother’s identical lunch box instead of her own. The problem is, Mom packed an apple – and a small paring knife to slice it. Sierra, being a student who always follows the rules, immediately turns it in to the lunch lady, who then reports it to the principal. Due to the school’s “zero tolerance” weapons policy, Sierra is thrown into in-school suspension to await the trial that will decide whether or not she gets expelled.

Sharing in-school suspension with Sierra is the school’s resident bad boy, Luke, who’s doing time for fighting and for swearing at his teacher. Even though she’s heard all about him, Sierra soon realizes Luke is a bad boy with a good heart, and a story nobody’s really bothered to listen to. His rebellious ways rub off a little, and he and Sierra get in some minor trouble and hilarious hijinx. There’s a lot of scrutiny of “right” and “wrong” and the ways we define people through that lens. There’s even an interesting bit of subplot when Sierra’s lawyer father considers going to the media to spill the dirt he has on the principal if it will keep Sierra from being expelled. She then gets to ponder whether or not it’s okay to do a bad thing for a good reason.

This was a very good read, but predictable. Then again, if I were the target age for the book, I doubt it would read that way without the decades of hindsight that I have now. This was a funny and thought-provoking story. Four stars.