Marrying Malcolm Murgatroyd

This book was powerful to me when I was in 5th grade.  It saddens me that it is so difficult to find now.  It's about Hannah and her "fiance" Malcolm.  Their parents are best friends and have been since college.  They have been planning for Hannah and Malcolm to get married ever since the two were born.  As if that weren't bad enough, Malcolm has to be  the biggest geek in the history of the world.  Hannah tries to look out for him on the condition that no one ever know that they know each other outside of school.  Malcolm graciously complies with this request, but when they are assigned to write autobiographies and include pictures Hannah knows he will not be able to complete the task without family pictures of the two of them.  The emotional strain of the double life would be more than enough for a twelve year old girl to cope with, but she has so much more to deal with.  Her younger brother Ian has Muscular Dystrophy and has taken a turn for the worse.  No one really knows how long he will last.  The only person that can reach Ian is Malcolm, and the only person that can give Malcolm the support he needs is Hannah.

Audience
I don't think I'd go below 4th grade on this one because of the vocabulary.  If you are still in touch with your frightened inner teenager, this is a wonderful book for you.

Why I Love This Book
I remember my teenage insecurities perhaps too well.  Hannah's struggle to fit in and be accepted is very real to me, as is her terror of rejection.  I also have a younger brother I want very much to protect, though he is not fighting a fatal disease.  I liked the tight family structure and the fact that the parents were wise to the antics and needs of their children.  The whole journey rang true to me

Cautions
1) Hannah is an almost teenager.  As such she makes some bratty choices in her learning process.
2) The descriptions of Muscular Dystrophy can be a problem if that is a trigger-y issue for you
3) Deals a lot with in groups and cliques