I am a big fan of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine. Stephan Pastis has created a world with wonder, innocence, friendship, and a lot of laughs. There is also selfishness, malice, evil, and really bad elaborate puns, but like in life, the good outweighs the bad. And so it is with Suit Your Selfie, the fifth compilation of Pearls Before Swine created with middle schoolers in mind. What does that mean? It means that these comics are hilarious, honest, and fun for the whole family. 

Follow along as Pig finds the key to happiness, as Goat starts a blog, and as Zebra dresses as a unicorn to throw the crocodiles off their game. And through it all, Rat keeps track of everything that happens and the writer appears with his puns and pajamas in the midst of his mid-life crisis. 

The sweetness of Pig against the self-interest of Rat, the vulnerability and intelligence of Zebra shown against the fierceness and simple-mindedness of the crocodiles--it makes for an interesting and realistic depiction of life's relationships and gives readers a chance to step back from daily life and see our problems through a different lens. If you are getting this for a middle schooler, it could offer a way into difficult discussions of bullying, friendships, and hard choices. 

It's also really, really funny. 

If you're a fan of Pearls Before Swine, if you're looking for a good book you can share with your kids, or if you just love to laugh, then check out Suit Your Selfie, or any of Stephan Pastis' Perals Before Swine books. They will be worth your time. Pig said so. 

Galleys for Suit Your Selfie were provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.