Smells Like Tween Spirit

In the winsome fourth installment of Gelman’s Class Mom series (after Yoga Pant Nation), a middle-aged woman balances supporting her son’s newfound interest in wrestling and caring for her aging parents. After Jen’s seventh-grade son, Max, decides to join his school’s wrestling team, Jen surprises herself by signing up to be a team “Mat Mom” and getting sucked into a wrestling mom subculture with tacky custom T-shirts, road trips to matches, and a feud with another mom who challenges Jen to a charity wrestling match. Jen also juggles the demands of her job as a spin instructor with caregiving duties for her elderly father, who has dementia. She devotes an increasing share of her time to watching him while her mother plays bridge at an assisted living center where her mother’s ex-boyfriend now lives, raising Jen’s suspicions. As Jen’s commitments begin to overwhelm her and her father’s health deteriorates, she relies on her fellow wrestling moms more than she ever expected. Readers will speed through this witty, pithy tale that brings back Jen’s lovable snark to delightful effect. This winning sequel lives up to its predecessors. (Aug.)