In this third installment, eleven-year-old Ronald (a.k.a. Cheesie) lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with his older sister (a.k.a. Goon) and their parents. The lightweight story centers on Cheesie's friend problems, a middle-school class election, and the cross-country team. Series fans won't mind frequent references to the earlier stories (and a website); newcomers will need to get up to speed.

Middle school has Cheesie Mack on the run. List-loving, 11-year-old Ronald "Cheesie" Mack is back for his third outing, and this time, he's embarking on the grand adventure of sixth grade at a new school…one he must, unfortunately, share with his eighth-grade sister June (Goon). Cheesie decides to run for class president and then decides his best friend (since kindergarten) Georgie should run instead. As they mount the strangest campaign ever, Cheesie continues his epic Point Battle against his sister (a secret game in which they score points for embarrassing or pranking each other). He also discovers track and field, kind of decides that girls are OK to hang out with and does a (sort of) good deed for Goon. Fans of teacher and children's entertainer Cotler's chatty, engaging Cheesie titles will be overjoyed with Cheesie's evolving character and continued good humor and imagination. This stands alone, but events of the first two are referenced; as with the previous volumes, he invites readers to interact on his website. New-to-this-volume illustrator Holgate's frequent black-and-white illustrations, often labeled by Cheesie, add to the fun. Cheesie announces Volume 4 with a tantalizing list of what to expect, so the fun's not over yet. (Fiction. 8-12)

BRANFORD, Anna . Violet Mackerel's Personal Space . illus. by Elanna Allen. 116p. S &; S / Atheneum . Sept. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3591-9 ; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3592-6 ; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3593-3 . LC 2012025783. Gr 1-3 BRUEL, Nick . Bad Kitty School Daze . illus. by author. 160p. Roaring Brook / A Neal Porter Bk. 2013. PLB $13.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-670-1 . LC 2012015359. Gr 35 COTLER, Steve . Cheesie Mack Is Running Like Crazy . Bk. 3. illus. by Douglas Holgate. 240p. Random . June 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97713-7 ; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97714-4 ; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97715-1 . LC 2012017978. Gr 36 DELANEY, Joseph . Slither . Bk. 11. illus. by Patrick Arrasmith. 398p. (The Last Apprentice Series). HarperCollins / Greenwillow . 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-219234-9 . LC 2012042032. Gr 58 HOLUB, Joan &; Suzanne Williams . Hades and the Helm of Darkness . Bk. 3. illus. by Craig Phillips. 128p. (Heroes in Training Series). S &; S / Aladdin . 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5725-6 ; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5267-1 ; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5268-8 . LC 2012942890. Gr 24 HOLUB, Joan &; Suzanne Williams . Pheme the Gossip . 272p. (Goddess Girls Series). S &; S / Aladdin . 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6138-3 ; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4937-4 ; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4938-1 . LC 2013930969. Gr 36 HUNTER, Erin . The Sun Trail . Bk. 1. illus. by Wayne McLoughlin. 312p. (Warriors: Dawn of the Clans Series). HarperCollins / Harper . 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-206346-5 ; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-206347-2 . Gr 4 Up JOBLING, Curtis . Storm of Sharks . Bk. 5. 454p. (Wereworld Series). Viking . May 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-670-78558-2 . Gr 68 KENYON, Sherrilyn . Inferno . Bk. 4. 464p. (Chronicles of Nick Series). St. Martin's / Griffin . 2013. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-1-250-00283-9 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-250-02340-7 . Gr 710 KIRBY, Stan . Captain Awesome and the Ultimate Spelling Bee . Bk. 7. illus. by George O'Connor. 128p. S &; S / Little Simon . 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5156-8 ; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5156-8 . LC 2011046177. Gr 13 KOWITT, H. N. Jinx of the Loser . Bk. 3. illus. by author. 224p. (The Loser List Series). Scholastic . May 2013. Tr $9.99. ISBN 978-0-545-50794-3 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-545-53955-5 . Gr 47 MULL, Brandon . Chasing the Prophecy . Bk. 3. 512p. (Beyonders Series). S &; S / Aladdin . 2013. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9796-2 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9800-6 . LC 2012035223. Gr 5–8 SMITH, Clete Barrett . Aliens in Disguise . illus. by Christian Slade. 240p. (The Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast Series). Hyperion / Disney . 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-6598-9 . LC 2012019758. Gr 3–6 STINE, R.L. How I Met My Monster . Bk. 3. 140p. (Goosebumps Most Wanted Series). Scholastic . 2013. pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-545-41800-3 ; ebook $6.99. ISBN 978-0-545-51017-2 . Gr 3–5 TASHJIAN, Janet . My Life as a Cartoonist . illus. by Jake Tashjian. 288p. Holt . May 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9609-5 . Gr 4–7 PEIRCE, Lincoln . Big Nate: Game On! illus. by author. 224p. Andrews McMeel . 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4494-2777-1 . LC 2012952339. Gr 2–4 PENNYPACKER, Sara . Clementine and the Spring Trip . Bk. 6. illus. by Marla Frazee. 160p. Hyperion / Disney . 2013. RTE $14.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-2357-6 . LC 2011052991. Gr 2–4 WARNER, Gertrude Chandler . The Boardwalk Mystery . Bk. 131. 128p. (The Boxcar Children Series). Albert Whitman . 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-0802-2 ; pap. $5.99. 978-0-8075-0803-9. LC 2012020161. Gr 2–5 WEST, Jacqueline . The Strangers . Bk. 4. illus. by Poly Bernatene. 320p. (The Books of Elsewhere Series). Dial . July 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3690-0 . LC 2012040004. Gr 4–6