# Class Mom

By Laurie Gelman · Class Mom, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/class-mom-48991b9a/

Jen Dixon has already raised two daughters to college age when her five-year-old son puts her back among kindergarten parents. Her best friend, the PTA president, recruits her as class mom. Getting families to volunteer proves harder when Jen’s way of asking keeps offending them.

## What makes it funny?

A routine email about helping in class can become a mock threat or an invitation to offer a bribe. Jen treats the parent mailing list as a place for jokes about alcohol and the people she’s supposed to organize; some recipients hear a different message.

### The comedy at work

The school needs cooperation, but its volunteer adults bring strong opinions and fragile alliances. Jen’s bluntness interrupts the expected politeness, exposing how much maneuvering can go into getting a classroom event staffed.

### Try this if…

Anyone familiar with school volunteer requests may recognize the friction here. Jen is an outspoken companion: Publishers Weekly praises the comic observations while warning that the steady supply of sass can feel excessive.

### Good to know

Gelman drew on being fired from her own class-mom role, and many of the novel’s emails began as messages she sent to other parents. She also narrates the unabridged audiobook.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary
- On the shelf: Family comedy
- Kind of humor: Satire
- The atmosphere: Irreverent
- Format: Novel
- Length: 320 pages
- Audiobook: 7 hr 2 min
- Published: 2017

## A few distinguishing details

- A second round of kindergarten parenting after two older children
- Parent emails that turn volunteer recruitment into conflict

## Sources & further reading

- Book information: [Paperback edition details](https://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/class-mom/about)
- Book information: [Google Play audiobook](https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Class_Mom_A_Novel?hl=en_US&id=AQAAAABvWA1YcM)
- Book information: [Apple Books ebook](https://books.apple.com/us/book/class-mom/id1203026445)
- Book information: [Apple Books audiobook](https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/class-mom/id1440617746)
- Publisher: [Author interview and reading guide](https://images.macmillan.com/folio-assets/discusion-guides/9781250192561DG.pdf)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://read.macmillan.com/lp/class-mom)
- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781250124692)