***COMING SOON from INtense Publications***

If Found Please Return To: Norbert M. Finkelstein

A humorous twist on the diary novel for middle grade readers (age 8-12) who loved Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Dork Diaries.

Mr. Finkelstein is your average middle school English teacher…who just happens to moonlight as a professional wrestler. Norbie would like to keep this little part of his life a secret. He’d much rather endure the daily shenanigans of students like Jimmy Baker, a world-class bubblegum flinger, and perform as the personal gopher for inept colleagues like Coach Seam and Principal Rubrick. It’s easier that way. Out of the spotlight and under the radar: the story of Norbert’s life.

But when he decides to throw his weight around in the ring so he can afford to send his always-supportive mother on a dream vacation, a past life and his squandered talent rise up to haunt him. Between the brutal training sessions with an unconventional Sensei Clement, and the verbal threats from a shifty fight promoter named Joey Happenstance, Norbert wrestles his way up the ranks by pinning an entire cast of zany opponents. But it takes a lonely student named Maya and Norbie’s secret crush, the school librarian Ms. Gluten, to help him find his true passion and the courage to face his toughest competition yet.

“Morelli deftly maneuvers between hilarious slapstick and satisfying melancholy to deliver a unique perspective on the bullies that haunt all of our pasts and presents.” 

“Norbie Finkelstein is the sympathetic and dynamic teacher we all wanted to have and all wish we could be.” 

“If you ever find someone’s missing journal and decide to dive inside, you can only hope it will be as funny and accurate as Norbert M. Finkelstein’s birds-eye view on middle school life.”