School is back in session for Robert Dorfman and his friends. Some things are the same as ever. Mrs. Bernthal is their teacher again and the same friends who have made this series so delightful are back as well. Robert is growing older and is becoming a little more sensitive about his looks, especially his amazingly curly, thick hair. When a girl in his class says he looks “different,” he frets about it. Robert decides he can’t wait for a haircut at the barbershop and talks his best friend, Paul, into clipping his hair. When his brother Charlie tries to fix the cut, the result is a lopsided short-and-long style. Brewer’s illustrations perfectly reflect both the hilarity and poignancy as Robert is forced to face the world with a “lumpy and bumpy” hairstyle. Robert still lacks the confidence he desires, and readers will identify with the small worries that plague him as he makes his way through the trials of growing up. Will people make fun of his hair? Will his Halloween party be a success? Will his friends think his father is weird when they see how he dresses and acts on Halloween? His warm but realistic family and down-to-earth teacher are there for him as he faces these challenges. Though Robert might characterize himself as strictly average, young readers will identify with and root for him at every turn. The cartoon illustrations add to the tight plot and realistic situations. Readers will be waiting for his further adventures. (Fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-8126-2662-1
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Cricket
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The Spy In The Attic (64 pp.; $13.95; PLB $13.88; Apr. 1, 1997; 1-55858-727-6; PLB 1-55858-728-4): When Mr. Leon, a new upstairs neighbor, receives some deliveries late at night that appear to be a coffin and a cannon, Martin is suspicious. He meets Mr. Leon and finds out that he wears a wig, sunglasses, and gloves, and becomes certain that their apartment building is harboring a spy. Then Mr. Leon asks Martin to walk his dog, providing the perfect opportunity for some spying of his own. Despite a too-neat ending—all mysterious behavior is explained away—the story is entertaining and well-written, a step above the usual easy reading fare. Unzner provides endearing color illustrations on every page of this amiable book. (Fiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 1997
ISBN: 1-55858-727-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1997
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Third in a series (Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur, o.p., and Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang, 1994) about an eight-year-old nicknamed ``Two-Two'' because, as the youngest of five children, he must say everything twice before anyone pays any attention to him. In this adventure Jacob enlists the aid of his new neighbor, X. Barnaby Dinglebat, Master Spy, to foil the gluttonous headmaster I.M. Greedyguts, who has turned over his school's catering contract to the notorious miser Perfectly Loathsome Leo Louse in order to profit from kickbacks. Richler mines the same child-as-underdog- persecuted-by-revolting-and-hypocritical-adults vein that Roald Dahl so richly exploited, without Dahl's felicity of language and gift for fantasy. Instead, grossness and gimmicks (a chapter printed in mirror-writing, a card trick explained in an afterword) will sustain interest. Jacob's role in the plot is confined largely to enduring indignities and following orders, for Mr. Dinglebat, Jacob's father, and a trio of craven cops nail the bad guys. (b&w illustrations, not seen, glossary) (Fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: April 7, 1997
ISBN: 0-374-33659-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1997
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf