After years of growing up with Collette Murphy, readers are thrust back in time to see what Sacred Heart Elementary is like from the perspective of one of her two best friends. Marsha has vowed not to get into trouble and to make this school year a good one, especially because she likes the student teacher, Miss Murtland. But Marsha's good intentions and penchant for lying butt up against Roger Friday's natural high spirits; the combination nearly gets one of them tossed out of school. McKenna fans will like this peek at Marsha's motives, often obscure in the other stories, but Roger's scenes are the real pleasure; the author paints an intriguing portrait of a boy who seems deceptively like a potential bully—perfectly exasperating but ultimately shown to be (fairly) well-meaning. The children have funny, typical school quarrels; as a writer of light fare, McKenna again weighs in with a real look at real kids. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-590-45123-5
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1993
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
Did you like this book?
McDonald’s irrepressible third-grader (Judy Moody Gets Famous, 2001, etc.) takes a few false steps before hitting full stride. This time, not only has her genius little brother Stink submitted a competing entry in the Crazy Strips Band-Aid design contest, but in the wake of her science teacher’s heads-up about rainforest destruction and endangered animals, she sees every member of her family using rainforest products. It’s all more than enough to put her in a Mood, which gets her in trouble at home for letting Stink’s pet toad, Toady, go free, and at school for surreptitiously collecting all the pencils (made from rainforest cedar) in class. And to top it off, Stink’s Crazy Strips entry wins a prize, while she gets . . . a certificate. Chronicled amusingly in Reynolds’s frequent ink-and-tea drawings, Judy goes from pillar to post—but she justifies the pencil caper convincingly enough to spark a bottle drive that nets her and her classmates not only a hundred seedling trees for Costa Rica, but the coveted school Giraffe Award (given to those who stick their necks out), along with T-shirts and ice cream coupons. Judy’s growing corps of fans will crow “Rare!” right along with her. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-7636-1446-7
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2002
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
Did you like this book?
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
For shark fanciers, a look at a Los Angeles Natural History Museum exhibit, Sharks: Fact and Fantasy. Now touring the country, it includes models of large and small sharks, many of them swimming in simulated undersea settings. The text follows a group of young museum-goers as they examine shark teeth, fossil sharks, sharks in art, and a living shark embryo; shark anatomy, special adaptations, types of sharks, and some shark facts are also included. Photos are clear, colorful and engaging. Not comprehensive, but an attractive added purchase. Pronunciation guide; additional reading; index. (Nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 23, 1991
ISBN: 0-395-57560-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1991
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
Did you like this book?
© Copyright 2021 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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.
