It's a rare book whose uniqueness works against it. Better known for her comic explorations of adult manners, Lebowitz (Social Studies, 1981, etc.) introduces us to the two very clever heroes of the title. Unfortunately, while narrator Mr. Chas is the type of child that adults suffer for the sake of his precociousness, children rarely do. The seven-year-old's verbosity is believable; it's just not likable, and readers older than he may put him down as a smartypants. Chas's propensity to teach dictionary definitions doesn't make him superior; it only makes him nerdy. (``I started to feel very slightly nervous, which means discombobulated in a more private and lonely way.'') The plot, which seems incidental, revolves around two pandas discovered in the apartment of Chas's friend and neighbor, Lisa Sue, and the children's attempt to raise enough money to send the bears to Paris disguised as dogs. That and Graves's witty drawings serve as the basis for a decent picture book, if only the characters would talk less and say more. The best thing you can do with this book is read it to an adult; children are far too sophisticated to be taken in. (Fiction. 7-12)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-86052-5
Page Count: 60
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1994
With comically realistic black-and-white illustrations by Selznick (The Robot King, 1995, etc.), this is a captivating...
Nicholas is a bright boy who likes to make trouble at school, creatively.
When he decides to torment his fifth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Granger (who is just as smart as he is), by getting everyone in the class to replace the word "pen'' with "frindle,'' he unleashes a series of events that rapidly spins out of control. If there's any justice in the world, Clements (Temple Cat, 1995, etc.) may have something of a classic on his hands. By turns amusing and adroit, this first novel is also utterly satisfying. The chess-like sparring between the gifted Nicholas and his crafty teacher is enthralling, while Mrs. Granger is that rarest of the breed: a teacher the children fear and complain about for the school year, and love and respect forever after.
With comically realistic black-and-white illustrations by Selznick (The Robot King, 1995, etc.), this is a captivating tale—one to press upon children, and one they'll be passing among themselves. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-689-80669-8
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1996
Donavan's friends collect buttons and marbles, but he collects words. ``NUTRITION,'' ``BALLYHOO,'' ``ABRACADABRA''—these and other words are safely stored on slips of paper in a jar. As it fills, Donavan sees a storage problem developing and, after soliciting advice from his teacher and family, solves it himself: Visiting his grandma at a senior citizens' apartment house, he settles a tenants' argument by pulling the word ``COMPROMISE'' from his jar and, feeling ``as if the sun had come out inside him,'' discovers the satisfaction of giving his words away. Appealingly detailed b&w illustrations depict Donavan and his grandma as African-Americans. This Baltimore librarian's first book is sure to whet readers' appetites for words, and may even start them on their own savory collections. (Fiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: June 30, 1994
ISBN: 0-06-020190-8
Page Count: 72
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
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