Stuey is just the right kind of friend—confident and independent—for any third grader.
Stuey is back!
This new installment takes up just where the first left off, with Stuey and his friends comforted that their second-grade teacher, Ginger Curtis, is moving on to third grade with them. Lilly Stanley (the “Queen of Obnoxious”) and best friend Will Fishman are also back—keeping the humor light and the friendship real. Told in Stuey’s own fresh, direct voice, with the school year as the frame, these four loosely joined stories show our hero facing new challenges while growing into a more independent, less worried young man. When Will lets on that Stuey’s dad runs a space center, Stuey comes up with a one-of-a-kind field trip and becomes more comfortable with the fact that his parents are divorced and his father lives far away. Stuey’s older brother Anthony becomes more important to Stuey when they travel alone on a plane to see their dad and plan an unforgettable Mother’s Day celebration. Stuey’s resourcefulness shines in the final tale, when Ms. Curtis decides to end the year with a class pet show. Each story is just the right length for chapter-book readers, peppered with frequent humorous ink drawings. Stuey’s mom’s hair in a car vacuum is an image that most third graders will never forget.
Stuey is just the right kind of friend—confident and independent—for any third grader. (Fiction. 6-10)Pub Date: May 22, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-374-39901-6
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda.
Hank Zipzer, poster boy for dyslexic middle graders everywhere, stars in a new prequel series highlighting second-grade trials and triumphs.
Hank’s hopes of playing Aqua Fly, a comic-book character, in the upcoming class play founder when, despite plenty of coaching and preparation, he freezes up during tryouts. He is not particularly comforted when his sympathetic teacher adds a nonspeaking role as a bookmark to the play just for him. Following the pattern laid down in his previous appearances as an older child, he gets plenty of help and support from understanding friends (including Ashley Wong, a new apartment-house neighbor). He even manages to turn lemons into lemonade with a quick bit of improv when Nick “the Tick” McKelty, the sneering classmate who took his preferred role, blanks on his lines during the performance. As the aforementioned bully not only chokes in the clutch and gets a demeaning nickname, but is fat, boastful and eats like a pig, the authors’ sensitivity is rather one-sided. Still, Hank has a winning way of bouncing back from adversity, and like the frequent black-and-white line-and-wash drawings, the typeface is designed with easy legibility in mind.
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-448-48239-2
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Trisha is ready to start at a new school, where no one will know she has dyslexia. At first, she is heartbroken to be in Miss Peterson’s special-ed class, aka, “the junkyard.” But Miss Peterson treats the children as anything but junk, showing them that everyone has a unique talent. Polacco’s trademark style is fully present here; her sensitively drawn alter ego shines with depth of feeling. When bullying occurs, Miss Peterson proves her students are worthwhile by planning a junkyard field trip, where they find valuable objects to be used in exciting ways. Trisha’s group repairs a plane, and the class buys an engine for it. Then a beloved class member dies, and the children must find a way to honor him. While the plot meanders somewhat, the characters are appealing, believable and provide a fine portrayal of a truly special class. Children will be drawn in by the story’s warmth and gentle humor and will leave with a spark of inspiration, an appreciation of individual differences and a firm anti-bullying message, all underscored by the author’s note that concludes the book. (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-25078-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
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