A good read-aloud for second grade or an independent read for a third grader.
Nine-year-old Sylvie Scruggs becomes obsessed with the notion that she must provide her best friend, Miranda Tan, with a birthday present superior to the one given by Sylvie’s baseball rival, Georgie Diaz.
Sylvie is appalled when Miranda cheers for both Sylvie and Georgie at a baseball game and becomes increasingly worried when she learns that Miranda and Georgie grew close while Sylvie was on a family vacation. The plot revolves mostly around Sylvie’s bumbling attempts to make right a situation she has created: the somewhat accidental theft of Georgie’s new pet ferret. Sylvie’s mother perfectly pegs Sylvie’s personality when she reports to Sylvie’s dad about Sylvie’s day: “No major disasters to report. Just worrying about things she doesn’t need to worry about. Like usual.” Sylvie tells the tale, and while it may well leave younger children laughing, the recommended upper range of 10 seems a stretch. Younger children will enjoy the fact that Sylvie is less mature than almost anyone else in the book, while older kids may wince at her foibles, her erroneous vocabulary choices and her ignorance of the word “indigestion.” The debut novel deftly presents a multiethnic neighborhood, including some Spanish words from Georgie’s abuela. The simple but expressive grayscale illustrations complement the book’s humorous tone.
A good read-aloud for second grade or an independent read for a third grader. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: March 31, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-62027-7
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
A playful, comic romp of a book for new readers.
All the playground’s a stage for these two pals.
A metafictive introduction to this title finds chipmunk Lulu and red squirrel Bruno breaking the fourth wall to introduce themselves to readers by revealing their respective attributes. Lulu’s imaginative strengths end up being central to both of the ensuing stories—the first about coveting cake and the second about making the best of a timeout punishment. Although he is decidedly less whimsical than his friend, Bruno patiently indulges Lulu’s flights of fancy in both chapters, and Lulu also comes across as the “good friend” she declares herself to be in the introduction as she dreams up play scenarios. The text is delivered almost entirely in color-coded speech-balloon dialogue between the friends (yellow for Lulu to match her hair bow and blue for Bruno to match his glasses). This supports the cartoonish quality of the humorous, digitally rendered art, but some pages end up looking rather cluttered with a surfeit of balloons. The final two pages incorporate the text in the illustrations, presenting the words “THE END” in pebbles in the sandbox, but Bruno intercedes to scratch the word “NOT” above them, suggesting that more squirrely adventures await the friends in future stories.
A playful, comic romp of a book for new readers. (Early reader. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3553-8
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
A welcome new pair of friends for the chapter-book set.
A boy tackles his under-the-bed nighttime monster and his insecurities with curiosity, kindness, and a bit of wisdom.
Alone in his bed at night, Leo, a white boy, confronts his fear head-on and directly addresses the monster that lurks beneath. The two begin to talk, and, much to the monster’s pleasure, Leo kindly gives him the name Fred. A mutual understanding develops when Fred explains that scaring Leo is his job. Seemingly unimpressed, Leo does get a bit frightened when Fred turns into a roaring lion, a fang-toothed snake, and a fire-breathing dragon. Back in bed in the dark with only eyes visible, Leo wisely compliments Fred as the two settle in. “You’re very good at your job.” Then: “ ‘Sleep tight,’ said Leo. ‘Don’t let the bedbugs bite.’ / ‘Bugs?’ said Fred. ‘There are bugs?’ ” Quirky, expressive cartoon digital artwork captures both the anxiety and humor exhibited in the dialogue-heavy short sentences and chapters. Leo’s newly acquired companion eventually helps him to conquer an aggressive playmate (also white) and to confidently present his show-and-tell school assignment. In the first of a new series, this extended version of Mercer Mayer’s classic There’s a Nightmare in My Closet (1968) incorporates themes of friendship, bullying, and school angst, offers satisfying conclusions, and gives readers good reason to empathize with Leo and his alter ego, Fred.
A welcome new pair of friends for the chapter-book set. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-77049-553-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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