Just when things seem to be working out for Emma, a new dilemma arises for her family. Annie, the nanny, announces she’s leaving for a three-week trip to Ireland. Will Annie really come back? Will a new nanny be hired in the interim? Worse still, will the new nanny impress Mom and Dad more with her organized, practical ways? All these fears surface when Mrs. Potts appears for training, and her no-nonsense approach sends distress signals to Emma. Eager to find a way to keep Annie from leaving, Emma employs her usual creative strategies, resulting in unexpected complications through unsettling and unwanted scenarios. Simultaneously, Emma finds herself in a different sort of pickle, when she “borrows” a book that gets ripped to shreds by her pet ferret before she can secretly return it and another classmate is falsely accused of its theft. Hermes’s second volume in this head-shaking, funny series sheds light on a child’s naïveté despite her bold and impulsive actions. Emma’s blunders get her into a bit more trouble this time, yet she learns to accept Annie’s needs, be less selfish about her own, and admit her poor judgment’s effect on others. An engaging sequel with a captivating protagonist. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-7614-5353-9
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Flattened once more, this time not by a falling bulletin board but a double blow to his elusive “Osteal Balance Point”—or so says family GP Dr. Dan—Stanley Lambchop gets two more chances to play the hero before popping back into shape. First he becomes a human spinnaker in a sailboat race, then he worms his way through the wreckage of a collapsed building to rescue ever-rude classmate Emma Weeks. Alluding to previous episodes, Stanley complains, “Why me? Why am I always getting flat, or invisible, or something?” Mr. Lambchop replies, “But things often happen without there seeming to be a reason, and then something else happens, and suddenly the first thing seems to have had a purpose after all.” Perhaps—even if that purpose is just to tread water, as Brown does here. Still, with its cartoon illustrations, well-leaded text and general goofiness, this retread is as likely to draw transitional readers as the perennial favorite Flat Stanley (1964) and its sequels. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: March 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-06-009551-2
Page Count: 96
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2003
The second installment in this spirited series is a hit.
A new baby coming means Ryan has lots of opportunities to grow love.
Ryan has so much to look forward to this summer—she is going to be a big sister, and she finally gets to go to church camp! But new adventures bring challenges, too. Ryan feels like the baby is taking forever to arrive, and with Mom on bed rest, she isn’t able to participate in the family’s typical summer activities. Ryan’s Dad is still working the late shift, which means he gets home and goes to bed when she and her older brother, Ray, are waking up, so their quality daddy-daughter time is limited to one day a week. When the time for camp finally arrives, Ryan is so worried about bugs, ghosts, and sharing a cabin that she wonders if she should go at all. Watson’s heroine is smart and courageous, bringing her optimistic attitude to any challenge she faces. Hard topics like family finances and complex relationships with friends are discussed in an age-appropriate way. Watson continues to excel at crafting a sense of place; she transports readers to Portland, Oregon, with an attention to detail that can only come from someone who has loved that city. Ryan, her family, and friends are Black, and occasional illustrations by Mata spotlight their joy and make this book shine.
The second installment in this spirited series is a hit. (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: April 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0058-8
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
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