I DIDN'T WANT TO BE NICE

by Penelope Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 21, 1977

Nettie goes off resentfully to Andrea's birthday party ("". . . be nice,"" says her mother, but ""I didn't want to be nice""), and her view of the proceedings is a negative one: Andrea ""pulled my package right out of my hands. . . threw the pretty pink ribbon on the floor. . . [found] lots more peanuts than I did,"" etc. But somehow, after the candles (""I made a wish too""), things pick up, and Nettle gets a big piece of delicious chocolate cake, a red balloon (""My favorite color""), and a frilly basket of gumdrops to take home. At this point Nettle thanks her hostess and wishes her a happy birthday. That's a story? Instead of constructing a plot Jones simply imposes a shift, and she hasn't even thought up any touching or amusing manifestations of Nettie's sulk. Nor will Orlando's casting the pinafored children as cutesy (but unintentionally repulsive), small, furry mammals help to win the solicited sense of recognition.

Pub Date: Nov. 21, 1977

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Bradbury--dist. by Dutton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1977

Categories: CHILDREN'S