A good choice for transitioning readers looking for a splash of humor.
Life as a third-grader can be very trying….
Between Aldeen, the Queen of Mean, and Curtis, the nearly perfect new kid, Morgan has his hands full. What’s a boy to do? He and his best friend, Charlie, are just two ordinary kids, but unfortunately, they have to endure noogies from Aldeen and showing off from Curtis on a daily basis, even outside of school! In this continuation of the series (Music by Morgan, 2011), straightforward sentences with basic vocabulary describe Morgan’s mild misadventures, from a school trip to a chicken farm to schoolyard games and a block party that promises fun for all (or does it?). While the characters are only minimally developed and the plot a trifle simplistic, young readers will appreciate the accessible text, action-filled black-and-white illustrations, discrete chapters that end on suspenseful notes and a slight twist on the usual bully fare, as chubby Morgan tries to find a way to stand up to the daunting Aldeen, who may not be quite as evil as she appears. A quick, solid read for youngsters just ready for longer chapters but not quite prepared for Wimpy Kid books, this selection mines a similar vein and includes some good chuckles, a likable protagonist and an anti-bullying message that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
A good choice for transitioning readers looking for a splash of humor. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4595-0075-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Formac
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2013
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
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BOOK REVIEW
An engaging mix of gentle behavior modeling and inventive story ideas that may well provide just the push needed to get some...
With a little help from his audience, a young storyteller gets over a solid case of writer’s block in this engaging debut.
Despite the (sometimes creatively spelled) examples produced by all his classmates and the teacher’s assertion that “Stories are everywhere!” Ralph can’t get past putting his name at the top of his paper. One day, lying under the desk in despair, he remembers finding an inchworm in the park. That’s all he has, though, until his classmates’ questions—“Did it feel squishy?” “Did your mom let you keep it?” “Did you name it?”—open the floodgates for a rousing yarn featuring an interloping toddler, a broad comic turn and a dramatic rescue. Hanlon illustrates the episode with childlike scenes done in transparent colors, featuring friendly-looking children with big smiles and widely spaced button eyes. The narrative text is printed in standard type, but the children’s dialogue is rendered in hand-lettered printing within speech balloons. The episode is enhanced with a page of elementary writing tips and the tantalizing titles of his many subsequent stories (“When I Ate Too Much Spaghetti,” “The Scariest Hamster,” “When the Librarian Yelled Really Loud at Me,” etc.) on the back endpapers.
An engaging mix of gentle behavior modeling and inventive story ideas that may well provide just the push needed to get some budding young writers off and running. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-0761461807
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Amazon Children's Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
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