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celjla212's review against another edition
2.0
Benny Alvarez is not a fun kid--he is always correcting people, trying to impress them by using big words, and is just generally negative. Although I finished this book, I am not entirely sure what it was supposed to be about; Benny doesn't change all that much, and nothing of note happens to him until almost the very end. I thought the story was rambling and overall, a bit pointless.
liomane's review against another edition
1.0
I'm not sure what the point of this book is. An empty shell of a protagonist and an equally empty, predictable plot. There's absolutely nothing memorable about it at all. I read this in middle school and did not find myself awed by its realism like some other reviewers thought. I don't remember much about the book itself, but I do remember my entire class tearing into the book for how self-contradictive and pointless it was.
leeann20's review against another edition
3.0
It was sweet, I enjoyed the simple conflicts, not super dramatic. I really wish the poems were printed.
srousseau's review against another edition
4.0
What a sweet middle school book! There's a supportive family, some good friends and teachers who are challenging their students. There is some strife, but it is mostly gentle. There isn't much plot - it's just a "day in the life" sort of story.
Not sure how many middle school boys will read it, but it will be a great read for the ones who do.
Not sure how many middle school boys will read it, but it will be a great read for the ones who do.
simsbrarian's review
4.0
This story was a great snapshot into the life of one pessimistic wordsmith of a 7th grader with a stroke-prone grandfather, a brother named "Crash" determined to save small animals from their father and a lurking neighborhood hawk, a "negative Nellie" father and "Optimistic Sally" mother, and a rival in the form of a fellow smart girl classmate. Woven into the short tale of a few weeks in his life is a good amount of thesaurus searching and even a few "deeper meaning" metaphors. It would be a good book to explore themes of friendships (with classmates but also with family members), prose vs verse poetry, kindness, misunderstandings, second chances, love and loss. It packed a lot into a short book!
The focus on calling Claudine "pretty" and Mrs. D as being a "Demigoddess" were eye-rollingly stereotypical "This is how young boys think" moments that didn't need to be quite so emphasized throughout. Readers who like Blue Balliett's books with math puzzles might enjoy this similar reader level book dabbling more on word play.
FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
The focus on calling Claudine "pretty" and Mrs. D as being a "Demigoddess" were eye-rollingly stereotypical "This is how young boys think" moments that didn't need to be quite so emphasized throughout. Readers who like Blue Balliett's books with math puzzles might enjoy this similar reader level book dabbling more on word play.
FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
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