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A review by mrskendallreads
Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise by Kate DiCamillo
5.0
If only you knew how many times I have tried to get a child to read Mercy Watson: A Princess in Disguise. I bought it last year for the library--using my own money--because it looked like a colorful, fun, beginner chapter book. It didn't hurt that Kate DiCamillo was the author! I was sure the kids were going to love it.
Fail.
For a year it sat on the shelf collecting dust.
Then, as luck would have it, I forgot until minutes beforehand that I was supposed to read to the 1st grade for 30 minutes. I quickly skimmed Goodreads, Pinterest, and the internet at large for good read-alouds. I didn't have my copy of The Read-Aloud Handbook with me, or I would have gone with a Trelease recommendation.
I couldn't find my copy of Pipi Longstocking, and by that point I was sweating bullets. I was tearing apart a particularly disorganized shelf when I found Mercy Watson. Done and done, even though I grimaced at the word princess in the title. Some boys in 1st grade love princesses, and some boys vocally oppose even the suggestion of pink. Ugh. Drama in the afternoon = my favorite.
Luck was on my side. There was not one complaint when I read the title out loud, thereby eliminating my twice monthly lecture entitled: There are No Boy Books or Girl Books, Only BOOKS.
The 1st grade loved Mercy Watson: A Princess in Disguise. I pwned rug time.
Of course, it helps that I have no shame when it comes to voices, faces, and contorting my body into positions I didn't think possible in an effort to keep attention during reading time.
I asked the kids later that day if they liked the book. They all said yes. One girl, a girl who poo-pooed the book not two months ago, said it was her new favorite book. I wanted to beat my chest and cry out I told you so!
*Buy the hardcovers, if you can. The construction is very good.
Fail.
For a year it sat on the shelf collecting dust.
Then, as luck would have it, I forgot until minutes beforehand that I was supposed to read to the 1st grade for 30 minutes. I quickly skimmed Goodreads, Pinterest, and the internet at large for good read-alouds. I didn't have my copy of The Read-Aloud Handbook with me, or I would have gone with a Trelease recommendation.
I couldn't find my copy of Pipi Longstocking, and by that point I was sweating bullets. I was tearing apart a particularly disorganized shelf when I found Mercy Watson. Done and done, even though I grimaced at the word princess in the title. Some boys in 1st grade love princesses, and some boys vocally oppose even the suggestion of pink. Ugh. Drama in the afternoon = my favorite.
Luck was on my side. There was not one complaint when I read the title out loud, thereby eliminating my twice monthly lecture entitled: There are No Boy Books or Girl Books, Only BOOKS.
The 1st grade loved Mercy Watson: A Princess in Disguise. I pwned rug time.
Of course, it helps that I have no shame when it comes to voices, faces, and contorting my body into positions I didn't think possible in an effort to keep attention during reading time.
I asked the kids later that day if they liked the book. They all said yes. One girl, a girl who poo-pooed the book not two months ago, said it was her new favorite book. I wanted to beat my chest and cry out I told you so!
*Buy the hardcovers, if you can. The construction is very good.