THE BEST TEACHER IN SECOND GRADE

This Level 2 reader in the I Can Read series reinvigorates the theme of travail and triumph for the new kid in class. Luna loves stars and planets, but her initial elation with the like-minded Mr. Hopper turns to despondence: Her new classmates find her passion for astronomy odd. During class planning for Family Night, Luna suggests a show about the night sky, since (with shooting comets and animal-shaped constellations) it’s “like a midnight circus.” The kids are enthusiastic instead about a circus theme: Luna’s “good idea had come and gone, just like a shooting star.” A lunch-line conversation reveals—horrors!—that Mrs. Mudlark’s class is also busy planning a circus. Luna’s notion is revived, and after the successful show, she “beamed like the sun.” Kenah makes a sparkling array of similes and metaphors accessible to primary students, a nifty feat within the constraints of the reader format. Carter’s cheery watercolors extend the apt school details, depicting a multicultural classroom with several biracial children, including Luna herself. A school story that shines. (Easy reader. 5-8)