Robby's fourth-grade teacher's conventional concern about his parents' division of labor (Dad takes care of the two-year- old twins while Mom, an artist, holds down a job)—and about the fact that Robby reads all the time, even at recess—prompts her to send him to Mrs. Van Gent, the school counselor. When a classmate who has also been talking to Mrs. Van Gent is suddenly put in foster care, Robby's anxieties are aroused: because Dad prefers playing with his children to picking up, their house is a shambles; stressed by the pranks of the lively twins, Robby's parents—though they are clearly loving partners—sometimes disagree or exchange sharp words. Meanwhile, as a PTA fund- raiser, Dad has contracted to serve a gourmet meal, and the highest bidder is Mrs. Van Gent, who accidentally arrives a week early and finds the family in its usual happy disarray. Crew (the well-received Children of the River, 1989) tells an entertaining story about a thoughtful kid with real fears engendered by misunderstandings so believable that the reader isn't altogether sure that a miscarriage of justice may not occur. She also expertly enriches her story with other themes: environmental concerns and hard times in the logging industry in the Pacific Northwest; getting along with a humorless teacher; and, especially, the complex give and take in a family of spirited individuals. Unusually worthwhile and appealing. Robinson's deft drawings are low-key but perceptive. (Fiction. 8- 12)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-385-30442-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1991
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
Told from the point of view of two warring siblings, this could have been an engaging first chapter book. Unfortunately, the length makes it less likely to appeal to the intended audience. Jessie and Evan are usually good friends as well as sister and brother. But the news that bright Jessie will be skipping a grade to join Evan’s fourth-grade class creates tension. Evan believes himself to be less than clever; Jessie’s emotional maturity doesn’t quite measure up to her intelligence. Rivalry and misunderstandings grow as the two compete to earn the most money in the waning days of summer. The plot rolls along smoothly and readers will be able to both follow the action and feel superior to both main characters as their motivations and misconceptions are clearly displayed. Indeed, a bit more subtlety in characterization might have strengthened the book’s appeal. The final resolution is not entirely believable, but the emphasis on cooperation and understanding is clear. Earnest and potentially successful, but just misses the mark. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: April 23, 2007
ISBN: 0-618-75043-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2007
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