The Whipping Boy is a much shorter story than the majority of Newbery Award winners, and reads like a folk story. When Prince Brat decides to run away...moreThe Whipping Boy is a much shorter story than the majority of Newbery Award winners, and reads like a folk story. When Prince Brat decides to run away from his castle with Jemmy, the boy who is whipped in his place when he misbehaves, both boys run into more adventure than they bargained for, and each learns a valuable lesson in friendship. I think that one of the most charming things about this story is that it encompasses many of the qualities of traditional folk tales, including a lesson to be learned, tricky, and punishment for unrepentant evil-doers. The short length of the book mixed with Fleischman’s use of unusual and colorful vocabulary makes it an excellent read for older reluctant readers. It can be difficult to sell reluctant readers on larger books, especially award-winners, which are often required for reading and language arts coursework, so this story is a good one for a librarian to have in his or her repertoire for future readers’ advisory situations.(less)
I'm not even sure why I keep reading these. It's kind of like the same jokes over and over again at this point. I guess I just think they're really gr...moreI'm not even sure why I keep reading these. It's kind of like the same jokes over and over again at this point. I guess I just think they're really great jokes. Also, the fact that they brought up candygrams made me cringe. Why do middle schools and high schools still do that? I'm pretty sure that all of us were just buying and sending them to ourselves.(less)
So, I wasn't going to read this because I've already read the first two books in the series, and I have a lot of other books to get to, but I picked i...moreSo, I wasn't going to read this because I've already read the first two books in the series, and I have a lot of other books to get to, but I picked it up and I just couldn't resist. Somehow Amy Ignatow always manages to verbalize things in such a way that makes me go, "Yes. Yes, Amy. That is exactly how it is." If you're not going to read it, allow me to share my favorite passage in the whole book from page 162 about telling people secrets:
(view spoiler)["If you happen to tell someone, don't tell someone who is in a romantic relationship, because people in relationships hang out with each other all the time and run out of things to say, so they have to tell their partner EVERYTHING just to keep from being bored." (hide spoiler)]
Astronaut Academy, I'm still not sure how I feel about you.
I want to be all kinds in love with this GN, and it was definitely funny at times, but some...moreAstronaut Academy, I'm still not sure how I feel about you.
I want to be all kinds in love with this GN, and it was definitely funny at times, but something just seemed "off" about it--like it wasn't quite ready for the presses yet. I'm not sure that kids or teens will understand the jokes the characters make, or the references they drop. I also thought the plot was too scattered to easily follow. Frequently, I found myself thinking, "I don't even know what's going on in this scene." On several occasions I got to the point where I just wanted the joking to stop for a moment so that the story could progress. I think the series has potential and I'll be interested to see if the next one is a bit more organized.
On the plus side, it's a great read-alike for kids who love Babymouse or Choco Mimi, though I probably wouldn't give it to anyone younger than 10.(less)
This was unexpectedly awesome! I don't know that I've ever read anything so mixed-genre before. It was horror, sci-fi, fantasy and humor all rolled in...moreThis was unexpectedly awesome! I don't know that I've ever read anything so mixed-genre before. It was horror, sci-fi, fantasy and humor all rolled into one. The only reason I didn't rate it higher was because I wanted more. I'd like to have seen more exploration of the world(s) and I really wanted Henrietta to go out of her attic window into the past. If this story continues in the future, I'll probably bump up the rating.(less)
I'm doing a Captain Underpants program next week and needed a refresher since I haven't picked this one up in a long time.
Oh Dav Pilkey, I forgot how...moreI'm doing a Captain Underpants program next week and needed a refresher since I haven't picked this one up in a long time.
Oh Dav Pilkey, I forgot how much I love your books...(less)
**spoiler alert** To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with this one. It was still funny, but it felt like many of the jokes had been previously use...more**spoiler alert** To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with this one. It was still funny, but it felt like many of the jokes had been previously used. The scenarios all felt somewhat familiar. That being said, I still enjoyed it immensely.(less)
1) George Beard and Harold Hutchins are not real people. They did not write the book. They are...moreWelcome back Dav Pilkey!
A couple of things to point out:
1) George Beard and Harold Hutchins are not real people. They did not write the book. They are the two fourth-grade boys in the Captain Underpants series. Pilkey is the author, but made the book look like it was drawn and written by kids.
2) Because the book is supposed to be written by two fourth-grade boys, there are several misspellings and grammatical errors on top of the expected "cave-man speak."
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