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Black Lagoon #14
The New Kid from the Black Lagoon
Mrs. Green announces a new student is joining the class, and he is coming from far away. Immediately, everyone makes their guesses about where he is from. Hubie has his own suspicion: The new kid is from Mars! He thinks of the many wacky creatures the kid may just take the form of, but ultimately he hopes for a buddy.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Mike Thaler
294 books118 followersMike Thaler, born in Los Angeles, started his professional career drawing cartoons for adults. A children's book editor saw one of his cartoon stories in a national magazine and encouraged Mike to try writing for children. His first attempt met with success, and "The Magic Boy" was published in 1961.
Mike has produced over 220 published books and is known as “America’s Riddle King.” He has also been called “The Court Jester of Children’s Literature.”
Mike Thaler lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Patty. He gladly welcomes all invitations to do church and school programs, and other book events.
Mike travels each year throughout the world helping children and teachers create their own stories, riddles, and books. He writes and teaches with creativity, inspiring his audiences with a love of language.
--from the author's website
Mike has produced over 220 published books and is known as “America’s Riddle King.” He has also been called “The Court Jester of Children’s Literature.”
Mike Thaler lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Patty. He gladly welcomes all invitations to do church and school programs, and other book events.
Mike travels each year throughout the world helping children and teachers create their own stories, riddles, and books. He writes and teaches with creativity, inspiring his audiences with a love of language.
--from the author's website
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 16, 2011
And on it goes, my childrens' request for black lagoon books..this one about a new student from far away...the question is Miami or Mars?!
September 5, 2017
These series were one of my childhood classics. I liked all of them. The best part is the graphics and pictures of all them. They give you the scared side of an elementary school student and then show the real thing at the end. These books always leave you feeling warm inside.
February 2, 2018
New kid, Xu, is coming. Kids wonder if he is from far away, like Mars. Guess what he'll like. Turns out to be Chinese, invites them all to his dad's restaurant for dinner.
February 26, 2015
Personal Response: My favorite part in this book was when the new kid finally arrives, and the main character realizes that he is no different from him. He spends most of the book imagining what he will be like and how different he will be because he is from far away, but then he learns that they're much more similar than he expected. I loved how the book ended sort of abruptly after his arrival- I felt like it reinforced the idea of how the new student is normal and his differences are not a big deal. The picture were really unique in the way that not a single line is completely straight. They are frayed and jagged and it adds texture to the pictures. They also have a comic-like feel to them, because they add conversation bubbles that add more to the story. The pictures are all crazy and exaggerated.
Purposes:
- ages 6-8
Read Aloud for Enrichment:
- encourage kids to study some of the pictures and point out things that they see, that they might miss if they don't look closely. Some pictures are so action-packed that it could be easy to miss things
- could read to learn that children in far away countries are not quite as different as they may imagine them to be... for example, could have children draw a picture of what the main character initially thinks the new student will look like, and then a picture of what the new student actually looks like
Other:
- could read if the class is about to gain a new student from a very different background than most of the students in the class
- portrays diversity in a very positive way: yes, the new student is from a different country, so he has some differences from the other kids, but those differences are accepted and embraced (as seen in how the book ends with them all eating Chinese food at the new student's family's restaurant)
Purposes:
- ages 6-8
Read Aloud for Enrichment:
- encourage kids to study some of the pictures and point out things that they see, that they might miss if they don't look closely. Some pictures are so action-packed that it could be easy to miss things
- could read to learn that children in far away countries are not quite as different as they may imagine them to be... for example, could have children draw a picture of what the main character initially thinks the new student will look like, and then a picture of what the new student actually looks like
Other:
- could read if the class is about to gain a new student from a very different background than most of the students in the class
- portrays diversity in a very positive way: yes, the new student is from a different country, so he has some differences from the other kids, but those differences are accepted and embraced (as seen in how the book ends with them all eating Chinese food at the new student's family's restaurant)
May 25, 2012
This is a fun story in the Black Lagoon series. It's a little different from the other books in the series, because instead of an authority figure from the school, the creature from the black lagoon is the new kid in class.
The story is fairly typical for the series. I suppose I groaned a bit inside when I read the last two pages and the new boy from China invites the class to his parents' Chinese restaurant (stereotype much?), but the story was still entertaining.
We've read many of the books in this series and our girls love them. When we finish, we will likely begin reading the Black Lagoon Adventures chapter book series.
The story is fairly typical for the series. I suppose I groaned a bit inside when I read the last two pages and the new boy from China invites the class to his parents' Chinese restaurant (stereotype much?), but the story was still entertaining.
We've read many of the books in this series and our girls love them. When we finish, we will likely begin reading the Black Lagoon Adventures chapter book series.
January 23, 2014
All of these books are great, but I espeically like this one because I think it would be perfect to read when you know you are getting a new student. I think it can help students with worry or nerves about getting a new stuent in the class.
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July 29, 2011A new student starts school tomorrow and the teacher says that the new student is coming form a faraway place. The kids think of many places including mars.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews