Trouble at School for Marvin & James

The Masterpiece Adventures #3

by Elise Broach, Kelly Murphy (Illustrations)

In the new Masterpiece Adventure Trouble at School for Marvin & James , the third in a series for younger readers from bestselling author Elise Broach, Marvin the beetle is off to school with James for the very first time! Everything runs smoothly on this big adventure until the bell rings after lunch and Marvin gets separated from James. In fact, he gets accidentally thrown away! Will Marvin make it back home to his family? How will James find him?

This young chapter book for emergent readers captures the miniature world of Marvin the Beetle and his special friend James.

A Christy Ottaviano Book

Genres: Childrens, Chapter Books, Middle Grade

112 pages, Hardcover

First published April 11, 2017

About the author

Elise Broach is the New York Times bestselling author of children's books including Masterpiece, Shakespeare's Secret, Desert Crossing, Missing on Superstition Mountain (the first book in the Superstition Mountain Trilogy) as well as several picture books. Her books have been selected as ALA notable books, Junior Library Guild selections, a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book, a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenage, an IRA Teacher's Choice, an E.B. White Read Aloud Award, and nominated for an Edgar Award, among other distinctions. Ms. Broach holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Yale University. She was born in Georgia and lives in the woods of rural Connecticut, walking distance from three farms, a library, a post office and two country stores.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/eliseb...

Reviews

[John]

Why did it say "trouble"? Can you tell me, please? Because he [spoiler alert] fell into a trash can? Marvin looked in every one, but he couldn't find him.

[Kathryn]

Best of the three Masterpiece Adventures we've read so far. Actually focused on artwork for part of the story and the adventure was exciting without being too perilous. Marvin's cousin isn't in this one (much to my relief).

[Mandy Kool]

Really cute book! I read it to my fifth grade class for read across America and they enjoyed it.

[Bonnie]

rating by 8 year old

[Kirsten]

Another great series for early independent readers. All kinds of adventures await Marvin the beetle and his boy James--especially at school! I really love the big font. It somehow makes me feel triumphant to reach the end, I'm sure early chapter book readers will feel the same. Fun illustrations, too.

[Nancy Kotkin]

This is the third title in the Masterpiece Adventures chapter book series. Marvin goes to school with James for the first time, though he doesn't tell his bug parents that he is leaving for the entire day and they worry about him. Despite that, I enjoyed this book more than the previous two installments in this series because there is more interaction between the boy and the beetle.

[Mrs. Melaugh]

This is the third book in a beginning chapter book series about the friendship between Marvin, a beetle, and James, a boy. This time, Marvin goes to school for the first time with his friend James. They enjoy art class and even make a beautiful drawing together, but at lunch, Marvin is blown away by a sneezing student and winds up in the trash. A friendly cockroach helps him find his way to the top of the trash can, and by combining initiative with a little luck, Marvin is reunited with James, who had been searching for him all along. Broach never talks down to her young readers, even going so far as to introduce the philosophical idea of “happy accidents” which recurs throughout the story. In the end, Marvin concludes, “Mistakes in life can be happy accidents too. Because even if a mistake is scary, it can help you see something differently.” As usual, the friendship between Marvin and James is at the heart of the adventure, and Marvin is unshakably confident that his friend James will come through when needed. Loads of line drawings help readers visualize the events in the story and fill in the meaning of words they might not recognize.

[Heidi]

Trouble at School for Marvin and James is the third book in one of my favorite early chapter book series. In this adventure, James is heading to school and invites his friend, Marvin the beetle to come with him. Impulsively, Marvin agrees to go, wanting to see the art teacher James has been telling him about. And at first, Marvin has a delightful time as he helps James draw in art class and rides the globe in social studies. Lunch scares Marvin a little though with the noise and all the kids that he's afraid will notice him. When disaster strikes and he ends up in the trash, Marvin is afraid that he will never see James again. But with the help of a new friend, maybe he can find a way to make his way back to James. The illustrations break up the text beautifully, making the book seem shorter than it is. James and Marvin are great, likable characters that it's easy to relate too. The theme of mistakes sometimes leading to new learning experiences doesn't overshadow the overarching theme of friendship. This is a great series for young readers who are ready for more difficult text but still love plentiful illustrations mixed in.

[Sarah]

I really wanted to love this book. Maybe kids will. It is a higher level beginning reader. I have not read the first tow in the series so maybe I am missing something. Lexile says it is for 8 - 10 year olds, but those same kids will be reading stories with better longer plots and smaller print. Maybe stronger reading six and seven year old kids would like it. Here is the challenge to me. A child who is not a strong reader might benefit from a book of this type, but the story needs to be exciting and age appropriate for the reader. I picked the book up thinking that it would be a fun back to school book for first or second graders but then felt confused about how old James was. How many 8 - 10 year old kids have pet beetles that live under their sink? The illustrations are nicely drawn and depict scenes in the story. I don't get the black white and orange of them though. I will take a peak at the others in the series and see if I missed something by starting at book three.

[Becky]

Heartwarming beginning chapter book.
The wonders of school as seen through the eyes of a pet beetle. I have not read the others in the series, but I found this harming and would love to read more. As a child, I was fascinated by miniature worlds, and the description of the beetle’s home fit the bill

[Stacia Leigh]

This will be enjoyable for first and second grade readers.

[Karen]

This was a good transition book, as in a transition from picture books to chapter books. It is short and sweet and mostly satisfying.

[JP]

Bennett dug it. And he hates books.

[Dylan | itsthelymanlibrary]

Never thought I’d enjoy a trip through the trash with a cockroach so much

[Dalia Al]

I liked the book. It was a nice book.

[Jen Lynn]

Read with my daughter. She really enjoyed it!

[Katie]

Marvin the beetle wants to go to school with James! He rides along in James’ pocket, and watches his lessons. Marvin even gets to draw during art class! But trouble happens when they go to lunch. Will Marvin be found in the big school?

This was a cute read aloud that my son loved!

[Sara Hudson]

Does more than most early reader chapter books, and makes a nice pairing with Masterpiece.

[Amy]

I read the first chapter. That is all.