23 Ways to Mess Up Valentine's Day

Willimena Rules! #5

by Valerie Wilson Wesley, Maryn Roos (Illustrator)

After being held prisoner for years, Artemis Fowl's father has finally come home. He is a new man-an honest man, much to Artemis's horror. He makes his son promise to give up his life of crime, and Artemis has to go along with it. But not until he has completed one last scheme. Artemis has constructed a super-computer from stolen fairy technology. Called the "C Cube," it will render all existing human technology obsolete. He arranges a meeting with a powerful Chicago businessman, Jon Spiro, to broker a deal for the C Cube. But Spiro springs a trap-he steals the C Cube and mortally injures Butler. Artemis knows his only hope of saving his loyal bodyguard is to employ fairy magic; so once again he must contact his old rival, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon fairy police. It is going to take a miracle to save Butler, and Artemis's luck may have just run out.

96 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

About the author

Valerie Wilson Wesley is an African-American author of mysteries, adult-theme novels, and children's books,[1] and a former executive editor of Essence magazine. She is the author of the Tamara Hayle mystery series. Her writings, both fiction and non-fiction, have also appeared in numerous publications, including Essence, Family Circle, TV Guide, Ms., The New York Times, and the Swiss weekly magazine Die Weltwoche.

Reviews

[Jane Maple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Willie has never been a fan of Valentine's Day because she is always scared she won't get any cards. Tina tries to give her sister advice to cheer her on this rainy Feb day. She tells her to avoid rain puddles and be kind to new people. It is Black History Month, so each student has to pick their hero. Willie knows who she will pick, Harriet Tubman who even has a portrait in the school. As class starts a new boy arrives named Travis Tyler. Some of the girls in Willie's class think Travis is cute. Because the kids sit in alphabetical order Travis sat close to Willie whose last name was Thomas. Willie and Travis discover they both like writing and Willie finds that Travis' smile reminds her of Teddy's. The teacher asks for volunteers to show Travis around. Lots of students raise their hands, but the teacher picks Willie and Bill Taylor. They pass Harriet Tubman's portrait and Willie tells Travis that she is her hero (then hopes that doesn't sound dumb) but Travis quickly assures her that Fredrick Douglass is his hero. (Bill says his hero is the Incredible Hulk.) The three go to lunch. Willie discovers that Travis has an older brother (just like she has an older sister) and that he has a dog named Apple (because he likes to eat them) and a black cat name Moom. Willie tells him that she has a black cat too. That evening Tina teases Willie about having a boyfriend after she spotted Willie and Travis at school. Willie goes upstairs to do her homework, even though it is a Friday evening. Tina comes up an apologizes and offers more than half the popcorn their dad just made. Willie appreciates it but rights in her journal before going down for popcorn about meeting Travis but that while he was friendly he wasn't her boyfriend. On Monday the teacher gets some students to decorate the valentine box including Crawford, Travis and several girls volunteer to be around Travis. The teacher asks Willie if she want's to volunteer, but Willie slinks down in her chair and refuses (still afraid of Valentine's day). The teacher also asks who everyone is picking to write their report, but so many kids pick Harriet Tubman that by the time the teacher gets to Willie she says no one else could choose her. So Willie goes to the library to find a new hero. The librarian Mrs. Knapp helps Willie get books to come up with new choices. Travis is there too. Willie ends up picking Zora Neale Hurston, because not a lot of people have the name Zora just like not a lot of people have the name Willimena. Travis picks Langston Hughes. When Willie goes to the bathroom the girls in her class are again talking about how cute Travis is and how they are expecting a special valentine from him. Lilac mentions that Valentine's day is her favorite holiday. Willie tells Lilac she will get lots of valentines. Lilac says she knows and don't you feel sorry for the poor kids who don't get many. This makes the knot in Willie's stomach grow, so that evening she tells her sister who suggests that Willie takes a couple of her extra valentines and write them to herself and sign them a secret admirer. Willie does it, but more than just a couple. On Valentine's day the class has a substitute teacher. They go to a play given by the 5th graders and girls fight to be near Travis. The kids act up in the play (which wasn't very good) and the sub doesn't know how to control the class. After the play, the students race back to the classroom and she has to run to keep up. The class is all decorated for Valentine's day. All the kids are being nice as they are having cupcakes and saying they hope Willie likes their Valentine card to her, which makes Willie worry that she didn't make one for them when she was making so many for herself. Lilac pass out the Valentine's and Willie starts to feel awful when she gets such a big pile. However the class is distracted when the girls open Travis cards and they all got a frog on their valentine. They all throw them away. The sub can't get control over the class. The class' attention turns back to Willie and her big pile of cards, some of the students feel like everyone must have given her two valentines or other classes must have given her cards and feel bad about their smaller piles. This makes Willie feel bad that she has made everyone else feel bad, even Lilac Starr who Willie remembers said Valentine's day was her favorite holiday but is now looking sad while Willie knows that Valentine's day isn't that important to her. Willie ends up fessing up to the entire class. Bill tells her that it was silly for her to be worried that she has lots of friends in class. Crawford Mills says it was a dumb thing to do and Willie has to admit he is right. Willie stuffs all the valentine's in her bag without reading them when it is time to go home. She also takes a long time putting on her coat not wanting to be with her classmates anymore. When she comes out there is just the sub and Travis who has his head down and repeatedly says he hopes no one thought he was crying. Willie tells him that if he was crying that that would be OK everyone cries when they feel bad. Travis tells her he didn't mean to make everyone mad, that he likes frogs so he thought everyone else would like them too. Willie admits she doesn't like frogs but says the top hats were cute. He asks her why she sent so many valentines to herself and she said she was scared she wouldn't get any and got carried away. That makes them both smile. Travis gives Willie his valentine and then runs for the bus. When Willie opens it she sees it doesn't have a frog, but instead is a big black cat with moon on its head. When Tina asks later how the day went Willa doesn't tell her all the issues she had with the too many valentines but she also doesn't tell Tina about her special valentine from Travis since she would say that he was her boyfriend.

[Sownbrooklyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Willimena Rules! Series follows third grader Willimena "Willi" Thomas as she navigates through the sometimes-troubled waters of being a kid. In 23 Ways to Mess Up Valentine's Day, Willi decides to make sure that she doesn't end up the only kid without any class valentines by stuffing the card box. She begins to regret the decision almost immediately, but she is really in deep trouble when her fear of being left out if proven wrong. On Valentine’s Day her elation at receiving cards from all of her friends is canceled out by the dread she feels when she realizes none of her cards so far are the ones she made up herself. When at last count she was given more cards than there were students in her class she has no choice but to fess up. And in front of the entire class. This lighthearted tale teaches a lesson in a subtle and comical manner. Willi has a flair for colorful descriptions and innocent little kid trouble. This book is well suited for the lower portion of the 9-12 age range, but may prove too simple for the older reader.