The Story of Tracy Beaker. by Jacqueline Wilson. 1991; 2006. Yearling. 224 pages. ISBN: 9780440867579 Tracy Beaker lives in a children's home. She has had two failed attempts at making things work with a foster family, but because she is an older child and a bit unruly, she has had trouble making a long-term connection. When she begins writing her life story in a book given to her by the home, she discovers some writing talent, and even has the chance to meet a real-life author, but when it seems like she and the author might just hit it off, she finds that her behavior might keep her from truly enjoying this new friendship.
Tracy is the plucky kind of character kids love to read about, whether they have anything in common with her or not. She is smart-mouthed, funny, sarcastic, and authentic, and her difficult situation gives kids a lot of reasons to root for her right off the bat. She is not always a reliable narrator, but her lies and half-truths are always obvious to the reader, and I think the reader can easily understand that they arise from a desire to protect herself. Even her misbehavior – getting into fights, breaking others' belongings, having angry outbursts – is presented in a realistic way that presents things for what they are, without glorifying disobedience or immediately passing judgment on Tracy as a “bad” kid.
Though this book was originally published in the UK in 1991, it didn't make it to the United States until 2006. Though I suspect the publisher probably could have updated some things to bring the story up to date, there is no obvious evidence that this has been done in the US edition that I read. I recall no references to cell phones or other gadgets, and honestly, I'm not sure Tracy or her friends would realistically have those things even if this book were written today. Everything in the story felt very contemporary, and I think most middle grade readers would feel the same way.
Last year, when I reviewed
One for the Murphys, I criticized it for its overly happy ending, which to me, felt forced and unrealistic.
The Story of Tracy Beaker seems much more in tune with what a real-life foster care experience might be like, and I think anyone who reads
One for the Murphys should read this book as well to ensure a more balanced look inside the lives of kids who are in the foster care system.
There are several other titles about Tracy Beaker, and though they don't seem to be available in the US, I'd definitely like to read them. They include:
The Dare Game,
Starring Tracy Beaker,
Tracy Beaker's Thumping Heart, and
Ask Tracy Beaker and Friends.I borrowed The Story of Tracy Beaker from my local public library.
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Dragon's Merry Christmas. by Dav Pilkey. August 1, 1991. Orchard Books. 48 pages. ISBN: 9780439548489In this 1991 easy reader by Captain Underpants creator Dav Pilkey, Dragon prepares to celebrate Christmas by selecting the perfect Christmas tree, making a wreath out of candy, making a Christmas list, and giving things away to friends who need them more than he does. I had never seen this book before, despite its age and the fact that it came from my own library’s collection, but I recognized it instantly as one of the best holiday books for kids I’ve ever read.
The story is touching in some places, but laugh out loud funny in others. The tone is sincere rather than saccharine and Dragon is a childlike protagonist in whom child readers can easily see themselves. The brightly colored and cartoonish illustrations give visual cues and Dragon’s body language and facial expressions provide emotional context for the events of the story. Dragon reminds me of beloved easy reader characters such as Cynthia Rylant’s Poppleton and Arnold Lobel’s Owl, who get confused and upset but ultimately do the right thing.
The humor is perfect for early elementary school audiences. At least two of the chapters have surprise endings, which caught me off guard and made me giggle out loud. I think kids will especially crack up when Dragon puts his mittens in his coat to keep from losing them, and then loses his coat. I think we all know kids who habitually lose things, who would understand Dragon’s problem all too well. The story also works in the usual lesson about the true meaning of Christmas, but not in an obnoxious or heavy-handed way. Kids will swallow the lesson easily because they enjoy Dragon and will be more likely to internalize it, I think, within the context of such a fun story.
Dragon’s Merry Christmas is a perfect holiday reader for fans of Elephant and Piggie, Frog and Toad, Fly Guy, and any of Dav Pilkey’s other books.
I borrowed Dragon's Merry Christmas from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Fourth Grade Rats. by Jerry Spinelli. 1991. Scholastic. 86 pages. ISBN: 9780590442442Though
Fourth Grade Rats has recently received a
makeover in time for the publication of its prequel,
Third Grade Angels, it’s actually an older title, which was first published in 1991. While
Third Grade Angels focuses on Suds’s attempt to be the most angelic member of his class,
Fourth Grade Rats is about his quest to follow his friend Joey’s lead and become a rat. According to Joey, rats say no to their mothers, carry their lunches in bags, not lunchboxes, and they never cry or get scared. Suds tries to live up to all these rules, but he’s so used to being good, it’s hard to change his ways.
The first thing I noticed about this book, sadly, was an error in continuity. In the prequel, which I read just a few days before reading
Fourth Grade Rats, Suds meets Joey on the first day of school. In
Fourth Grade Rats, though, the boys reminisce about something that happened to them two summers ago on the Fourth of July. For them to have this shared memory, they would have had to meet prior to the first day of third grade. I read a paperback edition of
Fourth Grade Rats, with a 1991 copyright date, so I guess it’s possible that the story line has been edited in the 2012 version so that the two books match, but even so, this error is going to be obvious to kids who are reading aged library copies of
Fourth Grade Rats alongside their brand-new copies of
Third Grade Angels.
Another thing I noticed quickly is that I didn’t like
Fourth Grade Rats as much as
Third Grade Angels. This surprised me, because I almost always think the original story is better, but in this case, I didn’t think the writing was quite as distinctive in this book as it is in the newer one. Though Suds takes baths in both stories, I thought the effects of the bath on his well-being were described much more effectively in
Third Grade Angels. I also thought his crush on Judy, and Judy herself, were more interesting in
Third Grade Angels.
All of this is making it sound like I didn’t enjoy
Fourth Grade Rats, and that isn’t true. The story is quick, funny, and clever. Parents who worry about stories that glorify disobedience will love the moral, and kids will enjoy the silly things the boys do to prove they are rats. I also enjoyed the illustrations in the particular edition that I read, which were filled with great early 90s fashion and hairstyles like this:
And this:
I think it’s especially hilarious that there was a time in my childhood where we all dressed exactly like that! I also love these illustrations. Though they are apparently not done by the same illustrator, they really remind me of the drawings in the Baby-sitters Club Little Sister books.
Fourth Grade Rats has really stood the test of time, but I think it’s also interesting to note how much Jerry Spinelli has evolved as a writer in 20 years.
Fourth Grade Rats was good, but
Third Grade Angels is even better. I will definitely recommend both books to my library’s third- and fourth-grade chapter book readers.
I borrowed Fourth Grade Rats from my local public library.
Sammy Carducci's Guide to Women. by Ronald Kidd. 1991. Penguin. 112 pages. ISBN: 9780140364811Sammy Carducci’s Guide to Women is a comic novel about the trials and tribulations of dating in the sixth grade. Sammy is the shortest boy in his class, but he makes up for his small size by having a big personality filled with cocky self-confidence. He’s been watching his older brother, and now believes he has all the knowledge necessary to impress the women in his class. The only problem is, the one girl he’s really interested in, Becky Davidson, is the most physically mature girl in the entire school, and he has a lot of competition for her affections.
This book is written by Ronald Kidd, who, nowadays, publishes chapter books like
Chasing George Washington and
Teddy Roosevelt and the Treasure of Ursa Major, as well as novels like
The Year of the Bomb, and
On Beale Street.
Sammy Carducci was published in the middle of his career so far, back in 1991.
Reading the story felt a lot like watching a 90s sitcom like
Saved By the Bell or
Boy Meets World, where kids are the main focus and adults play a secondary role. A lot of the “jokes” of this story - Sammy’s height, Becky’s maturity, Becky’s parents’ reactions to Sammy, Sammy’s disagreements with his friend Gus - are common tropes found in a lot of movies, shows, and books from the same time period. Sammy isn’t quite a stereotype, but he does represent a certain type of recognizable character, whose personality is familiar to me based on how much time I spent indulging in 90s pop culture as a kid.
Kidd’s writing reminds me a lot of authors like Gordon Korman, Louis Sachar, and Rachel Vail, who use this same sense of humor to tell stories about early adolescence. Like books by Korman, Sachar, and Vail, Kidd’s story about Sammy Carducci could really appeal to boys or girls, thanks to Sammy’s engaging voice and the high stakes he sets up for himself by wanting to date Becky.
Though
Sammy Carducci’s Guide to Women is out of print, a play based on the story can still be purchased from
Dramatic Publishing. I can imagine a play with so many colorful characters would be a lot of fun to perform, and it would be really interesting to see what kind of contemporary spin could be put on the story to bring it up to date.
I purchased Sammy Carducci's Guide to Women from my local used book store.
I love Wilson! The good news is that a lot of her work will be released in the US in eBook format. There will be a Wilson Blog tour in October, so you cab learn more about her stuff. She is my daughter's favorite author!