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Wedgieman to the Rescue. by Charise Mericle Harper, illustrated by Bob Shea. February 12, 2013. Random House. 48 pages. ISBN: 9780307930729

Wedgieman to the Rescue is a level 3 easy reader from Random House’s Step into Reading series. In his second adventure, Veggieman (aka Wedgieman) comes up against Bad Dude, a villain keen on zapping the playground and forcing all the kids to work in his factory. Not only does Wedgieman come through to save the kids, but the kids give Bad Dude a toilet-themed nickname of his own.

I like Veggieman as a character, and I think the tone and illustrations of this book are spot-on for the target age group. Unfortunately, I think the assumption that kids are bad spellers, and that the only jokes they laugh at are related to underwear and poop, is a major weakness. Kids reading at this level know about the silent E at the end of certain words, and they would know better than to pronounce “dude” as “doodie.” I think the average child likes at least some vegetables, so trying to use toilet humor to make them more palatable doesn’t really work either. While Veggieman isn’t really an objectionable personality, I don’t understand why the hero of a children’s book is this man who lets kids bully him and call him names, and who seems to think so little of their intelligence. Odd choice.

Wedgieman to the Rescue might appeal to fans of the first book, but it’s not among Harper’s best. As an alternative superhero series, try Marvel’s Superhero Squad series, two titles in which I have reviewed. Wedgieman to the Rescue will be published on February 12.
 
I received a digital ARC of Wedgieman to the Rescue from Random House via Edelweiss. 

For more about this book visit Goodreads and Worldcat.

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Amelia Bedelia Means Business. by Herman Parish. January 29, 2013. Greenwillow Books. 112 pages. ISBN: 9780062094988

Following the example of popular picture book and easy reader character Fancy Nancy, young Amelia Bedelia is now also the star of her own chapter book series. In the first installment of the series, Amelia Bedelia Means Business, the literal minded little girl finds herself in need of a new bike. Her parents, two very upbeat personalities who apparently don't know their kid very well, decide this will be a fun opportunity for their daughter to learn a little bit of business sense. They inform her that she can have the bike she wants when she earns half the cost. Undaunted, Amelia Bedelia heads out into her neighborhood hoping to find a job. Each time she is hired, though, she quickly loses her job because of her strange interpretations of the instructions she is given.

Up until now, I have generally held the opinion that the newer Amelia Bedelia stories, where she is a mixed-up child instead of a blundering adult, make more sense and are easier for kids to relate to. This chapter book adds a caveat to this statement; the new Amelia Bedelia should stick to the original easy reader format that made her parent series a success. What works so well in a brief story for beginning readers - plays on words and outright silliness - loses its magic in a longer deeper tale. Amelia Bedelia has always been the butt of the joke in her stories, but in a way kids really enjoy. In this book, the reader is asked to take her seriously and to believe that her parents, classmates and neighbors also take her seriously. This is too much to ask of readers who remember the original Amelia Bedelia's “date cake” from Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia and the way she “called the roll” in Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia. Even kids who don't know the classic stories will pick up on a sense of flatness in this book. The schtick that defines the essence of Amelia Bedelia only works if we don't try getting inside her head. This earnest treatment of her character ruins the joke and makes the reader feel oddly guilty for laughing at a character who views the world in a different way.

I think the audience most likely to enjoy this book are girls who are new to chapter books who haven’t necessarily developed an attachment to the old school Amelia Bedelia. When girls find Amelia Bedelia Means Business shelved beside the Nancy Clancy, Rainbow Magic, and Magic Tree House series, they will be drawn to the cartoonish cover as well as the universally understood desire for a brand-new bike. Six and seven year olds who don't mind heavily suspending their disbelief will laugh when Amelia makes cringe-worthy mistake after cringe-worthy mistake. For everyone else, though, it might be a better idea to look back fondly on those early days of reading Amelia Bedelia easy readers and look for some better written and more engaging chapter books. After all, we don't have Frog and Toad or Elephant and Piggie chapter books - and I hope we never do. Some characters just don’t translate well to a longer format, and based on this book, I believe Amelia Bedelia is one of those.

I received a digital ARC of Amelia Bedelia Means Business from HarperCollins via Edelweiss.

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.

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Peanut. by Ayun Halliday and Paul Hoppe. December 26, 2012. Schwartz & Wade. 216 pages. ISBN: 9780375965906

Everyone at Sadie’s new school knows she’s allergic to peanuts. She wears a medical bracelet on her wrist, and a bronzed peanut from her boyfriend, Zoo, around her neck. She promises the nurse she will always have her epi-pen on hand, and she doesn’t buy the peanut butter cookies at the school bake sale. Everyone knows about her allergy. What they don’t know is that it isn’t real. In this forthcoming graphic novel, Sadie learns what happens when a girl desperate for attention weaves a web of lies so thick she can’t find her own way out.

The most outstanding feature of this book, hands down, is the artwork. The illustrator, Paul Hoppe, makes great use of shadow, expression, and perspective in telling the visual component of this story. Though the figures are obviously cartoons and not life-like portraits, they come across as very real, and their different body types and faces reflect the diversity of most large American high schools. I love the way his drawings show the action from different angles - the ceiling of Sadie’s bedroom or the school hallway, Sadie’s point of view as she reads a note from Zoo, or behind Sadie’s computer monitor as her eyes scan internet search results. These different perspectives make the story very dynamic, even when what is happening in the text doesn’t necessarily require a lot of physical movement. I also think it’s great that Sadie’s shirt is colored red while everything else is black, white, and gray. It made it so easy to keep track of her in every scene, and it also just makes the book more visually appealing.

The story itself is also strong at the start. The suspense builds gradually and naturally, and the reader becomes more and more aware of the stress on Sadie as she tries not to reveal the truth about her fake allergy. Unfortunately, I think the resolution comes about too quickly. It is obvious all along that the lie must come out eventually, but the way it happens is predictable and over too soon. The denouement also felt strange to me. Things between Sadie and her mom are resolved way too easily, and I can’t figure out how Zoo’s actions in the final moments of the book relate to his realization about Sadie’s lies. Pacing and plot issues aside, though, the dialogue and characterization are perfect and evoke the everyday details of the high school environment, complete with sexual innuendo and angst.

Peanut seems like a natural choice for readers who have loved Raina Telgemeier’s Smile and Drama, though it is a bit more mature than Telgemeier’s tales of middle school. I think it also compares well to books published by the DC Minx imprint such as The New York Four, Good as Lily, and Emiko Superstar. For other books about bending the truth, check out my Pants on Fire reading list.

Peanut will be available on December 26, 2012.

I received a digital ARC of Peanut from Schwartz & Wade via Edelweiss.

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.

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Amy and the Missing Puppy. by Callie Barkley. January 1, 2013. Little Simon. 128 pages. ISBN: 9781442457706

In this first book in the new Critter Club series, Amy is on her own for the week, while her friends spend Spring Break out of town. Luckily, Amy is an animal lover and her mom is a vet, so there’s lots for her to do to the pass the time. In fact, after just a couple of days, Amy finds herself involved in a mystery. Local billionaire Marge Sullivan has lost her dog, and Amy starts tracking the clues to find him. When her friends return home, they, too, have a hand in solving the mystery - and all the girls come together to find a way to help all the local animals who need them.

There is no doubt that this new series is directed at little girls. All the kids in the story are girls, and they’re into horses, dogs, and playing MASH (the game that determines a girl’s future husband, house, etc.). The cover shows hints of purple. The illustrations inside have a clear heart motif. The entire layout of the books is very stereotypically girls, and visually, I already know it will appeal to girls who are reading Cupcake Diaries, Rainbow Magic, and other similarly packaged chapter books.

Despite the fluffy appearance, though, this is a book with substance. Amy is a well-rounded character whose personality comes through in details like her constant blushing when she’s embarrassed, and her love for Nancy Drew mysteries. The story is realistic enough that it actually does seem believable that Amy could solve a case like this on her own, and that makes trying to solve it alongside her that much more fun. Readers will be able to put the clues together on their own - the author doesn’t play any tricks or withhold any information.

Interestingly, though this first book is a mystery subsequent titles in the series are not, so adults will want to be aware of that when presenting this book to kids. This specific book might be a great read-alike for Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew and Judy Moody's Mini-Mysteries and Other Sneaky Stuff for Super Sleuths, but the series as a whole is more like the Cupcake Diaries, Welcome to Silver Street Farm, or The Sleepover Squad.

This is a solid start to a new series sure to win over 8-year-old animal lovers everywhere. Amy and the Missing Puppy will be published on January 1, 2013, along with the second book of the series, All About Ellie. In the meantime, check out the adorable trailer below, and take a look at this graphic excerpt on Simon & Schuster’s website.



I received a digital ARC of Amy and the Missing Puppy from Simon & Schuster via Edelweiss.

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat. 

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