Bookworm for Kids presents books for toddlers to teens and everything in between: board books, picture books, chapter books, middle grade reads, tween reads, and young adult literature.
Miss Sorenson's fifth-grade class at Green Hill Academy is going to make a movie... a mummy movie!
Brilliant but awkward Bernard Gawain is thrilled his crush, Bridget Matsumoto, has been cast as the leading lady, and he will be playing her hero. But this dream come true unravels when his domineering mother becomes the class substitute teacher and the film's tyrannical director.
Fifth-grade Bernard just wanted to hide the 'C' on the quiz from his mother but realized too late that flushing it down the toilet probably wasn't the best idea. His mother's disappointment and seemingly unreachable expectations aren't the only thing to deal. School life isn't a joke, either. But when his teacher decides to do a class project and make a movie out of one of his favorite series, things start to look up. That is...until his mother gets involved.
Bernard is a fun kid in so many ways. He's not the greatest student, but he does try...he simply is distracted by other things and not a real study-bug. He's got a good heart, friends, and is humorous, too. From the toilet mistake onward, it's easy to want to be his friend even when it's clear things won't always go quite as planned. But then, it's exactly these silly twists which make the read fun.
The tale is quick-paced and entertaining, making it easy to stay in the pages and see what will happen next. There's quite a bit of character arc as Bernard has to work his way through the different situations and friendships...and for all things, his mother. While there are some clear messages, there's more than enough unexpected situations and humor to keep seriousness from bogging down. It creates a fun tale, which grabs from beginning to end.
It's time for a mid-week laugh, don't you think? Today's read packs all sorts of humor, while addressing some everyday problems like siblings, sharing, classmates, first crushes, and...well, all those small things which make life difficult in middle grade. Plus, who doesn't love a good doughnuts story? Now, if only I had a few doughnuts to munch on myself.
SIX THOUSAND DOUGHNUTS
by Thomas Tosi
Illustrated by Meghan Tosi
Middle Grade Humor
Dooney Press
284 pages
ages 8 to 12
COMING...
JUNE 4th!!!
Why would anyone need six thousand doughnuts?
Big family...little house... Fifth-grader Abe Mitchell is fed up with sharing. All he wants is something to call his own. And he just might get it when he finds a loophole in the fine print of a doughnut shop coupon. Abe thinks it entitles him to a fresh-baked mountain of crullers, dunkers, and chocolate-frosteds. But cashing in means war with Marlene Paczki, the daughter of the doughnut shop owner and Abe's new crush.
In some respects, this one reminded me of Frindle but steers in a more humorous directions, while packing daily problems, which might not seem so tough, but really, truly are.
Abe is so sick of sharing everything with his siblings. And he does mean everything. When he misses out on a doughnut because he's sick of sharing, another, more amazing thing happens. He wins a free doughnut thanks to a ticket on his father's coffee, or the equivalent value of 1/20cents. Realizing that this means that doughnuts are truly only worth 5 cents a piece, a little math quickly leads him to the realization that if he gets his hands on $3, he can get 6,000 doughnuts. But when he goes to claim his prize, things turn into the biggest, stickiest mess ever...and that doesn't just mean the jelly filling.
After reading the blurb on this one, I was really looking forward to diving in. And it is funny. It's easy to sympathize with Abe as he not only has to share regular things with his siblings but almost everything. His thought processes about the contest will make readers think, and it's hard not to root for him as he tries to achieve his 'rights', especially as more and more things come apart...and not in ways a reader might expect. Add a first crush to the mix and all of the regular banter and troubles of fifth grade, and it turns into one silly situation after the other.
When I saw this one almost hits three hundred pages, I was wondering how that'd work, since humorous books like this are usually a special spot for more reluctant, boy readers. Not only does this one keep a nice pace to keep boredom at bay, but there are very short chapters mixed in as well as more than a few fun illustrations. It breaks things up and keeps the read light and fun.
And here they are...
The Author...
THOMAS TOSI is a writer/filmmaker who, together with his wife, Heidi, has produced an award-winning children's website, educational multimedia games, and dramatic films which have aired on national television, PBS affiliate stations, and screened in numerous film festivals. He was born and raised in New Hampshire, where he and Heidi still reside. He takes pride in the fact that they now live in a solar-powered home where they grow and can organic vegetables.
The Illustrator...
MEAGHAN TOSI, after being born on April Fools’ Day in New Hampshire, has collected a BFA from Laguna College of Art and Design. She illustrated this book and the graphic novel "Squashed" alongside author Thomas Tosi. She has also self-published "DWEEDY: The Imagined Adventures of My Deceased Cat." She now lives in Portland, Oregon, for the art, coffee shops, vegan food, and the constantly lingering smell of rain.
