Michele Jakubowski

I don't normally review this type of "lesson" book, but I've liked some of the other things Jakubowski has done and this is actually quite good, although I do have some reservations.

Each of these books features Poppy learning some kind of life lesson. In this one, she attends a party with her best friend Millie. Millie's favorite part of the party is games, Poppy's is the food. Poppy can't wait to try a s'more for the first time, but when her mom is busy and not watching she eats a lot of junk food, against Millie's better judgment. She starts to realize her error when she tries to play games and feels sick, and eventually admits that she shouldn't have eaten all the junk food. She decides not to have a s'more in the end, but she has had a good day and learned a lesson.

There are three chapters in the book and it ends with a list of vocabulary "Poppy's new words" and questions for further reflection "Poppy's Ponders". There's also instructions for playing kick the can.

The pictures are cute and colorful. Poppy's best friend, Millie, is black and the children in the background seem to be fairly diverse, although they're not clear enough to really tell. The text isn't quite at the level of a beginning chapter book, but more complex than a beginning easy reader. It's one I'd put in my intermediate easy readers and recommend to the average 1st grade reader. There is a typo on page 26, where Millie's name is used instead of Poppy. The writing is quite good for this type of easy reader and it manages to get quite a bit of story in around the lesson and some little jokes. Parents and teachers will eat up the themed/lesson aspect and the pink aspect will attract a lot of little girls to read this series.

Verdict: The main drawback of this book is the price - either paperback or library bound at $17. That's way more than I'm generally willing to pay for an easy reader. If you have the budget and want some additional titles for your easy reader section, I'd recommend this, but even though I'm always looking for easy readers I just can't swallow the price so I'll probably pass on this one.

ISBN: 9781479522828; Published 2014 by Picture Window Books/Capstone; Borrowed from another library in my consortium… (altro)

SIDNEY & SYDNEY: THIRD GRADE MIXUP by Michele Jakubowski is an interesting children's book. *It teaches you to make new friends and to look at the name tag before you set at a desk and make sure its yours* A very enjoyable for children of all ages. As you can see my 8 year old granddaughter enjoyed it. A wonderful debut series by this author. Grandparents a great read for your grandchildren. Received for an honest review from the publisher.
RATING: 5
HEAT RATING: NONE(CHILDREN'S BOOKS)
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, and *an 8 year old* My Book Addiction and More/My Book Addiction Reviews… (altro)