Author: Lenore Look
Lexile measure: 600-650
Language: Acceptable, no swear words, no potty language. Mild name calling regarding a person's immigration status( "alien").
Violence: One of the main character's is said to have fallen off a roof and burst her head (or eardrums, depending on which character's account you want to believe) whereby she has become deaf. After the name calling, the main character "jumps" on the name caller and gets sent to the principal's office. She confesses she was wrong.
Big Kid Mature Topics: Immigration and culture (several characters are newly immigrated Cantonese). At one point the narrator mentions that Chinese squat on the potty--if your kid likes to try emulate characters in books, this might not be safe on a Western potty. School performance/summer school. At one point, the main character hides a note from school, but she gets caught and faces the consequences.
Illustrations: Black and white line drawings, every few pages.
Plot: moderately complex.
My daughter is in the middle of this one. She says she likes Magic Schoolbus better, but I think this has far superior fiction writing. The topics might not be of interest since a lot revolves around friendships, school status, and stuff the grade school kids do, though I don't think its out of reach for a 4 or 5 year old. Maybe it would be pretty boring for a 2 or 3 year old. I still thought it was on the level with Judy Moody and Ramona, and funny, too. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
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