My second STARRED REVIEW for The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis!!
From School Library Journal:
*O’CONNOR, Barbara. The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis. 160p. CIP. Farrar/Frances Foster Bks. Sept. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-37055-8. LC 2008024145.
Gr 3-6–Popeye thinks life is boring in Fayette, SC, where his grandmother keeps her mind sharp by reciting the kings and queens of England in chronological order and gives her grandson vocabulary words each week to keep his mind exercised. Life changes when a boy named Elvis and his nomadic, quirky family get their Holiday Rambler motor home stuck in red mud near Popeye’s house. They meet and Elvis quickly names Popeye the senior vice president of the Spit and Swear Club. Popeye is impressed and longs for Elvis’s interesting life. He, too, would like a paper plate with his name written on it in crayon and a mother who asks his opinion for rhyming words while writing her newest country-western tune. Elvis suggests they go on an adventure, which begins when they spot boats made from Yoo-hoo chocolate drink boxes floating down the creek carrying mysterious notes and they set off to track down the boat maker and the meaning of the notes.
Like Eben in Betty G. Birney’s The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs (S & S, 2005), Elvis and Popeye’s journey reminds readers to look for and enjoy the small treasures in their lives. Save a spot on your shelves for this small adventure with a grand heart.
–Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego
2 comments:
Well, duh. Your books deserve galaxies of stars. Winston and I both say so.
Exactly! What Kirby said. I am so happy for you getting this much deserved recognition. I hope it means your books make it into the hands of many more readers.
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