Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look (Pictures by LeUyen Pham)

"The first thing you should know about me is that my name is Alvin Ho."

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Summary: A young boy in Concord, Massachusetts, who loves superheroes and comes from a long line of brave Chinese farmer-warriors, wants to make friends, but first he must overcome his fear of everything.

Publisher: Random House Children's Books; 172 pages

11 comments:

Jen said...

LOL, LOL, LOL! I have not read the Ruby Lu stuff, and I can't say I'd call this Newbery material. But wow is it funny! And while Alvin does take some pretty serious digs at mental health professionals and music teachers, I do think he learns a lot about friendship along the way. He may even become a better brother, if not a better gentleman-- though he may become that, too!

Also, I thought the illustrations and glossary added to the story nicely.

Clare said...

This book was adorable. I want more Alvin Ho books! I hope there’s a series, I would love to book-talk this one. In fact, I did this morning at the coffee-shop to a mother of a second grader. I think Jen is right, not really Newbery material but it was fun to read.

Heather said...

I enjoyed Ruby Lu, but I think Alvin Ho is even better!

I agree with Jen & Clare that it doesn't say "Newbery", but it does say "great read". I can see kids who are done with Junie B. moving on to Alvin & Ruby books.

lisarenea said...

Great fun! Alvin Ho is a humorous look at some serious subjects and feelings from a child's perspective. I am thrilled to see that this is the first in a new series. Alvin Ho Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters is set for a June release, according to Amazon. With honest emotions, tons of humor and great illustrations this one is sure to have kid appeal. Plus, Alvin is similar to popular series characters like Junie B., Clementine, and Moxy Maxwell but this one is for the boys!

Jocelyn said...

Huge Fan! I couldn't stop showing pages to my family - they get so tired of me saying, "check this out!" whenever I'm reading a book that particularly tickles my funny bone!

Mary said...

This book is great fun! I can't wait to read more books in this series.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are my own, and do
not represent the opinion of the Cybils panel as a whole.

Anonymous said...

Did this book remind anyone else of Scaredy Squirrel? In all the best endearing ways, of course. As others have said, I'm definitely booktalking Alvin Ho, but don't think it's Newbery worthy.

Anonymous said...

Loved it! What a great book with a wonderful message. I'm so exicited that it's being turned into a series! Kids will really enjoy this book and even learn a little something about being a gentleman and making friends as they do it. I can't wait for the sequal.

Michael said...

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. I'm not sure, however, that there is enough meat to it for the Newberry. It is a great read and perfect for any child who has some fears about the craziest things.

Anonymous said...

This book offers a very light-hearted portrayal of a boy’s life at school and at home. Commendably, the author writes the main character to be Chinese, with many cultural references, without making him seem like an outsider to mainstream American culture. He uses the word gunggung instead of grandpa, but does not fall prisoner to a set of stereotypes in the least. He’s unique, but then again, just like any other boy his age. I would especially recommend this book to older elementary or middle school-age boys who would get a kick out of Alvin’s antics.

Mary said...

Received via email from Martha S.:

Alvin Ho was kind of lame. I can't imagine any kid wanting to read about a boy who is afraid of everything and is not especially interesting.