Review: Franklin Endicott and the Third Key by Kate DiCamillo

Image: Candlewick Press

Franklin Endicott and the Third Key by Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. Tales from Deckawoo Drive series. 104 p. Candlewick Press, June 8, 2021. 9781536201819. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Franklin Endicott of Deckawoo Drive is a worrier, but not just a garden variety worrier. He keeps lists of his worries, then alphabetizes them. His list is long and, on top of that, he suffers from vivid nightmares. He finds some comfort visiting the Lincoln sisters. They have a wonderful set of encyclopedias that he is welcome to use anytime. 

One day, he accompanies Eugenia Lincoln to Odd Buddy Lamp's thrift store to get a key duplicated. Eugenia leaves Franklin in the store to wait while she finishes her errands. Franklin is quite disturbed by the menacing and eclectic items for sale. Items like a bug stuck forever in amber were unsettling enough, but the stuffed weasel and jar of eyeballs just sent Franklin right over the edge of anxiety, not to mention that Odd Buddy Lamp himself was just, odd! When Franklin discovers a third key in Miss Lincoln's envelop, she sends him back to the thrift store ALONE to find out why. 

I can't prove this, but I'd like to think I could spot something written by Kate DiCamillo were I handed a manuscript blind. She takes such care with her characters and often speaks to the heart of childhood wants and worries. Franklin is so endearing, made more so by Chris Van Dusen's illustrations.

I especially loved that Buddy gifts Franklin a book of short stories and was tickled that the book included the story, Eleven, a story that we read with our sixth graders this year. It really is quite amazing what Ms. DiCamillo manages to accomplish in just over one hundred pages. 

I've been out of the elementary scene for quite a while and so, lost track of Mercy Watson and her spin-offs. Franklin Endicott and the Third Key is volume six of the Tales from Deckwoo Drive series and I promised myself to read volumes one through five. Franklin Endicott and the Third Key releases next Tuesday, June 8. 

Arc Review: Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David Serlin

Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David Serlin. 191 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., February 27, 2018. 9781338180619. (Review from arc courtesy of publisher.)

Brian Selznick and debut author, David Serlin does for the Early Reader set what Selznick did for reluctant/ struggling/ dormant readers with his "brick" books* starting with The Inventions of Hugo Cabret. That is, gives those readers the thrill of reading a "big book" that is also accessible to them.

Oh. My. God! This is such an adorable book! Plus, it has all the hallmarks of a quality Early/ Easy Reader - large font, plenty of white space and repetition. Knock, knock, Geisel Committee, are you listening? 

It goes without saying that belief must be suspended what with Baby Monkey setting up shop as a hard-boiled detective (apparently with a rotating set of office interiors) and the inexplicable ease with which he nabs the culprits. Suspend that belief baby, cuz this one's a keeper! Also, peel your peepers over those office re-dos. They are gold!

Baby Monkey is utterly appealing. He loves to read. He listens really carefully to his clients. He takes notes. He eats his snacks. Then wrestles his pants on in order to set out to find the bad guy. Honestly, he spends more time getting his pants on than it takes to actually nab the perp. It's all so-o damn cute!

I'm in a middle school and plan on buying this gem. Not only will Selznick's fans want to take a look at this, I think it should find a home in the ELL classroom as well as replacement and cooperative ed teachers who may need an appealing book to entice below grade-level readers.

In short, Baby Monkey, Private Eye is a first-purchase! And, if you are not sold by my humble review, check out this Scholastic Preview.


*I will never forget the look on the first (and then every) reluctant reader that I showed this book to. "What? I can't read that!" Gets them every time!

Full Steam Ahead by Paul A. Reynolds

Sydney & Simon: Full Steam Ahead by Paul A. Reynolds. Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. 48 p. Charlesbridge, September, 2014. 9781580896757. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)

Sydney and Simon are spirited and colorful twin mice endowed with a healthy dose of inquisitiveness and a bent for problem solving. Both siblings keep a wonder journal, only Sydney's is a traditional notebook, while Simon's is a tablet. This enables him to take pictures and shoot videos while the two use STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) to learn about the water cycle to try to save the wilting plants in their window box. 

The narrative moves along jauntily as the twins turn to the helpful adults in their lives who support and step back. The whimsical, energetic illustrations add appeal. A glossary of terms and note to the reader asking, "Are You a STEAM thinker?" conclude the volume, the first in a series. This is a pleasing addition to the STEAM (STEM) collection.

Blog Tour: Hissy Fitz by Patrick Jennings

Hissy Fitz by Patrick Jennings. Illustrated by Michael Allen Austin. 103 p. Egmont Publishing, January 6, 2015. 9781606845967. (Finished copy provided by publisher for review.)

The jacket flap of this hysterical early chapter book asks, "What does a cat need to do to take a cat nap?" 

The aptly named Hissy lives with the Fitz family a bit grudgingly. As humans go, they are okay, especially when they feed him but they just don't know how to treat a cat. Cats are singular, solitary creatures with particular tastes (freshly killed food) and desires (to be left alone) and this family just does not get it. It doesn't help that curmudgeonly Hissy is a bit of a diva. He's even hard on his cat friends. Mr. Fitz is a carpenter and spends his days banging and sawing - highly incompatible with Hissy's desired nap. Eight-year-old Georgie wants to pet him constantly in places Hissy definitely doesn't like. Out-of-control, rambunctious three-year-old Zeb terrorizes Hissy. Zeb's twin, Abe, on the other hand, shows promise as does Mrs. Fitz, who reliably feeds Hissy.

I just loved the voice. Sure it conjures up the Internet sensation Grumpy Cat, but I read the book with the voice of that cute Friskies commercial or the Sad Cat Diary - deep, long-suffering, cynical, sardonic and resigned. The spot art humorously reflect the goings on and who can resist that purr-fect cover? 

I happened to have the book on my desk at work when a fifth grader came into the library to check out some books. One of the titles she was interested in was Grumpy Cat. Unfortunately for her, it was checked out. I was putting it on hold for her when she spotted Hissy Fitz. "Ooh! Can I take this?" I told her to put her name on a post-it note and that as soon as I finished this post, I'd catalog, cover the book and check it out to her. She left the library very excited. She's a huge reader and very prone to dragging her friends in to check out her faves. I don't really expect to see much of it now as it gets passed around the fifth grade. (Sighs happily.)

While this is an early chapter book, it certainly has a place in classrooms and libraries up to fifth or sixth grade. Not only do we still have struggling readers in these grades, but cat humor can be enjoyed at any age. Even fluent and above grade readers deserve to kick back and read a fun and satisfying story.

There are links to blogs that are having giveaways on
Miss Yingling Reads.

You can also follow Hissy on Twitter @thehissyfitz.

Non-Fiction Monday: Saber-Toothed Cat by Sarah L. Thomson

Saber-Toothed Cat by Sarah L. Thomson. Illustrated by Andrew Plant. Ancient Animals series. 32 p. Charlesbridge Publishing Inc., October, 2014. 9781580894005. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)

Budding young paleontologists will sink their teeth into this entry as ferociously as, well, a saber-toothed cat. The imagined opening prehistoric scenario, in which the camouflaged cat lies in wait, serves as a great hook. The paintings are fairly realistic and surprisingly, not gory, save one. The animals are labeled throughout with their scientific names. There is not a great deal of text on each page, so there's plenty of white space and the text is succinct. Two pages with other large-toothed predators and a page with recommended books, videos and websites conclude the volume.