A Change of Pace

I received books outside of my usual genre, probably sent to me by mistake, but I slipped them into my reading schedule last Sunday.

These book are for children 9 and up so I guess you could say I qualify 🙂

Crush: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Love
3rd in Series
Random House Children’s Books (May 8, 2012)
Kids 9 and up
Paperback: 144 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0385742313
E-Book File Size: 1831 KB
ASIN: B005NKHCDK

Readers met the comical Kevin in Liar, Liar and Flat Broke. Kevin gets serious about Tina Zabinski, the Most Beautiful Girl in the World. Finally, finally, he’s worked up his courage—he’s going to ask her out. Or will his trademark scheming get in his way?

Vote
Random House Children’s Books
Wendy Lamb Books (May 14, 2013)
4th in Series
Age 9 and up
Hardcover: 144 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0385742283
File Size: 1192 KB
ASIN: B00A9ET4QI

Kevin Spencer, the hero of Liar, Liar, Flat Broke, and Crush, has a knack for tackling big ideas and goofing up, so what’s next? Politics, of course! He’s running for office, and his campaign is truly unique.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

I really enjoyed both of these books, but like Crush the best. Kevin is finally ready to have a girlfriend. We spend a week with this 14 year old as he researches “romance”. He plans a romantic dinner for his parents so he can observe how they act “on a date”. He tags along with a friend and his girlfriend on a “homework date”. He sets up a party for his brother and his hockey team and invites a bunch of girls who are on the figure skating team. He even asks  his sister for advice. None of these things go smoothly or helps him understand girls any better but it was a very enjoyable read and full of plenty of humor.

In Vote, Kevin decides to run for Student Body President. The campaign runs for week and is full of problems.  I did have an issue with this book. While Kevin seems to be a very mature 14 year old, behavior of his parents this week was really unacceptable. His parents committed to watch a neighbor’s 4 year old while his parents were out of town for a few days. Kevin does babysit for this child often but for him to wake up one morning to get ready for school and find a note from his parents that they had “emergencies” and couldn’t watch Markie that day was awful. Kevin was having a huge week at school that was important to him and his parents leave him responsible for Markie. What are his choices? Take him to school or stay home from school. I must say Kevin was very clever in the way he took Markie to school and did his best to stay out of trouble.  While it may make great fiction for kids this mom found it upsetting.

I give Crush: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Love

I give Vote

About the Author
GARY PAULSEN is the distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books for young people. His most recent books are Crush; Flat Broke; Liar, Liar; Paintings from the Cave; Lawn Boy Returns; Woods Runner; Masters of Disaster; Notes from the Dog; Mudshark; Lawn Boy; Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day; The Time Hackers; and The Amazing Life of Birds (The Twenty-Day Puberty Journal of Duane Homer Leech).

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”