Book Review: Charlie Bumpers Vs. the Puny Pirates

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Book received at no charge to facilitate review.

Charlie Bumpers joins forces with his best friends, Tommy and Hector, on what he's sure will be his best soccer team ever. With the three of them on offense, Charlie figures they can win every game.

That is until he meets the other players.

To Charlie's dismay, his other teammates not only have no experience with the soccer ball but they lack size and speed as well. As if the team isn't dismal enough, their coach won't even put the terrific trio together at the same time. Instead the coach opts to have the players learn each position. Though the league doesn't keep score, Charlie can't help but count every loss.

To add insult to an already frustrating season, Charlie and his friends have to sell candy bars for the team but end up creating another disaster instead. To top it off, Charlie's brother films every bad play.

While Charlie learns life doesn't always work out the way he wants, he does find out what growing up really feels like. He also discovers his brother isn't as bad as he thought.  As always, Harley offers a touching glimpse into friendship and family life while creating a relatable story line.

Rating ★★★★☆

Publishing Information

Peachtree Publishers (September 1, 2016)

ISBN-13: 978-1561459391

Hardcover: 160 pages

Grade: 3-7

Ages: 8-12

Book Review: Hotdogger by Karla Oceanak & Illustrated by Kendra Spanjer

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Publisher provided a review copy at no charge.

Aldo Zelnick can't figure out why living in Colorado automatically means he should like skiing. It doesn't help to have a jock for a brother who is good at every sport. To make matters worse, even his grandma can show him up on the slopes. Honestly, Aldo would rather stay inside where it's warm. Forget about a ski vacation. A sunny day in Hawaii sounds better and better to Aldo. 

By January, Aldo gets desperate enough to entertain the idea that he could do some successful hotdogging of his own on the ski slopes. After studying about Hercules at school, he musters some of the same courage and takes his brother on in a ski race challenge. Though things don't always turn out as planned, Aldo manages to get a much needed reprieve from the dreary days of winter.

Hotdogger, the eighth installment of the Aldo Zelnick comic novel series will have the reader cheering on a much beloved protagonist while learning some great vocabulary words all starting with the letter H. Each novel follows a new letter of the alphabet in hilarious series of events that young middle grade readers can easily relate too. Bravo to the author for weaving in lively words that fit the situation and not merely building a list to check off. A fun addition to the wildly popular comic novel genre boys have come to love.

Rating: Recommended ****

Publishing Information:

Publisher: Bailiwick Press (Sept. 1, 2013)

Pages: 160

Ages: 9-12

ISBN: 978-1-934649-37-4

This book can be purchased at the following retailers.

**Publisher provided review copy to facilitate review. No monetary compensation was received nor do I accept compensation for book reviews.