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The Worm Whisperer (2013)

by Betty Hicks(Favorite Author)

3.79 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1596434902 (ISBN13: 9781596434905)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

Roaring Brook Press

review 1: This book is everything that I love about middle grade.I picked up this book purely by accident. I was trying to ILL a number of books by another author and this one got in the mix. I picked it up this morning, realized it wasn't what I thought, started reading it and had devoured it in an hour.Middle Grade authors like Betty Hicks aren't afraid to deal with the tough issues that kids are facing. What I liked about this book was that even though Ellis is dealing with problems at home, it really isn't the main focus of the book. It is, but in a way that simply acknowledges that families go through hard times and it isn't something to be ashamed about and it's okay to be sad or scared about it.Ellis' mom is working odd hours at a job she hates to make ends meet since his dad... more has a herniated disk and they can't afford the copay for his surgery. Ellis has recently discovered a talent to be the class clown, but he also gets tired of the fact that now everything he says is taken for a joke. He loves bugs and big words and his relationships with the people around him are wonderfully authentic. It's refreshing to read about a boy who isn't a giant misunderstood troublemaker - one who is worried about his family, just starting to crush on the girl next to him in school, and amazed at the wonder of nature.I highly recommend this book to anyone.
review 2: Caution; Christian religion is a feature in the book so depending on your readers, that could be an issue. That said it would be a decent read aloud for K-3, it is very positive upbeat book (inner me kept decrying the fact that if we had national healthcare the premise of the book would be a nonissue...) There really is a wooly worm race, something that could perhaps have been indicated in a preface or something. less

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