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Seriously, Norman! - Audio Library Edition (2011)

by Chris Raschka(Favorite Author)

3.01 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0545357047 (ISBN13: 9780545357043)

languge

English

genre

Humor

publisher

Scholastic Audio Books

review 1: The characters in this book are really fun. Norman Normann has a nice character arc. It is very interesting to watch him grow as a person during the year chronicled in this book. The author handles this in a subtle way and does a good job of showing Norman change rather than telling you that he did. The writing is also very offbeat and clever in parts. Ostensibly, Norman is preparing for a big standardized test during the year, and I really liked how his "tutor" prepared him for that test (namely by helping Norman to pay attention to the world around him and learn constantly from what is happening rather than just focusing on what he was "supposed" to learn). With all of these positive things, it is a bit surprising that I didn't like the book more, but something just didn... more't jell for me with the plot and I didn't really get that "I need to find out what happens next" feeling I get with my favorite books.
review 2: What a lucky day when Scholastic handed me an ARC of this book - it is outstanding. We could hardly expect less from Caldecott winner Chris Raschka, except this is his first novel for young people. The publisher lists this for 4th-9th grades, which is about right - except I thin it will more commonly be popular at the 6th-7th lgrade level. The book is funny, exciting, interesting and has an underlying (not-so-subtle) anti-testing theme. The story opens as Norman heads out to take the entrance exam for a posh private school in NYC (at which he doesn't do well), and it ends a year later in the same place. In the meantime, the Normanns (yes, his real name is Norman Normann, and his mother is Norma Normann and his father is Orman Normann, so you get the gerneral idea) hire a tutor for Norman to be sure he can pass the second test. Balthazar Birdsong, tutor, is a bit eccentric - and a greaet tutor. He sets Norman to read the dictionary, one letter each week, and Norman discovers interesting insights in the words of each week. There is an element of spy novel here, and family feel-good after family-feel-not-so-good - and we are confident at the end that Norman will pass the test. Get ready to laugh-out-loud and enjoy the ride. less

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