Watermark's Cool Summer Read #2
“Cool Zone with the Pain & the Great One” by Judy Blume (Delacorte
Books for Young Readers, 9780385733069, $12.99, 128 pages, for ages 6 to 10)
The Pain’s real name is Jake, and he’s a first-grader. The Great One is his
sister Abigail, who’s in the third grade. Together they star in Judy Blume’s
newest chapter book, which tells short stories about their many adventures
at school. The book is laugh-out-loud funny, and Blume perfectly captures
the friendship and rivalry between two affectionate, but competitive,
siblings.
When Jake loses a tooth at the school bus-stop, the Great One promises to
keep it safe for him all day long--for a cut of his tooth-fairy money, of
course. When a bully steals Jake’s new magnifying glass, Abigail again flies
to his rescue like Superman’s sister. (“Does Superman have a sister?” the
Great One asked. “I don’t know,” Jake told her. “But he should.”) And it’s
the Great One who steps in on show-and-tell day when an out-of-control dog
makes off with Bruno, Jake’s favorite stuffed elephant. (It was quite a
surprise because, as Jake says, “Elephants have no natural predators.”)
For his part, the Pain is the only person who remembers to use the Great
One’s new name after she decides to trade in tired old “Abigail” for fresh,
snazzy “Violet Rose” (“the girl with two flower names”). In fact, he
continues to use her new moniker even long, long after she gives up on it
herself. (He really can be a pain sometimes.)
The “Pain & the Great One” stories are stand-out chapter books, perfect for
fans of Clementine or Junie B Jones. Start with this book or the earlier
“Soupy Saturdays with the Pain & the Great One” and look for a third volume
to follow in August.
Review by
Mark David Bradshaw, May 14, 2008
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