Here is yet another Monarch nominee; here is yet
another second grader, but this time it is a girl, and the book is from an
already well-established series,
Riverside Kids. Strangely, rather than the first book in the
series, it is book fourteen and the final installment to date. I didn’t know
that was allowed for nominations. For the first time ever, I read the last book
first. And I am beginning to think I DON’T need to read all of them.
There is nothing wrong with this book. It is simple,
contemporary, realistic fiction. Elisa Michaels is seven and she lives in New
York City in an eight-floor apartment building. She lives on the fourth. She
has a mother, a father, an older brother and a younger brother. Her
grandparents live far away and she wishes she could see them more often.
Chocolate is her favorite food. She enjoys school just fine. The Michaels’
family is ordinary – no surprises.
Even if your child doesn’t live in the big city or
have two parents in the home, the average seven-year-old will be able to
identify with Elisa. Elisa is testing her boundaries and her independence. She
is growing up and wants to assert a little independence. Her caring family
enables her to spread her wings in a timely fashion and they provide a supportive
net through her successes and failures.
The book itself is written as a series of short
stories. Each chapter is self-contained, but there is an arc that connects the
book from beginning to end. Elisa cannot wait until her grandmother, who lives
in Florida, visits New York. But the visit is nine whole months away! Elisa’s
mother sets up a breakfast between the two on a Saturday morning so they can
spend time together while they wait. Of course, talking on the telephone with
sticky syrup fingers is a talent to be acquired. By book’s end, another
opportunity to break up the long nine months presents itself. Elisa gets to go
on an airplane almost by herself. AND big brother Russell hasn’t done that
before!
The chapters in between are mini excursions where
Elisa gets the opportunity to prove to herself as well as to her parents, that
she is big enough and responsible enough for new privileges. For instance, what
child doesn’t want to eat nothing but chocolate one day, all day, for a special
occasion? And what if your seven-year-old really is more knowledgeable and
dependable than the new babysitter? And sometimes, the creative ideas of
children work better on their siblings than any and every trick known in the
parents’ manual!
I would recommend this particular book to first and
second grade girls who are ready for chapter books. It might be too young for
third grade reluctant readers, but would be worth a try. Like I said before,
there are fourteen books in this series and different kids are showcased
including different ages and genders. Elisa is the title character for several
and her brother, Russell, has a few himself. If Riverside Kids turns out to be a hit in
your house or classroom, Johanna Hurwitz has written over sixty books in all to choose
from!
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