The Crazy Friend

by Kim Kane, Jon Davis (Illustrator)

Overview

Ginger likes to play with Maisy, but when Maisy's bad behavior makes a fun playdate turn bad, what can Ginger do to fix things?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781515820338
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	04/01/2018
Series:	Ginger Green, Playdate Queen Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kim Kane is an award-winning author who writes for children and teens in Australia and overseas. Kim’s books include the CBCA short-listed picture book Family Forest and her middle-grade novel Pip: the Story of Olive. Kim lives with her family in Melbourne and writes whenever and wherever she can.

Pirates, old elephants, witches in bloomers, bears on bikes, ugly cats, sweet kids ¬— Jon Davis does it all! Based in Twickenham, United Kingdom, Jon Davis has illustrated more than 40 kids’ books for publishers across the globe.

Interviews

• Fun, sweet stories for beginning readers • Teaches social skills, problem solving, and friendship basics • Perfect for readers ready to transition past

Editorial Reviews

...features simple text, large typeface, and plot details that will feel familiar to beginning readers. Davis’ black line drawings depict all the characters as anthropomorphized foxes. Drawings appear on every page, helping to break up longer blocks of text; speech balloons and textual noises (DDDDIIIINNNGG!) further integrate text and art. A humorous look at a perennial playdate problem.

Booklist Online

02/01/2018
K-Gr 2—A humorous early chapter book with a questionable title and message. Ginger Green, a vivacious seven-year-old fox, calls herself "The Playdate Queen." She excitedly plans a playdate with her friend Maisy; from the beginning it is clear that Maisy's exuberance is overwhelming, not just for Ginger but also for her mother and older sister. After removing all of her clothes, Maisy runs through the house, devours food without asking, then ends up on the roof. Ginger must find a way to tell Maisy how she feels about her chaotic behavior before the playdate is ruined for good. Ginger is a likable protagonist, and some characters are realistic, like Ginger's frustrated mother and aloof older sister, but the character of Maisy is inconsistent. Her behavior evokes a sense of playful silliness reminiscent of Junie B. Jones, but then veers into inappropriate and downright dangerous scenarios. When Ginger's older sister uses the name "Crazy Maisy," she is reprimanded by her mother for being unkind, but the word, "crazy" is used repeatedly to describe Maisy, even by Maisy herself, perpetuating a stereotype that seems incongruous with literature for young, impressionable readers. The line-drawn illustrations by Davis complement the chaos of the story and bring the characters to life. VERDICT A book with potential, but this story reinforces stereotypes for the sake of humor.—Casey O'Leary, Mooresville Public Library., IN

School Library Journal

2018-02-03
In Kane and Davis' (The New Friend, 2016) second collaboration, play-date queen Ginger Green invites an unconventional friend over, and she has regrets immediately.Seven-year-old fox Ginger takes great pride in her play-date setups, and she is excited for the next one with classmate Maisy. Almost immediately, though, Ginger is on the back foot as Maisy gets up to some unexpected antics: overexcited doorbell-ringing, enthusiastic nudity, and reckless roof-climbing chief among them. Ginger (not to mention her mother) is flummoxed at first but soon becomes angry—not the best mood for a play date. After Maisy returns to the ground and both have had some soothing lemonade, the girls do a few handstands and flips, and Ginger remembers that she loves her friend precisely because she always does the unexpected. Adding a dash of drama and danger to the social dilemma of playing hostess the series explores, this chapter book navigates the complex maze of developing friendships and the negotiation of compatibility. Uncluttered, grayscale illustrations provide cues without becoming distracting for new readers. That said, readers turned off by discriminatory terms such as "crazy" (used sparingly but significantly here) or notions that difference is linked to danger may want to try a different installment of the series.Sweet, fun, and a little flawed. (Chapter book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews