Trevor Lee and the Big Uh Oh!

by Wiley Blevins, Marta Kissi (Illustrator)

Overview

If there's one thing everyone knows, it's that Trevor Lee and school don't mix. Like pickles and peanut butter. When his new teacher announces all the third graders must read in front of everyone at Parents Night, Trevor Lee and his best friend Pinky take action before his secret of not being able to read gets out. After several over-the-top attempts at getting out of Parents Night, Trevor Lee enlists the help of his Mamaw. "Some days are just bad. You gotta hold your head high and keep moving," she always says. Can Trevor Lee remember her advice as he stands in front of a crowd on the biggest night of third grade?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781947159068
Publisher:	Red Chair Press
Publication date:	09/01/2019
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	8 - 9 Years

About the Author

Wiley Blevins has written more than 70 books for children, as well as created reading programs for schools in the US and Asia. Wiley currently lives and writes in New York City.

Marta Kissi lives and works in London. She earned a BA at Kingston University and MA at the Royal College of Art. Her favorite part of being an illustrator is designing the characters—especially the villains!

Editorial Reviews

2019-05-12
Third grader Trevor Lee makes every effort to avoid revealing that he still can't read.

Educator Blevins directly addresses the shame of reading difficulties in this middle-grade novel. Trevor Lee is "as good at reading as a fish is good at climbing a cactus," but his teacher, Miss Burger, wants every child to read aloud at the upcoming Parents' Night. To help readers understand the challenge Trevor Lee faces, the author includes the story they'll perform: "The Little Red Hen and Her Lazy-Butt Friends." The humor of the narrative extends beyond the many references to body parts: Trevor Lee's fear of reading in public is matched by his fear of the wrath of his farming family's rooster. Both lead him to ridiculous actions. Further, his best friend, Pinky, is always at hand to add more trouble—as when they fail to follow field-trip rules and end up stuck in a tree. Happily, some extra instruction from the teacher and the support of his parents and nonreading Mamaw help him rise to the big occasion. Each short chapter is illustrated with grayscale drawings, often a head shot of the freckle-faced white boy, and ends with a comment in Trevor Lee's own words: "Some days lay a big rotten egg." His folksy language reflects his rural Tennessee origins, but his repeated expressions of distaste for girls limit the book's appeal. Pinky is depicted as a child of color, Miss Burger presents white, and his classmates are diverse.

This sympathetic portrayal of a boy struggling with school has an audience. (Fiction. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews