Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | J FICTION GIF | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
It wasn't as if Moxy Maxwell hadn't tried to do her summer reading. She and Stuart Little had been inseparable all summer, like best friends. But now its the end of August--the day before fourth grade. And if Moxy doesn't read all of Stuart Little immediately, there are going to be consequences. Illustrations.
Author Notes
Peggy Gifford's original plan was to become a famous (but really nice) actress. But after touring Ohio as Winnie-the-Pooh, she decided to become a writer instead. She holds an MFA from the Iowa Writer's Workshop, and her work has appeared in the Iowa Review , the Antioch Review , and women's magazines like Redbook . This is her first novel for children. She lives in New York, New York and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Valorie Fisher is the author-illustrator of How High Can a Dinosaur Count? , which recevied two starred reviews, among other titles. Her first two picture books, My Big Brother and My Big Sister --both Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award winners--were, like Moxy Maxwell , illustrated with photographs. She lives in Cornwall, Connecticut.
Reviews (4)
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate) Tomorrow is the first day of school, and nine-year-old Moxy still hasn't read Stuart Little, her summer-reading assignment. She's running out of excuses: she must clean her room, recover from cleaning her room, train the dog, think about training the dog, and so on. Meanwhile, her mother threatens consequences: Moxy won't be allowed to perform in her water-ballet show -- she is to be one of eight petals in a human daisy -- if she doesn't finish her assignment on time. Gifford spins a fairly universal trial of childhood into a wildly original tale featuring a self-referential narrator who identifies as the book's author; faux-amateur black-and-white photos of the goings-on, ostensibly snapped by Moxy's twin brother; and decidedly unchapter-like chapters (one chapter is one word long -- ""No""; two chapters comprise nothing but Moxy's brother's captioned photos). Best of all, the book stars a protagonist whose name, as it reflects her character, is a vast understatement. It's only a mild letdown that, in what seems to be Gifford's gratuitous concession to the try-it-you'll-like-it creed, Moxy ends up enjoying Stuart Little so much that she happily stays up till midnight to finish it. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
"Moxy Maxwell is a procrastinator. She was assigned Stuart Little for summer reading, but it is still unread on the last day before the first day of school. Moxy's mother is well aware of this lapse. Moxy won't be allowed to play the eighth daisy petal in the water ballet at the local pool if she hasn't finished the book by the time Mom returns home. Intentions are good, but events keep getting in the way. Moxy's room must be cleaned, and the dog has to be trained. She also takes time to ponder the idea of inventing a hammock that automatically stops swinging when the inhabitor gets off. She decides to plant a peach orchard (with bad results). All of this is documented with funny black-and-white photographs taken by Moxy's brother. The short, sassy chapters have an immediacy that may have readers wringing their hands as the clock ticks down. The scenerio will ring true for readers who may have put off a few homework assignments of their own."--"Cooper, Ilene" Copyright 2007 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-How many ways can a soon-to-be fourth grader find to avoid reading Stuart Little? It's the one book that Moxy Maxwell has to read over the summer. Her remarkable imagination, coupled with stubbornness, gets her to the night before school starts. She's kept the book with her, but just couldn't bring herself to dig in. It's not that she doesn't like to read-she just despises being told what to read. It may be no surprise that when she finally picks the book up, she loves it. Gifford's depiction of an overly exuberant nine-year-old may remind some readers of Lois Lowry's Gooney Bird Greene (Houghton, 2002). Moxy is funny, and most readers will empathize with her avoiding something simply because it's required. One might wish for a little more depth from Moxy, more moderation of her self-centeredness, and, after a few chapters, her aevoidance tactics grow a tad stale. But the photographs-touted as having been taken by her twin brother-are fresh. (He read Stuart Little the first day of summer vacation.) Moxy's sarcastic captions for them seize the tone of her day. A dryly observant narration, clever chapter titles, and the spot-on illustrations provide added lift to the story.-Pat Leach, Lincoln City Libraries, NE (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A chapter-book picaresque hilariously chronicles one day in the life of almost-fourth-grader Moxy Maxwell. From the heretical title to the short chapters, headed in fine 18th-century style ("In Which Moxy Realizes Her Mother Is Home"), and Fisher's snort-inducing "documentary" photographs, everything about this offering reaches out to draw the reader in. A slyly intrusive narrator relates the events of August 23 (the day before school begins), occasionally commenting on the action or offering an alternative interpretation as Moxy struggles with Stuart Little, the assigned summer reading she has avoided for months. Moxy is an exuberantly unforgettable character, her reluctance to settle down to read partially explained by her list of 211 Possible Career Paths. Newcomer Gifford surrounds Moxy with equally memorable family and friends, from twin brother Mark, who finished Stuart Little on the first day of summer, to Mom, whose "consequences" loom ever larger as the disastrous day progresses. With its brilliantly accessible application of a usually complex narrative technique, this work represents a significant raising of the bar for writers of chapter books. Technique or no technique, kids will recognize Moxy--and they will love her. (Fiction. 7-11) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
