Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 2^-4. The Scarlet Pimpernel, that swashbuckling nobleman who worked incognito to save aristocratic necks from the guillotine, inspires an embattled third-grader to daring deeds in this funny, ingenious chapter book. Randall faces a tough transition. His parents are divorced, and he and his mother have moved to a new town. At school, he isn't fitting in. When the class bully confiscates another kid's homework, Randall thinks of an old movie, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and he decides to intervene. Thus starts Randall's clandestine career of keeping an eye out for kids in trouble and writing helpful anonymous notes to them. As he helps others, he finds himself losing his own sense of isolation. A wonderful sense of pacing underlies this readable story, with action steadily building to a climax at a class carnival, and Fisher's comical pen-and-ink drawings capture the intrigue and chaos of a grade-school classroom. Best of all, however, is the lesson about finding oneself by looking out for others. --Connie Fletcher
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-3-Randall feels that his life is ruined. His parents have divorced and he and his mother have to move to a new town. Now the class bully is after him and the rest of the kids just ignore him. Then he finds a mission when he remembers an old movie-The Scarlet Pimpernel. Like the daring French champion, he resolves to do noble deeds in secret. He retrieves a homework paper vandalized by Gordo's gang, locates a stolen toy, and encourages a student upset by a classroom conflict. Each time, he leaves an anonymous note stamped with a red flower. The whole class is excited by the mysterious messages, and speculation about the unseen hero occupies every lunch hour and recess. While Randall enjoys his secret identity, he wonders if he will ever be accepted as himself. The short chapters and realistic dialogue will appeal to transition readers, and they'll identify with the authentic characters and classroom relationships. A humorous beginning chapter book with a quiet message about courage and individuality.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
As a new student joining a class in the middle of third grade, Randall needs a way to make friends. He begins sending secret notes and signing them with a rose--a trick he learned by watching the hero in the movie of [cf2]The Scarlet Pimpernel[cf1]. While the exposition is frequently labored, much of this school story, illustrated with black-and-white art, rings true. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Another transferring-to-a-new-school story for young readers. Randall has moved near the end of the school year. Worries that haunt all third graders also follow him around. How will he fit in? Will he make friends with those who've had the whole year to bond? The narrative reveals that Randall's parents have recently divorced, but he seems much more concerned about school. Only one phone call to Dad lets readers know that Randall even gives that usually traumatic situation a second thought. He's too wrapped up in his role as a secret hero. Randall has just watched a movie called The Scarlet Pimpernel and decides that he will be like the hero of the movie and leave little secret notes of encouragement for his classmates. A classmate drops his homework and Russell secretly retrieves it and leaves a note, stamped with an ink rose that he happens to keep in his desk. A girl cries because she does not get her choice for a class project and Russell drops a note on her desk. One might forgive the saccharine situations if the characters read like children about to enter the fourth grade, but they don't. A puffin Beanie Baby? Wailing tears when someone chooses the same tree to study? Secret notes with a rose, stamped by a boy? Nosy third graders would figure that out in a few seconds, if they cared. They would notice the presence of a red ink pad very quickly, especially in the desk of a new student. Setting the scene in a younger class--say, the end of first grade--would have made a lot more sense. Young readers looking for the next chapter book will find this just marginally acceptable. (Fiction. 6-9)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
