Review by New York Times Review
Jay and Ray are fed up with being identical twins, "tired of always seeing that question mark in the eyes of the kids at school." So when Ray stays home sick on the first day of sixth grade and only "Jay Grayson" gets called for attendance, the boys dream up a prank: every other day they trade places in class, as well as in homework assignments, crushes and sports tryouts; the other one hides out at home. The plan works brilliantly for a while, and Clements is good at making us believe the brothers would be desperate enough to try it. THE LONESOME PUPPY Written and illustrated by Yoshitomo Nara. Chronicle. $17.99. (Ages 3 and up) Stranger and far more eloquent than Clifford the big red dog, the puppy of this book's title is so huge he straddles the earth: "I was too big for anyone to notice me, and that is why I was always all alone and lonesome." Until one day a tiny, brave girl does notice - "The girl was very surprised. I was surprised, too" - and each makes a friend. The oddly flat, expressionless appearance of the girl is almost off-putting, but the big puppy is a creature to warm up to. THE PENDERWICKS ON GARDAM STREET By Jeanne Birdsall. Knopf. $15.99. (Ages 8 to 12) Birdsall's second novel, a sequel to her National Book Award-winning "Penderwicks," offers comforting comedy in an Austen- and Alcott-like vein. Four years after his wife has died, Mr. Penderwick opens a letter she had written (and entrusted to his sister), urging him to begin dating again. So his daughters spring into action, orchestrating the worst dates they can think of, convinced that he's not ready yet - and neither are they. Subplots converge in a predictable fashion, but the various romantic misadventures (not just Dad's) are appealing. OOPS! By Alan Katz. Illustrated by Edward Korea. Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8) Like a goofier Shel Silverstein, Katz finds inspiration for poems in unusual subjecter including penmanship ("my b's all look like d's"), eggs ("they don't have eyes, they don't have legs") bowling alleys and, of course, bathrooms. Keren's drawings give "Oops!" much of its scruffy charm, and a chatty coda shares Katz's own grade-school verse and some early working titles - as well as an idea for a possible sequel, "Uh-Oh." AS GOOD AS ANYBODY Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom. By Richard Michelson. Illustrated by Raul Colon. Knopf. $16.99. (Ages 6 to 10) A portrait of one of the more unusual partnerships of the civil rights movement. The book begins with a young Martin, angry at the "whites only" signs all around him. The scene shifts to Warsaw, where Abraham's father tells him, "Walk like a prince, not a peasant." King and Heschel, a minister and a rabbi, grow up to join together in the 1965 march in Selma, Ala., and this book shows how it happened. A BALLOON FOR A BLUNDERBUSS By Alastair Reid. Illustrated by Bob Gill. Phaidon. $14.95. (Ages 4 to 8) A reissue of a 1961 book, "Balloon" is evocative of a more whimsical time in picture books. The handsome retro illustrations in pen and ink - no computers here - complement Reid's text, which suggests a series of outlandish swaps: a butterfly in the hand earns a wishbone, which in turn can be exchanged for a kite with a tail, then a straw hat, until eventually a tower is traded up for a small army (looking like proper tin soldiers) and even "11 towering icebergs." A comical and poetic flight of fancy, and it all makes a kind of sense. JULIE JUST
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [October 27, 2009]
Review by Booklist Review
When the Graysons move to a new town, 12-year-old twins Jay and Ray take advantage of a paperwork glitch at school to see what it would be like not to be regarded as one of a matched pair. They take turns going to school, each answering to the name Jay Grayson. Though physically Ray and Jay are nearly identical, their different personalities, abilities, and interests (not to mention the difficulties of one twin staying home each day and logistics of not appearing together in public) make it difficult to keep up the game for long. Details of life in class, at home, and on the playing field keep the story grounded. Combining his insight into the minds of middle-grade boys with his experience as the father of twins, Clements creates a thoroughly engaging and usually convincing chapter book. There's built-in appeal for twins, but singletons will like it too. To be illustrated with pencil drawings.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Identical twins Ray and Jay Grayson prepare for yet another year of being perceived as "two peas in a pod, two ducks on a pond, two spoons in a drawer," when their family moves from Colorado to Cleveland before the start of sixth grade. But when Ray gets sick on the first day of school and Jay discovers that Ray's school records have been misplaced, the two hatch a plan to alternate attendance, at least for the first week or so, and see what it feels like to be viewed as an individual. This slim story has all the elements readers have come to expect from Clements (Frindle): a school setting, likable secondary characters, supportive adults and a challenge to the audience to see things from a different perspective. While verisimilitude is never a priority in Clements's storytelling, this plot strains more than usual for effect: the Grayson parents seem particularly obtuse to their sons' switches, given how sensitive they turn out to be, and the case against twindom seems heavily (and gratuitously) stacked. The result: an entertaining story in a minor key. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Twins Ray and Jay Grayson have recently moved to Ohio. For years the boys have longed to be seen as individuals rather than as "part of a pair." Due to a "clerical oversight," their first week of sixth grade gives them the chance. Ray stays home sick the first day, and Jay is on his own. He enjoys meeting his new classmates, but he is a bit baffled that no one, not even his teachers, seems to know that his brother exists. After some investigation, he realizes that the school only has records for one of them. Hilarity-and confusion-ensues as the boys take turns being Jay. This novel is true to form for Clements. Relationships are well developed and realistic, and the author shows a strong understanding of the experience of being a twin. The use of similar names for the protagonists makes following the plot a bit confusing at times, but readers will quickly turn the pages to find out what the boys are up to next and whether they will be caught. The full-page pencil illustrations are a bit misleading-they are not always in sync with the author's description of Ray and Jay as "completely identical." Although this book is not as memorable as Frindle (S & S, 1996) and some of Clements's other novels, it is a treat for those who are into the author's brand of "that could totally happen at my school" fiction.-Jessica Kerlin, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH (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
(Intermediate) Identical twins Jay and Ray Grayson seize the opportunity to try out life as a composite individual instead of as twins when Ray is sick for the first day of sixth grade at a new school and no one notices. For a few days, the boys take turns being Jay, but their different talents -- such as Jay's skill at soccer and Ray's relaxed flirtatious style with girls -- eventually trip them up. Clements's experience as the father of identical twin sons gives him insight into the boys' relationship, and he depicts their quarrels energetically and honestly. Clements employs too many sentence fragments ("Which was a lie.") here, making his prose unusually choppy; however, the short, easy-to-parse sentences, conversational tone, light, funny style, and typically realistic school setting will appeal to many readers. From HORN BOOK, (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
For 12 years, Ray and Jay Grayson have been "the twins," nearly indistinguishable even to their parents. So when their new school unexpectedly combines their records, Ray and Jay decide to try out being just one person, taking turns going to school but keeping their experiment secret. Their deception lasts only eight days, but in the process they discover that they really are individuals after all. Clements's understanding of sixth graders is amply evident in the dialogue as well as the action. Better at math and athletics than his brother, Jay is at a loss when it comes to talking with girls, which Ray finds easy. Their differences lead to rolling-on-the-floor fights. When Ray shares his secret with a girl in his class, word gets around as each girl tells just one best friend, but it is a boy who notices their distinctive running styles. Another fast-paced, believable and funny offering from a master of school stories (Frindle, 1996, etc., etc.) and father of identical twin boys. (Final art not seen.) (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
