Review by Horn Book Review
Mandy Berr's obsession with periwinkle continues in her second adventure, wherein her sworn enemy acquires an envy-inducing cast and tries to steal Mandy's best friend. Gutknecht seems to be striving for a sassy heroine but instead presents an almost irredeemably rude one. Lewis's line art lightens the mood, but Mandy's antics inspire little sympathy--and whether she's learned anything is up for debate. (c) Copyright 2014. 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
Eight-year-old Mandy is back, as bossy and insecure as ever (Don't Wear Polka-Dot Underwear with White Pants, 2013). In the second installment in this chapter-book series, Mandy's friendship with Anya is in jeopardy. Goody-goody Natalie steals Mandy's thunder againthis time by breaking her wrist. Their teacher assigns Anya to be Natalie's assistant, which leaves little time for Mandy and Anya to play. Mandy's jealous reaction to seeing Anya with another friend is to retreat, pout and be, as her mother says, a "crankypants." Mandy's behavior threatens to overwhelm the book right from the beginning. In the first chapter alone, she eats a bit out of each piece of pizza in the box, calls her father a "bad babysitter," demands gummy bears and "fancy-dancy periwinkle sunglasses" of her grandmother, and calls her little brother "stupid." It's easy to see why she clings to Anya so fiercely, but this does not make Mandy any more likable. Young readers might learn a little from Mandy, but it's unlikely that they would choose her as a friend. More likely, they will empathize with poor Anya, pulled between a smothering BFF and a new buddy. The all-too-simple resolution is a relief, but it's also completely unbelievable. Even the most wayward child readers would agree that Mandy needs stronger adult direction. (Fiction. 7-10)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.