Reviewed by Theresa L. Stowell for TeensReadToo.com
DODGER AND ME is the first book in a new series by Jordan Sonnenblick .
In this book we meet Willie Ryan, self-proclaimed wimp. The fact that Willie is definitely a wimp is immediately evident when he becomes the reason his baseball team loses the first game in the championship series. One might think it is bad enough that Willie can neither catch nor hit a ball, but Willie has more wrong with his life.
To start, his mother is so overprotective that a simple nosebleed becomes an emergency of epic proportions. If that is not bad enough, his best friend has moved away and asked Lizzie, a British student at his school, to keep an eye on him. Lizzie takes this request very seriously and follows him everywhere, even to the big game where she embarrasses him by cheering him on despite his horrendous playing ability.
Tired of always following the rules and getting nowhere, Willie takes a shortcut home. Though he imagines his mother's warnings to stay on the beaten path, Willie cuts through the woods. He comes to a meadow where everything is blue, everything but the McDonald's bag that someone left lying in a stream. Always conscientious, Willie picks up the bag to dispose of it. To his shock, Dodger, a huge blue chimpanzee, appears in front of him.
Dodger sets on a course that is supposed to make Willie's life better. Dodger is going to make Willie's mother less domineering, he is going to make Lizzie go away, and he is going to make Willie a baseball star. Unfortunately for Willie, Dodger's version of wish granting is a little more hands-on than the traditional genie's. Thus follows a series of delightful antics that will make readers of all ages laugh.
The story shows a clear difference between what we think we want and the reality of that desire in a lighthearted way. Though the plotline is a bit predictable, readers will enjoy seeing how Dodger twists Willie's simple wishes into slapstick solutions. Sonnenblick uses laughter to show original ways to overcome or accept issues that many middle schoolers struggle to overcome on a daily basis: loneliness, athletic prowess, bullying, and the true meaning of friendship.
DODGER AND ME is such an enjoyable trip that readers will look forward to reading the next installment in this delightful series.
DODGER AND ME is the first book in a new series by Jordan Sonnenblick .
In this book we meet Willie Ryan, self-proclaimed wimp. The fact that Willie is definitely a wimp is immediately evident when he becomes the reason his baseball team loses the first game in the championship series. One might think it is bad enough that Willie can neither catch nor hit a ball, but Willie has more wrong with his life.
To start, his mother is so overprotective that a simple nosebleed becomes an emergency of epic proportions. If that is not bad enough, his best friend has moved away and asked Lizzie, a British student at his school, to keep an eye on him. Lizzie takes this request very seriously and follows him everywhere, even to the big game where she embarrasses him by cheering him on despite his horrendous playing ability.
Tired of always following the rules and getting nowhere, Willie takes a shortcut home. Though he imagines his mother's warnings to stay on the beaten path, Willie cuts through the woods. He comes to a meadow where everything is blue, everything but the McDonald's bag that someone left lying in a stream. Always conscientious, Willie picks up the bag to dispose of it. To his shock, Dodger, a huge blue chimpanzee, appears in front of him.
Dodger sets on a course that is supposed to make Willie's life better. Dodger is going to make Willie's mother less domineering, he is going to make Lizzie go away, and he is going to make Willie a baseball star. Unfortunately for Willie, Dodger's version of wish granting is a little more hands-on than the traditional genie's. Thus follows a series of delightful antics that will make readers of all ages laugh.
The story shows a clear difference between what we think we want and the reality of that desire in a lighthearted way. Though the plotline is a bit predictable, readers will enjoy seeing how Dodger twists Willie's simple wishes into slapstick solutions. Sonnenblick uses laughter to show original ways to overcome or accept issues that many middle schoolers struggle to overcome on a daily basis: loneliness, athletic prowess, bullying, and the true meaning of friendship.
DODGER AND ME is such an enjoyable trip that readers will look forward to reading the next installment in this delightful series.
