Book Review: Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid

A Preamble

I'm one of those moms who never censors what my children read. Occasionally I'll wince when a certain book comes home, but I truly believe any reading is good reading. Sure, my 12-year-old mixes Dickens and Wilkie Collins with some of the lamest YA I've run across. I won't lie. But she's a reader, and that's what's important. (She reads great YA too, don't get me wrong. She's reading Libba Bray's latest now.)

My newly-minted-7-year-old just checked out his first chapter book. He's gone from 0 to 60 in the reading department this year and he was so proud of his first selection: A Pokemon book. Did I wince? Absolutely. Am I thrilled to write down each chapter on his reading sheet for school? You bet I am. This is a day to be celebrated.

That being said, I've been browsing the library and the bookstore for youngish chapter books I think he'd like. Megan McDonald's Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid caught my attention right away. Now on to the review:

Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid #1
by Megan McDonald, illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds

Stink is short. He's the shortest kid in his class, and the shortest kid in his family. But being short is the least of his problems. The biggest? His big sister is none other than Judy Moody and she happily reminds poor Stink that he's short.*

"Bad news," said Judy.
"What?" asked Stink.
"You're shorter than you were this morning. One quarter inch shorter!"

Poor Stink. It's difficult to be reminded of your short-comings on a daily basis, but he's an optimistic kid with a ton of energy. Stink loves school and participates wholeheartedly in taking care of the class pet (a painful chapter), in Presidents' Day activities, and in doing his homework. I loved the chapters concerning Stink's Presidents' Day homework assignments, assignments he devotes to his favorite President, James Madison. Stink's first name is also James, and James Madison was only 5 feet 4 inches tall.

McDonald writes in a winning easy-to-read style; her prose is contemporary, lively, and full of good humor. Peter H. Reynolds illustrates the Stink books both with friendly pencil drawings of Stink, his family, and his class and with Stink's wonderful comics. (Stink's comic strips are genius. They are both straightforward and nonsensical in the way only children's stories can be.)

Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid is highly recommended for the new independent readers of the world.
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*My kids are Judy and Stink. The Stink books are for all the younger brothers of the world.

Review: Stinky Stern Forever

The early reader must be the most difficult book of all to write. To create something new, something real from so few words of such limited complexity is a challenge not every writer can meet. Sure, there are masters of the genre. Cynthia Rylant comes immediately to mind. But, it is unusual to come across a new(ish) author writing for the newly reading who writes with as much honesty and emotional depth as does Michelle Edwards.

Stinky Stern Forever is the fourth volume of The Jackson Friends series--a series of short chapter books designed for school-aged children working on reading fluently on their own. Jackson Magnet is a school populated by children of many different backgrounds and family situations. Our narrator, Pa Lia Vang, decorates her snowflake with Hmong patterns, for example. A boy named Vladmir Solbokin returns from ESL to Mrs. Fennessey's classroom. Another child, Bridgett, doesn't have a mother living at home. Mrs. Fennessey's class also has a resident bully, a boy named Matthew--or Stinky--Stern.

Stinky likes to tease the other kids in the class and make a scene. On the day Stinky Stern Forever begins, Stinky Stern ruins Pa Lia's snowflake with a glob of glue. Then, after school, Stinky Stern is hit by a van when he runs into the street without looking. Pa Lia witnesses the accident and wonders, "Will Stinky be okay? He is so quiet. So still."

Stinky isn't okay. Stinky dies. When Pa Lia returns to school the next day, Mrs. Fennessey tells her class the news and asks the children to share their stories about Matthew Stern. Pa Lia, a quiet, observant child, finds she can't speak right away. She feels confused because she didn't like Stinky Stern. She listens to her classmates' stories--some good, some bad, some funny--and draws, creating pictures of what Stinky loved in life. Finally, after listening to all the children in her class, Pa Lia admits, "'I was so mad at Stinky yesterday. He tried to ruin my snowflake. I was still mad at him when I saw the accident.'" Speaking the truth out loud, Pa Lia realizes, "a heavy bird had just flown from its nesting spot on her heart." Pa Lia is finally able to say what hurts her so much: "'Stinky, get up. This is not funny, I thought. But I knew he couldn't get up. And that was sadder and hurt more than anything Stinky ever said or did to me.'"

Wow. Consider the words Edwards uses here--short words most first graders can read on their own. Despite this limitation, she manages to create a story that is interesting, important, and relevant to children. And, because Stinky Stern Forever is for children, it ends on a positive and hopeful note. The children of Mrs. Fennessey's classroom celebrate their unique, multi-faceted classmate through story and conclude by showering his desk with their beautiful snowflakes.

Stinky Stern Forever is a book you can share with any child experiencing a loss. However, I also think it will be appreciated by children who haven't experienced directly the death of a friend or classmate. We adults, more experienced in loss and death, are easily traumatized by the death of a child, even if that death is fictional. Children, on the other hand, may appreciate Edwards' message here--that everyone has value, everyone has a story and a talent, everyone is loved by someone. Even Stinky Stern.
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Stinky Stern Forever is the first of Michelle Edwards' The Jackson Friends books I've read. I'm purchasing the first three as soon as I can bear to enter a retail establishment again. (Sometime in late January, probably.) I haven't been this impressed in ages. And, I'm not alone. Check out these other blog reviews:

Wordswimmer
A Fuse #8 Production

Early Readers

Thank you all for helping me compile a list of excellent early readers. I've put together a pdf list, printed it out, and highlighted the ones I plan on buying for summer work.

Just click here to read or print the Early Reader list.**
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** It make take a few minutes to open. Let me know if you have any problems or if you'd rather receive it by e-mail.

Scattered Thoughts for a Wednesday

Here are a few things I've been thinking about today, but haven't had time to write coherently about:

• Motoko Rich's book review article hits the kidlitosphere: Roger is for vetting, Liz B. finds the article, on the whole, balanced, and Colleen gets to the heart of the matter.
• Thank you all for your wonderful recommendations for Early Readers. I'll summarize and mock up a handy pdf file for people like me headed to the bookstore. I'll put it up on Friday.
• How have I missed Saints and Spinners? I'm heading over to fix that right now.

Early readers

Only one month until summer and I am already planning to put my kids to work. For my eldest this means Russian lessons, and for my youngest--reading.

I've never worked with small children professionally, but what I've learned from having two of my own is that each learns to read differently. The eldest went from 0 to 60 in about three weeks. My youngest is learning word by word. In fact, he's taking a "whole language" approach on his own.

So, I'm in need of some early readers. Here's what I remember from when I went through this six years ago:

• Frog and Toad, but of course
• Henry and Mudge
• Amanda and Oliver

See why I need some help? Let me add that my kid is a sucker for anything with animals and anything to do with science and technology. Stories having to do with complex interpersonal relations (someone's left out, someone is teased, someone is angry, etc.) seem to make him nervous.

Just asking this question makes me grateful for the kidlit blog world. (I couldn't get this information from the newspapers.) In just 24 hours I'll have an entire booklist of excellent, intelligent titles. So thank you for being here!