May 1, 2016
Gr 3-5-Trouble seems to find Billy Burger, a boy with an active imagination, a love of food, and a fondness for the phrase Say what? In Recess Is Ruined, rain prevents Billy and his friends from going outside, so they play in the empty library. Their antics cause havoc, and Billy looks like the main culprit. Billy has to be a model citizen just like his grandfather to make up for the mess he's in. He comes up with the idea of a book drive, which ends up being so successful that his teacher announces a Billy Burger Book Drive Week. In The Dangers of Dog Walking, Billy retaliates when the school bully ruins the boys' science project, and he gets suspended from school for fighting. When Billy is reminded of his grandfather's work on behalf of the community, he decides to be a model citizen, too, by volunteering at the animal shelter. In both of the short, episodic chapter books, which have a heavy emphasis on correct behavior and the importance of being an upstanding citizen, Billy is redeemed and all is well. Each book includes questions at the end, along with a glossary and brief biography of a real-life model citizen. The stories have stilted dialogue and static plots. Stick with "EllRay Jakes" titles instead. VERDICT Didactic and formulaic, these chapter books are not recommended.-Ramarie Beaver, Plano Public Library System, TX
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2016
Well-meaning third grader Billy Burger always seems to get into trouble. Usually a talk with Grandma Burger sets him right as she reminds him how his "Hero of Hicksville" grandfather was a model citizen and community helper. The heavy-handed series (tailor-made for school libraries looking for character-education books) is illustrated with caricatures and appended with discussion questions and "real-life model citizen" profiles. Glos.
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)