Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters

July 1, 2009
Gr 2-4-This second story about Alvin Ho, the boy who is afraid of almost everything, is another delightful look into the life of the timid youngster. In this installment, his fears center around a big upcoming event: camping with his dad. Once again, Looks dialogue is spot on: she captures the silly, impetuous, jump-from-one-idea-to-the-next quality of a second-grade boy. Alvins adventures (like getting trapped in a dishwasher box while pretending to be Houdini, and learning secret camping tricks from his uncle) are charmingly genuine and fun to read. Looks pitch-perfect descriptions and phrasing add to the overall humor and heart of the story (about his sister, Alvin says, Shes like a stoplight in the middle of my life and theres just no avoiding her.) and her sensitivity to what it means to be a not-quite-normal little boy is right on target. Whimsical illustrations pop up mid-page; Phams expressive characters capture the essence of the story. A Very Scary Glossary of Alvins fears and favorite things is included at the end. There are certain stories kids read and just feel good for having read: this is one of them."Nicole Waskie, Chenango Forks Elementary, Binghamton, NY"

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