Pen Pal

July 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-It is Pen Pal Month at school and macaroni penguin, Tony Baloney, can't wait to write to his new friend Sam. After exchanging letters, it seems that Sam is a lot like Tony; they both play baseball, ride scooters, and love reading spooky stories. Tony can hardly wait for the class pizza party when they get to meet. When he can't find Sam in the crowd of kids, Tony is initially disappointed that his friend didn't make it. Then he is horrified when he discovers that Sam DID make the party but is indeed a girl. After a pep talk from his teacher, Tony decides to give it a go and lo and behold, Sam is just as awesome as he had hoped. This entry in the series is filled with the familiar characters of bossy Big Sister and Tony's stuffed animal Dandelion. Told in four short chapters, with large illustrations done in primary colors, the book's theme would fit nicely in lessons about having friends that are different than yourself. VERDICT A solid addition to most easy reader collections.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI

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