Kelsey Green, Reading Queen

April 29, 2013
When the principal of Kelsey’s school announces a month-long reading contest, Kelsey is positive she will lead her third-grade class to victory. Kelsey loves books like her best friends, Annika and Izzy, love math and running, and nothing is going to stop her class from winning—or stop Kelsey from reading the most books. Except, maybe, for Simon, who reads as voraciously as Kelsey, or Kelsey’s parents, who insist she miss reading time to attend her siblings’ various functions (“Her mother called it ‘being a family’ ”). Certain that Simon is cheating, Kelsey enlists Annika and Izzy to help spy on him. Single-minded and a tad selfish, Kelsey isn’t always the most pleasant of third-graders—but she’s 100% realistic. And although Kelsey’s excitement about the reading contest skews her priorities, she redeems herself (and shares her love of books) when she helps out a classmate who struggles with reading. Shepperson’s (The Memory Bank) lively pencil illustrations capture the upbeat mood of this excellent first book in the Franklin School Friends series. Author’s agent: Stephen Fraser, Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency. Ages 7–10.

April 1, 2013
Can a third-grader like to read too much? Principal Boone throws down the gauntlet: He will shave his beard if the students at Franklin School read 2,000 books in a month. Kelsey Green is excited. After all, she is the best reader in her class. Kelsey doesn't care if the winning class wins a pizza party or if the principal shaves his beard or kisses a pig, but she does care if she beats classmate Simon Ellis, therefore securing her name on a plaque. Kelsey's competitive nature exposes the dark side to such contests: She figures out that short books (poetry, Junie B. Jones, etc.) will move her closer to her goal, even though they are not the books she usually reads. She assumes that Simon is cheating and sets off to prove it. She begins to dread family events since they take time away from reading for the contest. But Cody, a boy in her class, is not reading. Kelsey finally discovers what is really important when she helps him learn to read. Though Kelsey is borderline unlikable for most of the contest, Mills allows for redemption when Kelsey realizes that Simon is not cheating and that Cody has a lot to offer the class. Sprinkled with titles even new readers will likely recognize, this new series shows a lot of promise. Lesson learned: Read for fun, not for competition. (Fiction. 6-9)

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August 1, 2013

Gr 2-4-Third-grader Kelsey Green reads constantly-even during math class. When the principal calls for a reading contest, Kelsey's obsession with books increases and her competitive spirit kicks in-but not in positive ways. First, she becomes suspicious that another student is lying about how many books he's read because she can't bear to think about coming in second. Next, she takes on tutoring a student struggling with his reading skills. Her motivation is to push him to read in order to further their class goal: to read the most books and be the winners of the pizza party. After some missteps and struggles, however, Kelsey comes to realize that she loves reading for reading's sake-not just to win a contest. She further realizes that if she can help someone improve his skills, that is reward enough. This is the first of a promising series. As she did in Fractions = Trouble! (2011), 7 x 9 = Trouble (2002, both Farrar), and other titles, Mills incorporates realistic school situations with everyday challenges with which kids can identify. Kelsey's reading list makes a great bibliography and a way to engage readers. Occasional full-page drawings enhance the story. Sure to be enjoyed by fans of Clementine, Ivy and Bean, and Judy Moody.-Tina Martin, Arlington Heights Memorial Library, IL

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