Mind If I Read Your Mind?

May 1, 2012
A sixth-grader and his live-in ghost further cement their friendship while bootstrapping each other toward better social skills in this airy sequel to Zero to Hero (2012). This time the ghost takes center stage. Dead teen and compulsive prankster Hoover "the Hoove" Porterhouse has but one last chance to earn a passing mark from Higher-Ups in Helping Others and Responsibility to be set free to realize his life- (and death-) long dream of visiting every Major League ballpark in the country. When an upcoming school assignment that requires showing some personal skill sends his shy, breathing buddy Billy Broccoli into a terrified tizzy, the Hoove's "help" with a fake mind-reading act boosts Billy's public status from outsider to awesome. Carrying its messages lightly, the tale ultimately leaves the Hoove with better impulse control even as it moves Billy to twin realizations that cheating is neither good for building self-respect nor the best way to make friends. Highlights include a pair of misty Field of Dreams-style exchanges with the one-and-only Yogi "You can observe a lot by watching" Berra. The cast is thoroughly likable (even the requisite bully will earn reader sympathy, if only for being so gormless). A go-down-easy book that provides both lightweight character building and several comical turns. (Fantasy. 10-12)

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November 1, 2012

Gr 4-6-When 11-year-old Billy Broccoli and his blended family move to a new home, he finds that he must share his bedroom with Hoover Porterhouse III, a 14-year-old ghost who has been dead for 99 years. The Hoove is stuck with Billy until he can prove to the almighty "Higher Ups" that he can be helpful and caring. He's cocky and self-assured, while Billy is insecure and shy. At middle school, Hoove tries to show him some smooth moves by steering him away from wearing panda bear T-shirts and advising him on how to compliment girls. When Billy learns that he must take part in SOC, the Speak Out Challenge, he is a nervous wreck. The theme for everyone's talk is, "Demonstrate Something Special You Can Do." Billy wracks his brain but can't come up with anything better than reciting the alphabet backwards. The Hoove, knowing that this will be a major social blunder, comes up with a better idea: mind reading, with a little behind-the-scenes help from the snoopy ghost. At first, Billy feels guilty about his fake talent, but he starts enjoying himself when it leads to newfound popularity. Winkler and Oliver pepper the story with nonstop humor: Billy's stepfather, who is a dentist, thinks he should demonstrate flossing for his talk, entitled "Floss-O-Rama." Some of the funny parts tend to be overly explained-the jokes might be more effective without so much exposition. The ending winds up endearingly, with both ghost and boy learning what it means to be a caring, thoughtful friend.Diane McCabe, John Muir Elementary, Santa Monica, CA

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