Sophie Simon Solves Them All

August 1, 2010

Wishes come true when third-grade genius Sophie Simon applies her intellectual skills to her classmates' problems with their parents' expectations and solves a problem of her own. Sophie wants a graphing calculator, Owen Luu wants a rabbit, Julia McGreevy wants to be a journalist and Daisy Pete (and everyone else in her ballet class) wants to avoid the ballet recital. Sophie's parents just want her to be a normal kid, with friends. Everyone ends up happy in this middle-grade spoof. Exaggerations abound: Their teacher's long list of rules includes "No thinking," the ballet teacher threatens to chop off toes and Sophie's parents are distraught that she has visited the library. Sophie is brilliant, reading a calculus text for fun. Daisy is clumsy, Julia math-averse and Owen frightened of nearly everything. A ring-tailed lemur wreaks havoc at Owen's birthday, and the ballet recital becomes a sit-in. An "encyclopedia" at the end explains allusions, and there's a recipe for saltwater taffy. This reading romp has plenty of kid appeal. Final art not seen. (Fiction. 7-10)

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September 1, 2010

Gr 3-4-Sophie Simon is the smartest girl in third grade, and perhaps in the world. Her parents are worried because she refuses to make friends at school-she would rather have her nose in a book. She is fascinated by calculus and would do anything to own a graphing calculator. After being caught reading Principles of Civil Disobedience during math, her teacher, Mr. St. Cupid, asks her about the book in front of the class. From this point on, Sophie's classmates look to her for advice. Sophie's problem is not having the calculator, so she asks them to pay her to solve their problems. She agrees to assist Daisy with a sit-in during a ballet recital she doesn't want to participate in, gets Julia a newspaper assignment so she won't have to drop out of the journalism club, and helps Owen to get a pet by using reverse psychology on his mom. Through a series of lively and humorous events, Sophie ends up with something she hadn't counted on-friends. The reading level is perfect for those who have already transitioned to easy chapter books but want a higher vocabulary and plot complexity. The story concludes with "Sophie Simon's Encyclopedia of Things She Can't Believe You Don't Know Already," which is a glossary of terms and phrases used in the book. Black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout.-Janet Weber, Tigard Public Library, OR

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2010
Grades 3-5 Brilliant but socially backward, eight-year-old Sophie Simon doesnt bother to hide her brains. She is quite comfortable reading Thoreaus Civil Disobedience under her desk during math, but she is disdainful of her parents suggestion that she try to make a friend or two. Still, to earn money for the graphing calculator of her dreams, Sophie attempts to solve several classmates personal problems and ends up with more than she bargained for. The appended glossary, entitled Sophie Simons Encyclopedia of Things She Cant Believe You Dont Know Already, defines terms such as Greensboro sit-ins, reverse psychology, and topographic map. From Sophies doting-but-clueless parents to the tyrannical ballet teacher aptly named Madame Robespierre, the portrayals of adults are frequently, amusingly over-the-top. Sometimes exaggerated for comic effect and occasionally poignant, the black-and-white illustrations capture the storys sense of humor as well as its sense of style. A fresh, funny chapter book for young readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)