Why Pick on Me?

May 1, 1993
Gr. 2-4. Nose picking does not necessarily come to mind as a topic for a beginning chapter book, but it seems Sacher has, er, picked a winner. Unjustly accused of picking his nose, Marvin tries to fight the rumors, adjust to his outcast status, and deal with the loss of his best friends, who are afraid of being labeled nose pickers as well. Sacher really understands how kids can get skewered for differences (real or otherwise), and readers will certainly see themselves here. Happily for Marvin, he finds a way out of his dilemma when he conducts a survey and learns that everyone but his original accuser, even his teacher and the principal, fesses up to picking his or her nose. Illustrated with energetic pencil drawings, this is brisk, funny, and very revealing. No doubt we'll be seeing more of Marvin, who was introduced in "Marvin Redpost: Kidnapped at Birth?." ((Reviewed May 1, 1993))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1993, American Library Association.)