Third Grade Mix-Up

December 17, 2012
The Sidney & Sydney series debuts with a straightforward story alternately narrated by two classmates with homophonic names and a few shared interests. Sidney has traveled extensively with his family, and Sydney aspires to be a world traveler; they both love art museums; and—the clincher—they are mutual fans of the video game Galaxy Conquest. Both Jakubowski and Montalto flatter their audience’s sense of independence and autonomy: “I’m only eight years old, but it’s never too early to be fashionable,” image-conscious Sydney tells readers, while jokester Sidney, sitting alone at lunch, knows “that it’s really dorky to get a note from your mom when you are eight years old. But it did make me feel a little better.” (The stylish students in Jablonski’s full-color illustrations, meanwhile, look much older than eight, but what kids think of themselves and their peers as young?) After some early stumbles, the two third-graders become fast friends, a relationship that’s cemented as they try to make Halloween a success. Sidney’s narrative can be repetitive and Sydney’s melodramatic, but readers should appreciate the book’s contemporary tone and humor. Ages 6–8.

April 1, 2013

Gr 2-4-Sidney Fletcher and his mom have just moved to the town where she grew up to be close to his grandparents. Little does he know that fashionista Sydney Greene also lives in Oak Grove and will be in the same class. Much to her dismay, on the first day of school, Sydney learns that there is another Sidney in her class and it is a boy. To make matters even worse, she has been separated from her best friend, Harley Livingstone. Adding insult to injury, she walks into the classroom and accidentally sits in the guy Sidney's chair. The situation improves dramatically when Sidney and Sydney discover they have several things in common, including the game Galaxy Conquest. The children narrate in alternating chapters. The plot is well defined, and the humor is definitely contemporary. The full-color illustrations give clarity to the characters. A good addition to early chapter book sections.-Janene Corbin, Rosebank Elementary School, Nashville, TN

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