Stuart Goes to School

July 1, 2003
The worrywart hero of Stuart's Cape faces his first day of classes in a new town in Stuart Goes to School by Sara Pennypacker, illus. by Martin Matje. What if Stuart forgets everything he learned in second grade? What if he can't find the bathroom? Luckily, Stuart's magic cape, made out of 100 ties stapled together, will help him out again in this wryly funny mix of the real and the magical, enhanced by Matje's quirky line art.

September 1, 2003
Gr 2-4-A sequel to Stuart's Cape (Orchard, 2002), this humorous fantasy perfectly captures the child's-eye view of elementary-school life. Stuart, who is "excellent at worrying," finds plenty to agonize over as he starts third grade at a new school. What if he gets stuck in the bathroom or throws up? Why does he have to wear his father's ugly cowboy shirt and green plaid pants? His only consolation is his magical cape. When he wears it, unexpected adventures happen. To impress his classmates, the boy decides to try controlling the cape's arcane powers. He wishes for the hideous hand-me-down outfit to disappear but suddenly finds himself standing in his underwear. Stuart is convinced that he will be the laughingstock of the third grade forever. The expressive cartoon drawings often become part of the text design. Young readers are sure to identify with Stuart's persistent quest to find his place in the classroom society.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2003
Gr. 2-4. Stuart is back, with his cape made out of ties, and he still has a lot to worry about. His family has moved, so it is going to be a whole new third grade. Children will recognize Stuart's anxieties: What if no one likes him? What if he gets lost on the way to the bathroom? What if he throws up? As in the previous book, " Stuart's Cape "(2002), adventures abound; he is mortified when, during "Our Big Interesting World" (show-and-tell), his cape makes his clothes disappear, and he finds himself standing in front of the whole class in his underwear. But the next day, the cape makes a hole, and Stuart finds some very interesting uses for it. Stuart loves to draw, and his artwork plays an important part in the resolution, which is deeply reassuring. Matje's numerous line drawings look as though Stuart did them.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)