The Doodles of Sam Dibble

November 19, 2012
This new chapter book series, aimed at audiences not quite ready for the Wimpy Kid, stars a third grader who’s an indifferent student but a passionate doodler. Sam’s fervent wish is to have Demolition Dan, “the world’s greatest wrestler,” as the main attraction at his birthday party—he’s pretty much promised the kids at school that it’s a done deal. Complicating the picture is a beloved grandfather who likes to stretch the truth (“One time Grandpa told me he baked a cake for a king in Egypt. But then the king died so they had to bury him inside the cake”) and a nemesis, tattletale Max Baxter, whose father is dating Sam’s mother. Kline’s line drawings create a gleefully disorderly atmosphere (at one point, he draws a mustache and beard around Bluebeard the Pirate’s name), but they seldom feel like they’ve sprung from an elementary-schooler’s mind. Press works hard to woo her audience with shout-outs to farts, barf, boogers, and earwax, but the overall vibe is so benevolent that the character and his conflicts never really rev to life. Simultaneously available: Double Trouble. Ages 6–8.

March 1, 2013

Gr 2-4-Sam Dribble loves to doodle. He doodles instead of completing his math sheet; he doodles instead of researching George Washington. He even doodles during library class. The other thing that Sam does is make promises that he may-or may not-be able to keep, like insisting to his entire class that pro wrestler Demolition Dan is coming to his birthday party. Tomorrow. Except Sam hasn't exactly invited Demo Dan just yet. And, to make matters worse, his rival Max Baxter will be at his party, because Max's dad is dating Sam's mom. What's a third grader with an overactive imagination and pen to do? This slight story, dominated by wide margins and a plethora of doodles, aims to be a younger version of Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series (Abrams). And in some instances-the school setting, the multiple friends, the family drama-it succeeds. The pacing of the story and the character development, however, seem rushed in spots. The chapters are so brief that often the transition from one to the next seems abrupt. Reluctant readers will likely be most attracted to the fast pace and easy-to-breeze-through text. Consider purchasing in libraries that need "what do I read next" titles for children interested in Lincoln Peirce's "Big Nate" (Andrews McMeel), Megan McDonald's "Stink" (Candlewick), and Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" (Scholastic).-Lisa Kropp, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

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