FICTION

Laugh Out Loud

by Chris Grabenstein
PATTERSON, James & . illus. by Jeff Ebbeler. 304p. Little, Brown/Jimmy Patterson. Aug. 2017. Tr $13.99. ISBN 9780316431460.
COPY ISBN
Gr 5–8—Motivated middle school dreamer Jimmy loves books, reading, and writing. He longs to open the first children's publishing company run by kids, for kids. Jimmy and his friends are constantly met with derision from adults, but they persevere. Patterson and Grabenstein emphasize that dreams can come true if you take action and never give up. Fans and educators alike will appreciate the many kid lit authors and titles mentioned throughout.
VERDICT A humorous adventure with a positive message. Readers who enjoy Patterson's "Middle School" and Tommy Greenwald's "Charlie Joe Jackson" series will gravitate toward this novel.
Reviewed by Elizabeth Pelayo, St. Charles East High School, IL
Middle schooler Jimmy sets out to start his own kid-run publishing company; no matter what adult naysayers throw in his way, he's determined to "make books that make kids want to read more books." Short chapters full of (imaginary) robots and alien invasions, absurd adults, and exuberantly chaotic drawings keep this occasionally didactic fictional origin story of JIMMY (Patterson) Books moving at a swift pace.
 , Jul 01, 2017

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