Gr 1—3—For a young boy, it's going to be the perfect summer: his father has helped him build a tree house, his sister is away at camp for three whole weeks, and he is part of the best baseball team around. The summer can't get any better, until it gets worse. Joaquín Rojas moves into the neighborhood and becomes the protagonist's number one enemy. When he has a trampoline party at his house, Joaquín doesn't invite the protagonist, but he does invite his best friend, Esteban. The boy writes down Joaquín's name on his enemy list in his tree house and confides his feelings to his father, who suggests they bake Joaquín a cake for enemies. The boy can't wait! Will it taste bad? Will it smell bad? His father tells him, that for the cake to work, he must spend the day with Joaquín so that he doesn't grow suspicious. His father begins to bake the cake as the boy invites Joaquín to play, but then something starts to happen: Joaquín starts to become his friend. Filled with fun illustrations that match perfectly with the witty text and show characters with large smiles that leap from the page, this is sure to be an entertaining—and important—read for children.
VERDICT This fine translation of an English title, originally published in 2000, is a perfect addition to children's collections, and especially necessary to show young readers the importance of extending friendship to others. Highly recommended.
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