Tommy Trouble and the Magic Marble - Hardcover

Fletcher, Ralph

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805063870 ISBN 13: 9780805063875

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2000

Synopsis

In the living room Tommy sat on the time-out rug.
Mom made him sit there whenever he got into trouble.

And it was all his pesky younger brother Bradley's fault. When big, tough Spencer offered to sell Tommy an unusual playing marble for ten dollars, Tommy recruited Bradley to help him pick Mom's prize-winning roses. For that Tommy ended up on the time-out rug. Bradley was nothing but trouble. And always at his side! Tommy was so furious he started throwing rocks at a beehive. But it was Bradley who was stung by the angry bees and had to be rushed to the hospital. Tommy sat himself down on the time-out rug and thought. Maybe owning the magic marble wasn't as important as having a little brother who thinks you're someone special ....

Ralph Fletcher has created an entertaining, fun-filled story that is sure to appeal to children who have graduated from beginning readers. Be it an older sibling, a younger one, or an only child, readers will be taken with this book's well-defined characters, crisp dialogue and fast-moving plot. Ben Caldwell's humorous illustrations add even more to the fun.

About this title

About the Author:

Ralph Fletcher is the author of many well-received books for children, from picture books to middle grade novels to young adult poetry. His book I Am Wings is a highly acclaimed collection of love poems for teenagers. Ralph Fletcher lives with his family in Durham, New Hampshire.

Ben Caldwell studied illustration at Parsons School of Design. This is the first book he has illustrated for children. He currently works as a toy designer and lives in New York City.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-3-In this transitional reader, eight-year-old Tommy, a born collector, needs $10 to purchase a "magic marble" from an older boy. Spencer tells him that it has a net at its center that catches bad dreams. The gullible boy's unsuccessful schemes for getting the marble include picking flowers from his mother's prize rose garden to sell to a neighbor and trading his little brother's snake for it. However, when Spencer makes fun of his sibling, Tommy finally decides that the magic marble is not worth the trouble. It's unlikely that this slight story line will hold readers' interest, and while marbles still hold a certain fascination for this age group, they are way down on a list headed by Gameboys and Pok mon cards. Rudimentary black-and-white cartoons capture the characters' moods but occasionally appear out of proportion. Overall, Fletcher's book lacks the humor or adventure of Barbara Park's "Junie B. Jones" series or Mary Pope Osborne's "Magic Tree House" books (both Random). Stick with these more appealing choices or others like them.
Steve Clancy, Colonial Village Elementary School, Niagara Falls, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0805063870
• ISBN 13: 9780805063875
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 64
• Illustrator: Caldwell Ben