Doggone# Third Grade! - Hardcover

McKenna, Colleen O'Shaughness

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823416968 ISBN 13: 9780823416967

Publisher: Holiday House, 2002

Synopsis

Third-grader Gordie Barr is not only having problems with his best friend, he also has to teach his not-so-smart dog some tricks for the upcoming school talent show.

About this title

About the Author

Colleen McKenna was born May 31, 1948 in Springfield, Illinois. It was not long until her family moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where Colleen was influenced by Little Joe Cartwright and began to write her own scripts to the popular television show Bonanza. In eighth grade, Colleen mailed in her three best scripts with the intent to see them on television. Bonanza influenced McKenna, teaching her how to develop the sequence of plot. After high school, McKenna continued her education at Slippery Rock University where she earned a B.A. in elementary and special education. She furthered her education at Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh to pursue teaching. While teaching third and fourth grade at a Bethel Park Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Colleen married Frank McKenna III, an attorney, on March 25, 1972. Throughout her experience teaching, McKenna utilized her interest in writing to create plays for her classes. But, it was not long until Colleen and Frank had children, which led McKenna to put her love of teaching on hold. Together they had four children: Collette, Jeff, Laura, and Stevie. After the birth of her children, McKenna began writing children's literature when her husband left on a three month long business trip. To improve her writing, she took a children's literature course and learned that writing must based upon past experiences. Following the course, McKenna knew that her own children and family lifestyle was what she knew best and she would use her own knowledge to guide her writing. McKenna's secret to writing was to focus on character development rather than plot. According to an interview with McKenna, McKenna said that she feels the personalities of the individual character will create the plot on their own. Using her experiences and the techniques obtained from her writing course McKenna was able to create many stories that would appeal and relate to children. In the late 1980's McKenna began establishing her first set of children's books upon McKenna's own four children from the perspective of her oldest daughter, Collette.Throughout her writing career McKenna was able to achieve success writing about her family and the everyday obstacles children face in school and with their friends. After the completion of her first series, McKenna moved away from writing about her own life and wrote books to coincide with hit television show, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Four years later in 2000, McKenna began writing young adult novels once again. Today, McKenna's children are all grown up and she still resides in Pittsburgh with her husband. In her hometown she teaches at the Institute of Children's Literature. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.She is a strong advocate of reading and writing and aims to share her love with young children.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-This title features Gordie, Lamont, and Lucy of Third Grade Stinks! and Third Grade Ghouls! (both Holiday, 2001). When Miss Tingle announces that room nine will perform in a talent show and that the fifth-grade class will be invited to attend, Gordie is worried because he doesn't have an appropriate act and he is sure that his older brother will boo him. When a new student agrees to have his dog, Lawrence, who appears in TV commercials, be in the show, Gordie says that his dog, Scratch, will do math tricks. The only problem is that Scratch has never done a trick. In a contrived ending, they do their act and then help Lawrence overcome his unexpected stage fright. The appealing pencil sketches add to the story's humor. A lighthearted, easy-to-read chapter book.
Marilyn Ackerman, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0823416968
• ISBN 13: 9780823416967
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Sisson Stephanie Roth