How to Be Cool in the Third Grade

by Betsy Duffey, Janet Wilson (Illustrator)

It's not easy to seem cool when the whole class knows you wear superhero underwear and your mom still kisses you goodbye at the bus stop. But Robbie York has a plan. 1) Get rid of the name Robbie. 2) Get jeans. 3)Avoid bullies like Bo Haney. If only it were that simple!

Genres: School, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Juvenile, Young Adult

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Betsy Duffey grew up with a love of reading and writing. Her earliest experience in writing came from reading manuscripts by her mother author and Newbery winner, Betsy Byars. She began writing in 1990 and has published over twenty children’s books, including a number of popular series. Her books have been Junior Library Guild selections, Crown Award nominees, and have been nominated for state awards in over twenty states.
Her latest books are devotional books for adults. She began writing short meditations for friends who were challenged in different ways. More Peace started for a friend undergoing chemotherapy. More Hope for a young friend dealing with infertility. The series continues to grow.
Betsy splits her time between Atlanta and the Georgia mountains. When she is not writing you can probably find her outside hiking in the woods or on the porch in a rocking chair with a good book.

Reviews

[Chelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with my 3rd grader. We both really liked it, her probably a little more than me.

[DeeDee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my third graders. They loved it and didn't want me to stop. It's a cute story that teaches children that being "cool" goes deeper than tangible things and names, but getting to know someone and building trust.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to my third graders last year. They LOVED it :-)

[Jydsz Last Name (Optional) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going to try this one at school!

[Beth McCabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dated, but the students were really into it

[Dan]

Read to me by my own third grader.

:)

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to my 3rd graders this year and they think I’m cool so it must’ve worked.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't remember why, ( I read this when I was eight, three years ago)but I hated this book. Probably because it followed the stereotypical "kid-tries-to-be-cool-and-he-then-gets-sad-so-he-stops-being-cool-for-friendship-or-whatever" plot.
I hate that plot.

[Ayana Myles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a third grader who wants to be cool (obviously) he seems to be tired of being treated like a child even though he is but everyone wants to grow up so he is on a journey to get rid of all the baby stuff and finally be cool

[Carolyn Aldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Book

This was required reading for my third grader. In his words, ,"it was a good book". Good enough for me.

[Sterrett Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matthew: I really liked this book! By the way, I am going to 3rd grade this year. I borrowed this from the library. You should try to be cool in 3rd Grade!!!

[Lynnae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my third graders and it allowed room for safe discussion on bullying. The students have referred to Robbie and Bo Haney throughout the year as encouragement to each other on how they should act.
The students were engaged and wanted to keep reading. I work with ESL students and there are some things I had to explain because of how long ago the book was written and they were unfamiliar with certain things.
The chapters are short and perfect for a quick read each day.

[Elizabeth Finney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love it but I can see how it's useful. Definitely dated - the mom loads film in her camera, muppet babies are referenced, and the mom is buying all his school supplies at a department store. The kids might not notice some of the dates references. Thinking about it as a readaloud but not sure now.

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I pre-read this for my incoming 2nd grader. I felt like this little dude was super shallow, and I really wanted to have a chat with him. Then again... he was clearly really stressed out. My decision was this book might give my child anxiety and a complex so I'm not letting him read it until he's well established in school.

[Allison Renner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading this when I was younger - maybe third grade? So when I saw it at my school library, I had to bring it home for the weekend and read it again. It wasn’t as good as I remembered, but kids’ books have come a long way since then. It was still an enjoyable, quick read, and I could see some of my students liking it.

[Kassandra Pacheco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly story of a little boy who wants to be cool in the third grade. Robbie has a plan on how to be cool, he has created a plan. The intended audience for this book is young boys who want to be cool or trying to fit in and make friends in school. The theme of this book is friends, and empathy. The reason why i chose this book is because the title of this book caught my attention.

[Ericka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems a little old fashioned, but the 3rd grade class I had today seemed entranced with it. They were all able to answer the questions and sat still and quiet during the reading. Since it's difficult to keep kids' attention today I'd say it's a keeper.

[Rebecca RebeccasFamAndMore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart, witty and fun

This little book packs a punch in teaching children about being kind, even to bullies. The author makes the characters feel very real and our main character is extremely funny.

[Neely · Rating 4 out of 5]

My third graders loved it.

[Jessica Pinnick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this book shows kids that there is more than being cool in the way they think.

[KK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third grade

[Luke Treutelaar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not make me cool never would read again.

[Amy Bertul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute book to read with students at the beginning of third grade!!!

[Livi]

the thing is im in 3d and this is no help plus i been cOoL

[Liz Benbow]

This will be great to read at the beginning of the year. It’s short enough that it could be read aloud in one or two days!

[Kelli Bonin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would be a fun read aloud for my new third grader. It was! We had some good discussions about school friends and what it meant to be truly "cool" - being kind to others.

[Kayla]

Idk I haven't read it yet

[Casey Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this earlier this year with my 3rd grade book club. They thought it was great!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute book to share with third graders! It kept them engaged and was funny. Loved the lesson it taught too!

[Elias Villanueva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed to know, guys, lowkey 10-year-old me ate this up.