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Aldo Zelnick #5
Egghead: Book 5
It's October, and Aldo thinks he's Einstein. Gloating over his epic first-quarter grades and test scores, he even decides to dress as the iconic scientist for Halloween. But his bubble bursts when he realizes he's not living up to expectations in one class, Español, and that the consequences may be more hurtful than a bad grade on a report card. Is Aldo's friendship with his bilingual best friend, Jack, at stake? Egghead is, in part, an homage to Madeleine L'Engle's classic children's novel A Wrinkle in Time, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012. It was a dark and stormy night... Look for enigmatic, éclairs, eureka and lots more fun, challenging "E" words used throughout Egghead!
160 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2012
13 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Karla Oceanak
37 books73 followersKarla Oceanak is the author of the Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel Series, which has been honored with a Colorado Book Award, a Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Regional Book Award, an IndieNext selection, and other accolades. She has worked as a writer and editor for more than twenty years and has authored more than 100 books, some of which have been translated into Chinese, Korean, and Hebrew. Karla and her husband, Scott, live in Colorado with their three teenage boys in a house strewn with ping-pong balls, cell phone chargers, video games, books, and dirty socks.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 30, 2018
Another good one! I've read the first five now. I especially enjoyed the interweaving of Spanish in this one.
October 29, 2018
Muy Divertido!
Another fun book in this series. It's set at Halloween this time and we loved the additional Spanish word gallery!
Another fun book in this series. It's set at Halloween this time and we loved the additional Spanish word gallery!
October 20, 2016
Aldo is an Einstein. He gets an A in every class...always. Until Spanish. So when Aldo is struggling in Spanish at school, Jack is the one that can lend a hand. Jack and Aldo are best friends, but they have their differences. Jack tries to help and Aldo refuses to believe that Spanish can be important or as good as English. He ends up hurting his friend's feelings, and Jack won't talk or hang out with Aldo anymore. Who will Aldo trick-or-treat with on Halloween? Who will he bunk with on EcoWeek? And worst of all, he's lost his best friend! How can he convince Jack to forgive him? To make things worse, Aldo's been seeing a strange figure wandering around his house. Who is it? Why is it walking around in the rain?
Egghead is a fun, easy read. I would recommend this comic novel for an age range of 7-11. The hardcover copy is 160 pages. I found it simple with easily understandable language, but it was relaxing to read and I did not have to struggle to understand it. I would have liked to see a little more verbal imagery and for the author be more vivid in descriptions. However, the illustrations make up for part of that. The book is filled with fun little pictures on every page expanding on the story
The novel has realistic characters and a theme of friendship. It is set in the present day. The book engages in emotions that kids experience all the time. As Aldo struggles with his relationship to Jack, readers can connect with him and see good values in friendship. Aldo tries to apologize to Jack, but only angers him more as he tries again to defend his point. If he understood how important Spanish was to Jack, Aldo could have prevented a lot of struggle. This lesson of respecting others is essential in life. The book explores central values in friendship.
Egghead is the 5th book in a series about Aldo. Fortunately, it is easy to follow without reading the other books, as I hadn't. The book introduces characters clearly and they all have illustrations. I was never lost or confused about something or had to look up anything in one of the other books.
Overall, I would give Egghead 5 stars. I feel that it accomplished luring in my interest and did not have any plot holes. The theme about values in friendship is vital and well discovered.
Reviewed by Camille J., age 12, Los Angeles Area Mensa
Egghead is a fun, easy read. I would recommend this comic novel for an age range of 7-11. The hardcover copy is 160 pages. I found it simple with easily understandable language, but it was relaxing to read and I did not have to struggle to understand it. I would have liked to see a little more verbal imagery and for the author be more vivid in descriptions. However, the illustrations make up for part of that. The book is filled with fun little pictures on every page expanding on the story
The novel has realistic characters and a theme of friendship. It is set in the present day. The book engages in emotions that kids experience all the time. As Aldo struggles with his relationship to Jack, readers can connect with him and see good values in friendship. Aldo tries to apologize to Jack, but only angers him more as he tries again to defend his point. If he understood how important Spanish was to Jack, Aldo could have prevented a lot of struggle. This lesson of respecting others is essential in life. The book explores central values in friendship.
Egghead is the 5th book in a series about Aldo. Fortunately, it is easy to follow without reading the other books, as I hadn't. The book introduces characters clearly and they all have illustrations. I was never lost or confused about something or had to look up anything in one of the other books.
Overall, I would give Egghead 5 stars. I feel that it accomplished luring in my interest and did not have any plot holes. The theme about values in friendship is vital and well discovered.
Reviewed by Camille J., age 12, Los Angeles Area Mensa
May 4, 2012
This book is *AWESOME!*
I am a homeschooling parent of two boys (ages 5 & 7). Trying to get my eldest boy to want to read can, at times, be a challenge. Unit studies help, but really the key to fostering a love of reading is having books like this! This book is wonderful!!!
The book arrived and I thought it looked pretty fun, and in my mind I put it with the Captain Underpants, Wimpy Kids, or Bad Kitty series. The book itself is durable, has very captivating and fun illustrations that surround the text, and the book font is clearly readable- large and uncomplicated. An excellent benefit to this book is the "'E' Gallery," where there are definitions for many of the "e" words used in the story. Another added benefit to this book is the "Galeria De Espanol" (forgive me for not adding special characters, but I assure you correct Spanish characters are written in the book) which gives Spanish/English translations.
This book is a part of an alphabetical series for ages 7-13, and I believe the age group recommendation is spot on. My 7 year old can read a fairly good portion of the book- but needed help with some of the more complex words. Even though he could "read" the book, many of the words were so new he appreciated having the "'E' Gallery" to help understand what they meant. For a 1st grader (my son) I would think that co-reading is best, if only because some of the concepts, in my opinion, would be absorbed best with additional explanation.
As far as being like Captain Underpants, Bad Kitty, or Wimpy Kid- I was wrong. The book may have a look and feel like the others, but this book is truly in a class all its own- as it is much more educational, while maintaining its fun feel.
My eldest loved this book, and his laughter beckoned to my youngest son, who insisted on hearing the story. "Egghead" instantly (literally- by the second page) became a group reading activity that drew laughter and increased the enjoyment of our reading sessions. We will be purchasing the other books in this series, and look forward to reading them all!
I am a homeschooling parent of two boys (ages 5 & 7). Trying to get my eldest boy to want to read can, at times, be a challenge. Unit studies help, but really the key to fostering a love of reading is having books like this! This book is wonderful!!!
The book arrived and I thought it looked pretty fun, and in my mind I put it with the Captain Underpants, Wimpy Kids, or Bad Kitty series. The book itself is durable, has very captivating and fun illustrations that surround the text, and the book font is clearly readable- large and uncomplicated. An excellent benefit to this book is the "'E' Gallery," where there are definitions for many of the "e" words used in the story. Another added benefit to this book is the "Galeria De Espanol" (forgive me for not adding special characters, but I assure you correct Spanish characters are written in the book) which gives Spanish/English translations.
This book is a part of an alphabetical series for ages 7-13, and I believe the age group recommendation is spot on. My 7 year old can read a fairly good portion of the book- but needed help with some of the more complex words. Even though he could "read" the book, many of the words were so new he appreciated having the "'E' Gallery" to help understand what they meant. For a 1st grader (my son) I would think that co-reading is best, if only because some of the concepts, in my opinion, would be absorbed best with additional explanation.
As far as being like Captain Underpants, Bad Kitty, or Wimpy Kid- I was wrong. The book may have a look and feel like the others, but this book is truly in a class all its own- as it is much more educational, while maintaining its fun feel.
My eldest loved this book, and his laughter beckoned to my youngest son, who insisted on hearing the story. "Egghead" instantly (literally- by the second page) became a group reading activity that drew laughter and increased the enjoyment of our reading sessions. We will be purchasing the other books in this series, and look forward to reading them all!
April 27, 2012
“Egghead” by Karla Oceanak is the fifth book in a series that will eventually cover the whole alphabet. Aldo Zelnick in the narrator. He is 10 years old, very bright, and doesn’t like Spanish.
I dislike books that talk down to children. Children are smart and books should treat them that way. Thank goodness Ms. Oceanak agrees with me! This was such a fun book to read. It is fun to “read” Aldo’s journal as he deals with learning Spanish and getting ready for Halloween. The cool thing about this book is that the author likes to put in a lot of words that start with “E,” put an asterisk next to the word, and then put the definition in the back of the book. Along the way we learn a little bit of Spanish. Aldo is an “A” student, except in Spanish where he pulls a “D.” His best friend, Jack, is bilingual and tries to help Aldo. Aldo has a vivid imagination and it shows through all the little drawings and side comments that he makes throughout the book.
I would highly recommend this book for kids ages 8 or 9 up. Aldo is a blast to hang out and it never hurts that the reader may learn a few new things along the way.
**This book was received for free through Goodreads First Reads. That in no way influenced my review.**
I dislike books that talk down to children. Children are smart and books should treat them that way. Thank goodness Ms. Oceanak agrees with me! This was such a fun book to read. It is fun to “read” Aldo’s journal as he deals with learning Spanish and getting ready for Halloween. The cool thing about this book is that the author likes to put in a lot of words that start with “E,” put an asterisk next to the word, and then put the definition in the back of the book. Along the way we learn a little bit of Spanish. Aldo is an “A” student, except in Spanish where he pulls a “D.” His best friend, Jack, is bilingual and tries to help Aldo. Aldo has a vivid imagination and it shows through all the little drawings and side comments that he makes throughout the book.
I would highly recommend this book for kids ages 8 or 9 up. Aldo is a blast to hang out and it never hurts that the reader may learn a few new things along the way.
**This book was received for free through Goodreads First Reads. That in no way influenced my review.**
May 16, 2012
This is the fifth title in a series that will cover every letter of the alphabet by the time it is completed. Yes, that's 26 titles likely to be popular with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid set. This one has kid appeal written all over it with jokes about farting dogs and farting humans and interactions among family members that seem quite realistic. Aldo and his friend Jack become estranged when Aldo, who is not very good at Spanish, makes fun of the language. Jack speaks the language fluently and becomes offended that Aldo thinks his language isn't worth the effort to learn. They even go off to collect Halloween candy separately with Aldo dressed in an Albert Einstein mask. When Jack's grandfather is missing, Aldo dumps his sweet loot and tries to find the frail man. There are plenty of scary and humorous moments mingled throughout the title with lessons for Aldo to learn amid appealing illustrations of Aldo's world. While this is not necessarily something to which I'd become addicted, I can see why it would be popular.
August 21, 2012
I won this book as a goodreads first read giveaway. Winning the book prompted me to read all of the previous books for this series. This book has been one of my favorites because there is a lot od spanish language involved and I love to read and recommed books to children based on what they can learn as well as entertainment value and this book is both entertaining and educational. I love this series and can't wait to read more of Aldos adventures.
June 21, 2014
I was surprised to like this mixed-format (part text/part graphic) novel. It is #5 in a series written by a Colorado author - so it has locations in the story (Estes Park, Erie, Rocky Mtn National Park) that my students would recognize. The story deals with friendship, science, aging grandparents, and the importance of being accepted when you speak a different language (Spanish or Sign language). I will recommend this to students & teachers instead of Wimpy Kid. Grades 3-5
July 25, 2017
Just started reading this with my 7 year old. He loves the book not only because of the way it is written but also for the little pictures and all that go with it. Winning this book was a great thing because it is hard to find good books that he really enjoys.
May 7, 2012
This little book rocks!
This is the first book in the Aldo Zelnick novels that I have read. It is fifth in the series, although each is a stand alone, as well.
Aldo is a young man
This is the first book in the Aldo Zelnick novels that I have read. It is fifth in the series, although each is a stand alone, as well.
Aldo is a young man
June 11, 2012
Review to come on the blog.
Summer 2012 #bookaday #8
Summer 2012 #bookaday #8
November 12, 2013
Another fun Aldo Zelnick! The kids still love 'em!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews