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Aldo Zelnick #6
Finicky: Book 6
As Thanksgiving rolls around, Aldo Zelnick—a fifth-grade foodie if there ever was one—is flummoxed by his best friend Jack's refusal to try new food. Jack, who famously eats nothing but peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, is so finicky that he's even grown squeamish about Aldo's incessant talk about food. Meanwhile, a family friend has opened a new restaurant, and Aldo, Jack, and Bee are invited for a kitchen tour and cooking lesson, and to help serve the homeless on Thanksgiving Day.
With flash mobs, black-footed ferrets, a friend with a food allergy, and all the folderol this A-to-Z series is known for, this sixth installment also features a vocabulary-building glossary of fun and challenging words starting with the letter F, including fluke, and frenzy.
With flash mobs, black-footed ferrets, a friend with a food allergy, and all the folderol this A-to-Z series is known for, this sixth installment also features a vocabulary-building glossary of fun and challenging words starting with the letter F, including fluke, and frenzy.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
5 people are currently reading
58 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 18, 2019
I'm reading these in order, and I really enjoyed this one!
December 19, 2016
Finicky focuses on a change in the cafeteria lunches offered at Aldo’s school. Gone are Pizza Mondays and Aldo’s beverage of choice, chocolate milk. In their place, the school has introduced bad-tasting healthy options as part of a new program called FEAST - Food Energy and Sensational Tastes. With his friends Danny, Jack, and Bee, Aldo begins a protest campaign, begging the school to reconsider. As the campaign progresses, Aldo learns that his BMI is a little bit high, and he and his dad work to bring more exercise into their daily routines.
Highlights from Finicky:
The school’s cafeteria lunch overhaul inspires an art project, wherein Aldo and his classmates create self-portraits out of food in the style of Arcimboldo. Aldo’s creation is dubbed Arcimbaldo and graces the cover of the book, something he refers to in the story itself. I love that these books consistently promote learning, but in a subtle way, by incorporating interesting things into the stories themselves.
The illustrations are filled with references to F words. Each time we see Aldo or one of his friends in an illustration, the character has a shirt on showing something different that begins with F - ferris wheel, fly, fly swatter, fan, funnel, etc. I don’t think this has been done in every book, but if it has, I missed it in Dumbstruck and Glitch. It’s a great idea, though, and I especially like that the reader has to discover it for himself. The book gives no instructions about looking for F words in the pictures.
Aldo has interesting and varied relationships with adults. Karla Oceanak does a nice job of portraying adults through the eyes of a child. My favorite this time around is Mr. Fodder, the “lunch lady who’s a guy.”
Greg Heffley might be more popular these days, but I think the Aldo Zelnick books are consistently better written and better illustrated than any Wimpy Kid book. I am always impressed by the strong writing, and these two books really highlight the wonderful job Kendra Spanjer does with the illustrations. Aldo is a loveable character with realistic child-like thoughts, and his stories have lots of heart and learning opportunities, and they’re lots of fun to read.
Highlights from Finicky:
The school’s cafeteria lunch overhaul inspires an art project, wherein Aldo and his classmates create self-portraits out of food in the style of Arcimboldo. Aldo’s creation is dubbed Arcimbaldo and graces the cover of the book, something he refers to in the story itself. I love that these books consistently promote learning, but in a subtle way, by incorporating interesting things into the stories themselves.
The illustrations are filled with references to F words. Each time we see Aldo or one of his friends in an illustration, the character has a shirt on showing something different that begins with F - ferris wheel, fly, fly swatter, fan, funnel, etc. I don’t think this has been done in every book, but if it has, I missed it in Dumbstruck and Glitch. It’s a great idea, though, and I especially like that the reader has to discover it for himself. The book gives no instructions about looking for F words in the pictures.
Aldo has interesting and varied relationships with adults. Karla Oceanak does a nice job of portraying adults through the eyes of a child. My favorite this time around is Mr. Fodder, the “lunch lady who’s a guy.”
Greg Heffley might be more popular these days, but I think the Aldo Zelnick books are consistently better written and better illustrated than any Wimpy Kid book. I am always impressed by the strong writing, and these two books really highlight the wonderful job Kendra Spanjer does with the illustrations. Aldo is a loveable character with realistic child-like thoughts, and his stories have lots of heart and learning opportunities, and they’re lots of fun to read.
March 25, 2013
I received this title through a GoodReads FirstReads drawing and did so not for my own amusement but for rather for that of my youngest daughter. Her "discriminating" opinions about any foodstuff which does not end with the paired syllables "ber-ger" makes her a perfect target for such a tome.
It's also worth noting that I write this review from the standpoint of one who has perused the novel briefly and passed it along to the eventual reader but hasn't consumed every single word. While I generally take the time to read books before I hand them out I found that the cartoon-style of this one especially was just a bit too much for my addled and aged mind to wade through. Nevertheless what I did see seemed wholesome and endearing and seemed likely to amuse the target age group.
My youngest, upon merely seeing the cover descended into fits of giddiness and is anxious to consume it and provide her "book report" to me. When once this happens I will report dutifully back to this review with the results. Preliminary reports, however, are all to the positive.
It's also worth noting that I write this review from the standpoint of one who has perused the novel briefly and passed it along to the eventual reader but hasn't consumed every single word. While I generally take the time to read books before I hand them out I found that the cartoon-style of this one especially was just a bit too much for my addled and aged mind to wade through. Nevertheless what I did see seemed wholesome and endearing and seemed likely to amuse the target age group.
My youngest, upon merely seeing the cover descended into fits of giddiness and is anxious to consume it and provide her "book report" to me. When once this happens I will report dutifully back to this review with the results. Preliminary reports, however, are all to the positive.
January 6, 2017
Finicky was an exciting, humorous, and delicious book! It showed the true Aldo, and the true Aldo is very funny. This book is about a kid, and he tries to stop the cafeteria from serving healthy food. It has a great storyline, and is great for all ages if you want a quick read, and something to smile about. My favorite part of this book was probably the part when Aldo had to move his fort to his closet. It was so messy, and it was just so funny! Many people would love this book, because it is funny, and has a great lesson and story.
Review by Sofia H, age 12, Denver Mensa
Review by Sofia H, age 12, Denver Mensa
November 19, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. It relates to what is going on in our school district with new foods, and smaller portions. I can't wait for my kids to read the book, I think they will enjoy as much as I. I showed this book to my school librarian (I am a speech therapist in a school), and she is definitely going to purchase one for the school.
Want to read
June 13, 2012We can't wait for this one to come out. My daughter owns ALL the rest. It's all I buy for kid presents anymore.
January 25, 2014
This book made me very hungry, as its all about food
October 27, 2012
Aldo and his pals take on the school cafeteria when the new, healthier menu is put in place. I'll hand this book to my student who is boycotting school lunches now that pizza is off our menu as well!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews