What do you think?
Rate this book
The Life and Times of Benny Alvarez: A Heartfelt Middle Grade Novel About Friendship and Family for Kids
This heartfelt story about school, friendship, and family is perfect for readers who can't get enough of such middle grade favorites as Jerry Spinelli and Gary D. Schmidt. From acclaimed author Peter Johnson, The Life and Times of Benny Alvarez is a novel that will make you laugh, cry, and appreciate your family all the more.
Everyone thinks Benny Alvarez is Mr. Negativity. According to Benny, he's just realistic about seeing the "other side" of things — when it comes to just about everything. But maybe there's another way to deal with the things Benny can't control — like his ailing grandfather, his wild younger brother, and the know-it-all girls at school. In this poignant novel about acceptance, Benny Alvarez will have to decide... is the glass half empty or half full?
Everyone thinks Benny Alvarez is Mr. Negativity. According to Benny, he's just realistic about seeing the "other side" of things — when it comes to just about everything. But maybe there's another way to deal with the things Benny can't control — like his ailing grandfather, his wild younger brother, and the know-it-all girls at school. In this poignant novel about acceptance, Benny Alvarez will have to decide... is the glass half empty or half full?
224 pages, Hardcover
First published June 24, 2014
5 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Peter Johnson
19 books8 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
In 1951, Peter Johnson was born in Buffalo, New York. He received his BA from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and his MA and PhD in English from the University of New Hampshire. He is the winner of the 2001 James Laughlin Award for his second collection of prose poems, Miracles & Mortifications (2001).
His other books include Eduardo & "I" (White Pine, 2006), Pretty Happy! (1997), and the chapbook Love Poems for the Millennium (1998). He is also the author of a novel, What Happened (Front Street Books, 2007), as well as a collection of short stories, I'm a Man (2003).
Johnson is the founder and editor of The Prose Poem: An International Journal and the editor of The Best of The Prose Poem: An International Journal (White Pine Press, 2000).
About his work, the poet Bruce Smith has said, "Because Peter Johnson does not guide himself either by the turns and counterturns of verse or the horizontal urge of prose, he must continually reinvent the wheel and its destination. He writes with a lover's lavish extravagance and a yogi's self-discipline. His funny poems are heartbreaking and his serious ones are hilarious."
He received a creative writing award in 2002 from Rhode Council on the Arts and a fellowship in 1999 from the National Endowment for the Arts. A contributing editor to American Poetry Review, Web del Sol, and Slope, Peter Johnson teaches creative writing and children's literature at Providence College in Rhode Island, where he lives with his wife, Genevieve, and two sons, Kurt and Lucas.
In 1951, Peter Johnson was born in Buffalo, New York. He received his BA from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and his MA and PhD in English from the University of New Hampshire. He is the winner of the 2001 James Laughlin Award for his second collection of prose poems, Miracles & Mortifications (2001).
His other books include Eduardo & "I" (White Pine, 2006), Pretty Happy! (1997), and the chapbook Love Poems for the Millennium (1998). He is also the author of a novel, What Happened (Front Street Books, 2007), as well as a collection of short stories, I'm a Man (2003).
Johnson is the founder and editor of The Prose Poem: An International Journal and the editor of The Best of The Prose Poem: An International Journal (White Pine Press, 2000).
About his work, the poet Bruce Smith has said, "Because Peter Johnson does not guide himself either by the turns and counterturns of verse or the horizontal urge of prose, he must continually reinvent the wheel and its destination. He writes with a lover's lavish extravagance and a yogi's self-discipline. His funny poems are heartbreaking and his serious ones are hilarious."
He received a creative writing award in 2002 from Rhode Council on the Arts and a fellowship in 1999 from the National Endowment for the Arts. A contributing editor to American Poetry Review, Web del Sol, and Slope, Peter Johnson teaches creative writing and children's literature at Providence College in Rhode Island, where he lives with his wife, Genevieve, and two sons, Kurt and Lucas.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Read
February 26, 2014Loved, loved this book. Here is my review, posted on my own goodreads page too:
Finally, a book about a middle schooler with middle school problems. And a loving family to boot! As Benny negotiates the tricky waters of boy-girl friends and boyfriends and girlfriends he looks to his dad for advice. He's also dealing with the sad reality that his beloved grandfather is getting more and more frail. The ongoing word play between Benny and his friends was an enjoyable side story.
This review is based on an ARC provided to me by the publisher.
Finally, a book about a middle schooler with middle school problems. And a loving family to boot! As Benny negotiates the tricky waters of boy-girl friends and boyfriends and girlfriends he looks to his dad for advice. He's also dealing with the sad reality that his beloved grandfather is getting more and more frail. The ongoing word play between Benny and his friends was an enjoyable side story.
This review is based on an ARC provided to me by the publisher.
January 20, 2014
Finally, a book about a middle schooler with middle school problems. And a loving family to boot! As Benny negotiates the tricky waters of boy-girl friends and boyfriends and girlfriends he looks to his dad for advice. He's also dealing with the sad reality that his beloved grandfather is getting more and more frail. The ongoing word play between Benny and his friends was an enjoyable side story.
This review is based on an ARC provided to me by the publisher.
This review is based on an ARC provided to me by the publisher.
November 25, 2014
It was sweet, I enjoyed the simple conflicts, not super dramatic. I really wish the poems were printed.
September 3, 2017
Loved it. Even though it was a middle schoolers book I thought the lessons were important. Very nice read. I'm glad I read it
Read
June 16, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Death of a pet dog
Death of a pet dog
March 5, 2014
The Life and Times of Benny Alvarez by Peter Johnson is a novel about a middle-schooler named Benny Alvarez who everyone thinks is "Mr. Negativity". Benny is in seventh-grade and is caught right in the middle of his family. He has a younger brother named crash and an older sister named Irene. He also has a mom and dad who are usually around the house.
Crash is Benny's younger and hyper brother. He is seven years old however Benny walks to school with him every morning. Crash is always on the go but is also "harmless" lots of times Benny's older sister Irene, is a sort of know-it-all and she thinks she is a level above than everyone else. She has a boyfriend named Aldo who is usually around when Irene is. Benny's father is retired and his mom is a housewife. There is also Benny's grandpa, Grandpa Alvarez, whose real name is Kieran. Grandpa Alvarez is ill and unfortunately gets sicker and sicker while the book progresses. He has multiple strokes and it always makes Benny feel empty and sad inside. This is what brings the main source of said emotion to this book.
Benny is not the most social middle-schooler. His two best friends, Jocko and Beanie, are both in his class at school. Benny is pretty bummed out because his class is starting a new poetry unit but at the same time he is a little bit excited because of a new girl named Claudine. Claudine is really into poetry so Benny uses this to his advantage. Overall Benny's social life is pretty low-key but that is probably because of his dull and "seeing the other side of things" personality.
Even though this book was a little below my reading level, I still enjoyed having a nice story to keep my eyes on. I thought that the author did a great job of portraying the kind of middle-schooler Benny is. I would recommend this book to someone who is in 7th or 8th grade because I went into the book not knowing the recommended age. Overall this was a decent read and an easy book to keep my mind interested.
Crash is Benny's younger and hyper brother. He is seven years old however Benny walks to school with him every morning. Crash is always on the go but is also "harmless" lots of times Benny's older sister Irene, is a sort of know-it-all and she thinks she is a level above than everyone else. She has a boyfriend named Aldo who is usually around when Irene is. Benny's father is retired and his mom is a housewife. There is also Benny's grandpa, Grandpa Alvarez, whose real name is Kieran. Grandpa Alvarez is ill and unfortunately gets sicker and sicker while the book progresses. He has multiple strokes and it always makes Benny feel empty and sad inside. This is what brings the main source of said emotion to this book.
Benny is not the most social middle-schooler. His two best friends, Jocko and Beanie, are both in his class at school. Benny is pretty bummed out because his class is starting a new poetry unit but at the same time he is a little bit excited because of a new girl named Claudine. Claudine is really into poetry so Benny uses this to his advantage. Overall Benny's social life is pretty low-key but that is probably because of his dull and "seeing the other side of things" personality.
Even though this book was a little below my reading level, I still enjoyed having a nice story to keep my eyes on. I thought that the author did a great job of portraying the kind of middle-schooler Benny is. I would recommend this book to someone who is in 7th or 8th grade because I went into the book not knowing the recommended age. Overall this was a decent read and an easy book to keep my mind interested.
June 28, 2015
The Life and Times of Benny Alvarez
is about a boy who is called Mr. Negativity by his brother. He loves to argue and be contrary and looks at the glass half empty. His grandfather is really sick, his brother Crash is like a whirling dervish of uncontrolled energy and feelings, and he’s had it with the girls at school who think they are so smart, especially Claudine. He has been in a battle with Claudine since 5th grade, arguing over everything, but now in seventh grade, he’s begun to blush when she sees him him looking at her.
Benny and his two best friends are into words and have a club, the Word Warriors. They are into the Book, the thesaurus, and each day one throws out a word to see if the others can come up with synonyms. Of course Claudine takes Latin, so she can figure out the meaning of words from their roots. Words are at the heart of this book, which can hurt or heal. The story takes a turn when the gorgeous teacher, Ms. Butterfield, or Ms. D for demigoddess, introduces a section on poetry. When asked what he thinks about poetry, Benny thinks “My take is that I think less about poetry than I do about the two glands on Spot’s rear end that the vet told us to massage twice a week.” But he says, he doesn’t really think about it.
The girls love poetry and think it’s all about verse and rhyme; the boys hate it, but they prefer not to rhyme or use verse. Claudine and Benny get locked in a competition to see who can write and deliver the best poem. Around the same time, Claudine’s dog dies and Benny’s grandfather has a second stroke. Both of them are forced to look at things and each other from a different angle.
Benny Alvarez is a light-hearted read which covers some serious territory but has some really funny parts as well.
Benny and his two best friends are into words and have a club, the Word Warriors. They are into the Book, the thesaurus, and each day one throws out a word to see if the others can come up with synonyms. Of course Claudine takes Latin, so she can figure out the meaning of words from their roots. Words are at the heart of this book, which can hurt or heal. The story takes a turn when the gorgeous teacher, Ms. Butterfield, or Ms. D for demigoddess, introduces a section on poetry. When asked what he thinks about poetry, Benny thinks “My take is that I think less about poetry than I do about the two glands on Spot’s rear end that the vet told us to massage twice a week.” But he says, he doesn’t really think about it.
The girls love poetry and think it’s all about verse and rhyme; the boys hate it, but they prefer not to rhyme or use verse. Claudine and Benny get locked in a competition to see who can write and deliver the best poem. Around the same time, Claudine’s dog dies and Benny’s grandfather has a second stroke. Both of them are forced to look at things and each other from a different angle.
Benny Alvarez is a light-hearted read which covers some serious territory but has some really funny parts as well.
December 3, 2014
7th grade Benny has all kinds of 7th grade problems, but the really endearing parts of this book for me were:
1. It was OK to be smart and a little nerdy
2. It was OK to be a critical thinker
3. Family is important and to be cherished
4. Words are important and to be utilized in a rich sort of way
Of course Benny has a quirky family and the parents don't ever blow their stacks, making this an ideal not a reality. Each kid has his/her own personality. Grandpa is a funny guy but also a good one for encouragement and thoughtful process, despite his strokes.
I am not sure how many kids will like this. I don't think the cover will attract many. Those that venture in will learn all kinds of words, and I tip my hat to Peter Johnson for having not one but three boys interested in wordsmithing in this book. You can tell it was a small school, though, because the drama there was not as intense as a large middle school. The big thing that was unbelievable was that any non-nerdy 7th grade boy would even exhibit public enthusiasm about a poetry contest. Felt like a Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney movie.
I also loved the "debate" about positive vs negative worldviews, and the benefits/downfalls of each. Would be interesting to piggyback off of this with a discussion in school and see what kids think.
But all in all, I enjoyed this book a lot, with its funny quips and heart string tugging scenes.
1. It was OK to be smart and a little nerdy
2. It was OK to be a critical thinker
3. Family is important and to be cherished
4. Words are important and to be utilized in a rich sort of way
Of course Benny has a quirky family and the parents don't ever blow their stacks, making this an ideal not a reality. Each kid has his/her own personality. Grandpa is a funny guy but also a good one for encouragement and thoughtful process, despite his strokes.
I am not sure how many kids will like this. I don't think the cover will attract many. Those that venture in will learn all kinds of words, and I tip my hat to Peter Johnson for having not one but three boys interested in wordsmithing in this book. You can tell it was a small school, though, because the drama there was not as intense as a large middle school. The big thing that was unbelievable was that any non-nerdy 7th grade boy would even exhibit public enthusiasm about a poetry contest. Felt like a Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney movie.
I also loved the "debate" about positive vs negative worldviews, and the benefits/downfalls of each. Would be interesting to piggyback off of this with a discussion in school and see what kids think.
But all in all, I enjoyed this book a lot, with its funny quips and heart string tugging scenes.
March 17, 2016
The Life and times of Benny Alvarez is an intriguing story about the ups and downs of a teenage boy’s life. I chose this book because it was a new book on the shelf and it was realistic fiction,which I enjoy reading.
The main character, Benny, has a busy life filled with lots of criticism. The girls at his school think he is annoying and his own mother thinks he’s negative. Benny has to face many problems, like his grandfather being in the hospital, while showing he can be positive. He realizes that he enjoys writing poetry. He tries to show that poetry is not just for girls and that it doesn't always have to rhyme. This shows Benny changing his outlook.
I like how the book ends because it shows Benny changing his attitude. My favorite part is when Benny leaves his classroom to prove the point his attitude has changed and he doesn’t need to read his poem just to be better than everyone else.
I enjoyed this book, however it wasn’t my favorite. I think the beginning started out a little slow, but it definitely got better in the end. This book reminded me of Tiger eyes. It reminded me of Tiger eyes because both main characters have someone special to them either in the hospital or die. This portrayed the same mood in both books. I think any teenager who likes realistic fiction books would enjoy this book.
The main character, Benny, has a busy life filled with lots of criticism. The girls at his school think he is annoying and his own mother thinks he’s negative. Benny has to face many problems, like his grandfather being in the hospital, while showing he can be positive. He realizes that he enjoys writing poetry. He tries to show that poetry is not just for girls and that it doesn't always have to rhyme. This shows Benny changing his outlook.
I like how the book ends because it shows Benny changing his attitude. My favorite part is when Benny leaves his classroom to prove the point his attitude has changed and he doesn’t need to read his poem just to be better than everyone else.
I enjoyed this book, however it wasn’t my favorite. I think the beginning started out a little slow, but it definitely got better in the end. This book reminded me of Tiger eyes. It reminded me of Tiger eyes because both main characters have someone special to them either in the hospital or die. This portrayed the same mood in both books. I think any teenager who likes realistic fiction books would enjoy this book.
June 4, 2014
The book "The Life and Times of Benny Alvarez" by Peter Johnson is a god novel about how family is important in bad and good times. This book teaches many things like solving problems when its hard. I read this book for a school assignment but I really enjoyed reading it and would have read it for fun.
The story begins with... Benny's life. The book takes place in many settings like his school were he always has his enemy girl confronting him, at home were he is in the presence in the love from his family but has struggles, and he is in the hospital once hoping that his grandfather will come out of there safe. Benny has only two best friends, Beanie and Jocko, who are have this game of mixing words up.
Benny talks about a lot of experiences but is serious about his grandfather. After suffering from many strokes, he learns new things from his grandfather. This book resolves i his grandfather getting better and recovering from another stroke and being at peace.
I think this book had many good experiences from good to bad, and its okay because Benny learned a lot. I can recommend this book to anybody how likes to read about good and bead family experiences and hoe they worked it out. I really enjoyed this book.
The story begins with... Benny's life. The book takes place in many settings like his school were he always has his enemy girl confronting him, at home were he is in the presence in the love from his family but has struggles, and he is in the hospital once hoping that his grandfather will come out of there safe. Benny has only two best friends, Beanie and Jocko, who are have this game of mixing words up.
Benny talks about a lot of experiences but is serious about his grandfather. After suffering from many strokes, he learns new things from his grandfather. This book resolves i his grandfather getting better and recovering from another stroke and being at peace.
I think this book had many good experiences from good to bad, and its okay because Benny learned a lot. I can recommend this book to anybody how likes to read about good and bead family experiences and hoe they worked it out. I really enjoyed this book.
February 8, 2016
This story was a great snapshot into the life of one pessimistic wordsmith of a 7th grader with a stroke-prone grandfather, a brother named "Crash" determined to save small animals from their father and a lurking neighborhood hawk, a "negative Nellie" father and "Optimistic Sally" mother, and a rival in the form of a fellow smart girl classmate. Woven into the short tale of a few weeks in his life is a good amount of thesaurus searching and even a few "deeper meaning" metaphors. It would be a good book to explore themes of friendships (with classmates but also with family members), prose vs verse poetry, kindness, misunderstandings, second chances, love and loss. It packed a lot into a short book!
The focus on calling Claudine "pretty" and Mrs. D as being a "Demigoddess" were eye-rollingly stereotypical "This is how young boys think" moments that didn't need to be quite so emphasized throughout. Readers who like Blue Balliett's books with math puzzles might enjoy this similar reader level book dabbling more on word play.
FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
The focus on calling Claudine "pretty" and Mrs. D as being a "Demigoddess" were eye-rollingly stereotypical "This is how young boys think" moments that didn't need to be quite so emphasized throughout. Readers who like Blue Balliett's books with math puzzles might enjoy this similar reader level book dabbling more on word play.
FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
September 22, 2014
Benny's grandfather is recovering from a stroke, an event that the family is still adjusting to, particularly Benny's little brother, Crash. Benny himself is navigating junior high, along with his friends who form the Word Warriors club. They have copies of a little blue book that Benny found at the Borders closing sale, kind of a miniature thesaurus with words for every occasion. So when Benny's English teacher announces that October will be devoted to poetry, he doesn't feel too alarmed: he loves words, and he is good at making metaphors. Meanwhile he won't quite let himself admit that Claudine is pretty; and his reputation as Mr. Negativity is going strong. The plot of this very normal story is not action-packed; its appeal lies in Benny's voice, which is wry and funny and smart. His father is also a great character, and Johnson has created a believable, endearing family. Readers who liked Antsy Bonano or Sean Rosen will also like Benny Alvarez. 6th grade and up.
December 4, 2014
Johnson, P. (2013). The life and times of Benny Alvarez. New York: HarperCollins Children's Books.
Junior Book Log: Fiction Choice-Fiction
Kirkus Reveiws
Benny Alvarez is the average seventh grade boy. He is known for his negativity, but he thinks he's simply realistic. Throughout this story Benny faces many challenges that readers can relate to; his sick grandfather, the death of a friend's pet, and figuring out feelings about the opposite sex. Peter Johnson writes this novel from the point of view of Benny and gives him a very realistic sounding voice. Reader's will enjoy the comments made by Benny and the other characters as they may be things they themselves have said. I would want to keep this book in my classroom library to have for students to read on their own. Because of the realistic and humorous nature of the book, I think it would be a great way to get student's that do not normally read interested in reading.
Junior Book Log: Fiction Choice-Fiction
Kirkus Reveiws
Benny Alvarez is the average seventh grade boy. He is known for his negativity, but he thinks he's simply realistic. Throughout this story Benny faces many challenges that readers can relate to; his sick grandfather, the death of a friend's pet, and figuring out feelings about the opposite sex. Peter Johnson writes this novel from the point of view of Benny and gives him a very realistic sounding voice. Reader's will enjoy the comments made by Benny and the other characters as they may be things they themselves have said. I would want to keep this book in my classroom library to have for students to read on their own. Because of the realistic and humorous nature of the book, I think it would be a great way to get student's that do not normally read interested in reading.
Read
January 16, 2016Is the glass half empty or half full? Benny in The Life and Times of Benny Alvarez is absolutely sure it is half empty. Is Benny just negative as his family, especially his mother sees him? Or is he, as Benny thinks, just realistic? In a family that includes a wild younger brother and a sick and ailing grandfather could Benny be right? Benny faces even more challenges at his middle school, dealing with his rival, Claudine. If Benny dislikes her so much, why does he start blushing when he talks to her? If you enjoy character-driven school and family stories, you’ll enjoy reading and finding out the answers to these questions about Benny, his family and friends. Fourth grade reading level and up.
August 20, 2015
I didn't love this book because I don't think Benny and his friends were even remotely like real 7th graders. Benny, Beanie and Jocko love words, and have an ongoing game where they consult a thesaurus daily and challenge each other to use more and more interesting words. Right. In 18 years of middle school, I have yet to meet these kids. I do like how the author is respectful of the many things kids this age have going on in their lives and how had it is to balance. A nice slice of life story, but not really a standout for me.
Read
June 3, 2019I don't want to give away the end, so I'll just say that Benny and Claudine learn something in this competition. By being forced to consider love and/or loss, they learn it is much easier to empathize with each other than they had believed.
Humor and authentic dialogue combine flawlessly in a story where kids can easily see themselves, their peers, and their families.
Humor and authentic dialogue combine flawlessly in a story where kids can easily see themselves, their peers, and their families.
December 6, 2014
Another surprise! Maybe I'm biased towards books that are loosely about the love of words and the power they have to affect people. This one has a group of boys who love synonyms and have some sort of exclusive club. There also ends up to be a poetry battle. But it's a coming of age story of a boy trying not to make war with a certain girl in his class and trying to make peace with his family who considers him to be too pessimistic.
Funny. Touching. And relatable.
Funny. Touching. And relatable.
March 16, 2016
Posted on behalf of Book Taster Emory: It was an ok book. The book is about Benny and his friend Joccko and Crash who is also his brother and they join a club. Every day they come up with a word and each have to guess it. And they are in middle school so they have to dodge things like a mean teacher, aka the poetry teacher, and bullies like Big Joe and the girls. Also everybody thinks as Benny as half empty or Mr. Negative so he dislikes that.
February 28, 2022
I'm not sure what the point of this book is. An empty shell of a protagonist and an equally empty, predictable plot. There's absolutely nothing memorable about it at all. I read this in middle school and did not find myself awed by its realism like some other reviewers thought. I don't remember much about the book itself, but I do remember my entire class tearing into the book for how self-contradictive and pointless it was.
April 15, 2014
Benny Alvarez is not a fun kid--he is always correcting people, trying to impress them by using big words, and is just generally negative. Although I finished this book, I am not entirely sure what it was supposed to be about; Benny doesn't change all that much, and nothing of note happens to him until almost the very end. I thought the story was rambling and overall, a bit pointless.
November 26, 2014
I enjoyed reading this, but mostly the second half really brought the book together and saved the story. I don't think there was much depth until then. The main character is a boy and his group of friends, but I can't picture many middle school boys really loving this book. Not a bad middle school read, and an easy and quick one for reluctant readers.
December 9, 2014
What a sweet middle school book! There's a supportive family, some good friends and teachers who are challenging their students. There is some strife, but it is mostly gentle. There isn't much plot - it's just a "day in the life" sort of story.
Not sure how many middle school boys will read it, but it will be a great read for the ones who do.
Not sure how many middle school boys will read it, but it will be a great read for the ones who do.
October 17, 2015
I enjoyed reading this, but mostly the second half really brought the book together and saved the story. I don't think there was much depth until then. The main character is a boy and his group of friends, but I can't picture many middle school boys really loving this book. Not a bad middle school read, and an easy and quick one for reluctant readers.
January 6, 2017
Read this with my two younger boys and it had some entertaining and touching parts. The word play as fun and the treatment of relationships through the eyes of a young middle school-aged boy was thoughtful. But two chapters before the end, Luke said "I still haven't figured out what this is about," so I just can't give it more than three stars.
April 7, 2015
Interesting novel that boys will enjoy reading.
FTC Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book HarperCollins Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion in any way.
FTC Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book HarperCollins Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion in any way.
August 13, 2016
This book was very enjoyable and light and happy and fun! One of my favorite things about it is how it subtly works in poetry. Definitely a middle grade book, but enjoyable for any age. P.S. The author (Peter Johnson) is pretty cool.
May 7, 2015
I LOVE Benny Alvarez! He “has the ability to debate someone to death” but is surprisingly sensitive to the moods and feelings of others. Every other page of this book made me laugh out loud. I recommend it highly, especially for reluctant readers.
November 24, 2017
Recommended. Grades 5+.
Readalikes:
The Meaning of Maggie
I Kill the Mockingbird
The Great Greene Heist
Readalikes:
The Meaning of Maggie
I Kill the Mockingbird
The Great Greene Heist
January 9, 2016
A realistic portrayal of middle school, friends, family, and the conflicts that surround them.
May 1, 2016
I loved the characters, their interactions, and the storyline. I plan to read this to my students in the last days of the school year.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews