Anna, Banana, and the Big-Mouth Bet

Anna, Banana #3

by Anica Mrose Rissi, Meg Park (Illustrator)

Anna has a loose tooth! It’s as wiggly as her dog Banana’s tail. But while Anna is poking at her loose tooth, class clown Justin keeps poking fun at Anna and her friends.

Anna tries to make Justin leave them alone, and gets pulled into a high-stakes bet. If Anna wins, Justin has to play nice; but if Anna loses, she has to do something so jaw-droppingly embarrassing, even Banana can’t believe it.

There’s no wiggling her way out of this one. Anna has to win the bet and stop Justin’s annoying antics…before she gets in even more toothy trouble.

Genres: Childrens, Chapter Books

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 2015

About the author

Writer, storyteller, editrix. Author of picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and YA. Fan of dogs and ice cream. Offers energetic, interactive presentations and writing workshops for students of all ages at libraries, festivals, and schools.

Anica Mrose Rissi grew up on an island off the coast of Maine, where she read a lot of books and loved a lot of pets. She now tells and collects stories, makes up songs on her violin, and eats cheese with her friends in central New Jersey, where she lives with her dog, Sweet Potato. As a former book editor turned writer and storyteller, Anica has spoken with kids and adults across the country about all pieces of the writing process. Her essays have been published by The Writer magazine and the New York Times, and she plays fiddle in and writes lyrics for the band Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves. Anica posts about bookish things at @anicarissi on Instagram.

Anica teaches in the Writing for Children & Young Adults MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and is available for in-person and virtual writing workshops and presentations with groups of all sizes and ages. Find out more at http://anicarissi.com.

Author photograph (c) Kim Indresano

Reviews

[Michele Knott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this series a lot for transitional chapter book readers. It gives enough material to keep readers interested while being short enough makes it manageable for those working on their reading stamina.
And I love the illustrations by Meg Park.
Anna has a loose tooth and ends up making a bet with class clown Justin to see whose tooth will fall out first. Anna is hoping that her winning the bet will make her friend Isabel happy. See, Anna has spilled the beans about the tooth fairy to Isabel. Or has she? Because Isabel understands magic maybe a bit better than Anna.
I'm always very cautious about stories that feature the tooth fairy. Especially when the intended audience believes whole heartedly in magic. While the author does a lovely job with it, it can start conversations that you may or may not want to have. My advice is proceed with caution. Read this book first and see if you want to put it in the hands of your reader.

[Jeannie Waters · Rating 1 out of 5]

Enjoyed the first 2 books of this series with my 8 year old. She was really looking forward to the 3rd but by the time we got to the end of the 2nd chapter she was in tears. The book just blurts out that the tooth fairy isn't real. And it's not just one sentence you can skip over. It makes a big deal about it and about worrying about kids thinking her friend that still believes is babyish.
The back of the book says it's for ages 6-10. Who puts that in a book for a 6 year old!
It's now only a matter of time before my daughter starts asking about Santa. Being 8 I knew we were getting close to the end of the magic, but it shouldn't have ended this way.
She doesn't want to finish the book now or read any more of the series. I hope the author sees my review and others like it and realizes she's lost a lot of readers. I'll be warning all the parents of my daughter's classmates about this book.

[Eve L-A Witherington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna has a loose tooth in this book as the girls debate about the tooth fairy being real or not so when the class loud mouth also brags of a loose tooth, Jim and Anna battle it out to be the first to lose their tooth and win the others tooth fairy prize!



A fun story about beliefs of others and respecting their choices as well as making bets that can impact you and also how to not lose your teeth!

[Sheri S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna has a loose tooth and makes a bet with a classmate about whose tooth will fall out first. As much as she tries, Anna's tooth will not fall out as quickly as she would like. As each day passes, she worries that her classmate's tooth will fall out first and that she will then have to perform her part of the bet - doing the chicken dance in front of her classmates. Anna's friends, Sadie and Isabel, are concerned about Anna and vow to support her in any way they can.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another funny book in the Anna Banana series - this time Anna makes a bet with Justin about who will lose their tooth first.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Big-Mouth Bet is yet another strong title from the Anna, Banana series, though it involves Banana the dog even less than the previous books. The best thing about it is the way it handles the tooth fairy question. Some of the kids in the story believe, and some do not, and they each need to work out for themselves whether the tooth fairy is real or not, and whether they should try to convince their friends of the truth as they see it. There is enough evidence for both sides of the question that readers are not likely to be troubled even if they still believe. The only problem I really see with the story is the use of tooth-related cliches. Do kids really try the doorknob trick? I have only ever seen that on sit-coms and in books, and even when I was a kid myself, I had the impression this was not really something people do in real life. But I could be wrong - I also believed that "Spin the Bottle" only occurred in stories, and have been told my many of my friends that they played it. Still, it would have been nice to see Anna come up with her own original ways of pulling her tooth, instead or resorting to the one everyone uses.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna is tired of Justin, the boy who sits behind her in class, bothering her and her friends, Sadie and Isabel. So when she overhears what she believes is Justin making fun of her and her loose tooth, she gets herself into hot water by making a bet over who is going to lose a tooth first. Anna with her friends' help does her best to get her tooth to come out, but what if Justin wins, what will she do then. Anna is a fun character and her interactions with her friends and teacher are refreshing. The concern over embarrassing herself in front of her teacher, protecting her friends, and confronting her own beliefs about the Tooth Fairy all ring true. A fun new series for young readers who enjoy Judy Moody, Junie B. Jones, or Clementine.

[Tammy Wooding]

Anna finds herself standing up to the class clown in the third book of a charming illustrated chapter book series about the joys and challenges of elementary school friendships.
Anna has a loose tooth! It’s as wiggly as her dog Banana’s tail. But when Anna is poking at her loose tooth, class clown Justin keeps poking fun at Anna and her friends.

Anna tries to make Justin leave them alone and gets pulled into a high-stakes bet. If Anna wins, Justin has to play nice; but if Anna loses, she has to do something so jaw-droppingly embarrassing, even Banana can’t believe it.

There’s no wiggling her way out of this one. Anna has to win this bet.

[Holly Letson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is always cute. In this particular book, both Anna and the class bully, Justin, have loose teeth. So, they make a bet about who will lose their tooth first. If Anna wins, Justin cannot bully her or her friends in any way, anymore. If Justin wins, Anna has to do the *Funky Chicken* dance in the middle of class.

Unfortunately, Anna loses the bet. But, the way she did her "punishment" was really tastefully done.

[Stephanie Faris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Anna Banana books center on a third-grade girl named Anna who has an adorable little dog named Banana. Can I just say how much I LOVE the relationship between Anna and her dog? Mostly, however, the book is about friendship and the tricky navigation that comes with having two best friends at that age. I love this series and I can't wait to read book #4!

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book with good story and fun characters. I haven't gotten others in the series but I would definitely look at them now.

*I received this book for free through the Good Reads First Reads program.

[artemis · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME!