The Firefly Fix

Trouble at Table 5 #3

by Tom Watson, Marta Kissi (Illustrations)

Molly, Simon, and Rosie are determined to build the best science fair project in school history. To do that, they’ll need to attract tons of fireflies. Will their bright idea get them a glowing grade or will it flicker out before the fair even starts?

Genres: Childrens

96 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 2020

About the author

Tom is the author and draws the original sketches for all the Stick Dog stories. He lives in Chicago with his wife, daughter and son. They also have a dog named Shadow. Tom did not want to name the dog Shadow. He wanted to name him ‘Put Your Shirt On.’ It’s a long story. Sometimes when Tom is visiting schools, he shares the story.

Tom’s first jobs out of college were in politics. He worked for U.S. Senator John Glenn and as the Chief Speechwriter for the Governor of Ohio. He has also worked in marketing and advertising. He likes writing books for kids a lot more than writing speeches and other things for grown-ups. He thinks kids are way smarter than grown-ups.

He LOVES writing the Stick Dog adventures.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really just cannot recommend this installment in the series, even though a few of the other books are decent and my son enjoys the series. I don't understand why the children weren't honest with the adults in their lives -- neither the parents nor the teacher seem like horrible people, they seem supportive and helpful. The children lie about their reason for wanting to get into the school's greenhouse, dig holes in there without permission, and pretend to lock the door afterwards while the teacher watches --but actually leave it unlocked so they can sneak back in later to finish their science project. I get that it's nice to have a surprise reveal and your big moment, but this is not the way to do it! At the end of the book, the teacher says he's not sure whether they should get in trouble or win the science fair. They win. And they don't get in trouble. I prefer books in which children sometimes make poor choices (they are children-- it's okay to make mistakes!) but in which trusted adults help them to learn and hold them accountable for their actions in a loving and age-appropriate way that is not a punishment but rather an opportunity for growth.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: IT WAS BEDTIME on Tuesday. But I wasn’t in bed. “Mom! Dad!” I called from the top of the stairs. “Yes, Molly?” Mom called back. “There’s a strange light outside!” I spoke loud enough to reach all the way to the living room. Mom and Dad like to read down there at night. “What’s strange about it?” Dad said loudly. “It’s like a long, straight beam of light,” I answered.

Premise/plot: Molly (and her friends) are back in a third adventure. This book centers around a science fair. But, of course, it opens with a "problem" that has become "stuck" in Molly's mind. That problem is a giant searchlight across town. Where did it come from? Why is there? How long will the lights be on? For better or worse, her parents drive Molly across town until they come across the glaring searchlight and she is able to go ask all her questions....

But as I mentioned, this book is about a SCIENCE FAIR at school. The book opens on Tuesday night. The students must have their topics on Wednesday. Thursday is for researching projects. And Friday are the presentations. Molly and her friends Simon and Rosie have a topic...in part inspired by the bright lights of the opening chapter...their topic is FIREFLIES.

My thoughts: I can identify with Molly a good majority of the time. But the problem that got "stuck" on my mind was how unrealistic it was for a science fair project to be assigned on Tuesday and have to be presented on Friday. Molly's parents are also super super super enabling and indulgent. I'm not sure how realistic that is to drive around town--past bedtime, after everyone has gotten ready for bed--and look for a mystery light. But I do enjoy the series. I have every intention of reading the whole series. I'm just loving Molly.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series continues with the three kids having to create a Science Fair project. I was a little surprised at the timing. They had to think of a project and put it together in two days. It was alluded to that they were supposed to be thinking about it before this but the timeframe in their science class was tight. I appreciate how he makes their diverse ways of learning just part of who they are.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

6/18/2023 ~ I thought the science fair project was really cool, though as an adult, I did wish the kids would just TALK to their teacher, rather than making up stories to get into a locked location. (I had similar quibbles about Book 1 in this series, The Candy Caper.) One other small quibble - given the precedent for Molly counting things in prior books, I was surprised that there was no mention of counting the many fireflies that surrounded the green house.

I did have one quibble with the science fair: It was a project, not an experiment. Also, there was no research typed and presented! And waiting until the VERY last minute, yikes!

This series has an interesting feature of reading encouragement: after each chapter, there is a box colored in to show the number of chapters completed and how many words the reader has read. I found this annoying, since I'd rather have the focus on an enjoyment of the story and characters (emotional, not numeric.) When I started Book 2, I was wishing that there had been 1-2 pages to introduce the characters, as so many early chapter books have.

The books do celebrate the unique (and quirky) characteristics of each child:
Molly (presents as white; narrator) - MUST have things in even numbers, counts everything.
Rosie (light brown skin tone) - excels at science; she also LOVES maps and can remember many details about towns.
Simon (presents as white) - ??? Has to TALK about things as they enter his head.

[Maya 🤠 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly thought it was a great book, but it was a great book for children on the age of five to like eight because when I used to read these series when I was like seven I enjoyed it like reading them a lot but like now when I’m 10 I read it and it was just wasn’t as fun as it was before but like I would definitely recommend this book for you know people who are like 7 to 6 till like eight like there they would have a lot of fun reading these books.

[Hannah Bruner · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 3rd grade students LOVE the Trouble at Table 5 series. I started by purchasing just the first book and ended up ordering all of them. I can't keep them on the bookshelf. There's a waiting list! Especially good for reluctant readers transitioning into chapter books.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

89 pgs. Another fun school story where the three kids are trying to create a great science fair project. They decide to work on fireflies but their plan is challenged by the lack of access to the greenhouse. Kids will enjoy this one. Highly recommended for Grades 4-5.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! What a perfect book for young scientists & beginning readers! What a great series for beginning readers! Too cute! Love this author!

[Devin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Elysha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent for first grade reader

[Angelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third book, still great!! Here’s my review for book 1: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Fenco Chen]

Lexile®: 580L, 6078W, 100%, 6y4m