Saturday, May 7, 2011

Review: The Misadventures of Phillip Isaac Penn by Donna Peterson

The Misadventures of Phillip Isaac Penn by Donna Peterson

Amazon Product Description:
Everybody calls Phillip Isaac Penn, Pip. And usually they yell it at the top of their lungs. Sure he might forget to close the classroom mice's cage door, or leave his mother's hair dryer in bathtub (hey, it's unplugged), and he might even make it so that Liar Lizzy gets caught, but that doesn't make him bad. It's just not easy being a kid.


*I got this book from Cedar Fort using NetGalley - free of charge in exchange for an honest review and participating in the tour.


My thoughts:
This is a wonderfully entertaining story about a week in the life of a young boy who seems to spend most of his time getting into trouble.  It is a story that will have all adult readers remembering at least one young man they have known.  Pip, as everyone calls him, seems to radiate trouble which just compounds upon itself.  The descriptions of Pip's feelings about the situations he gets himself into are great.  I love how he seems to "get" a lesson of some sort out of each day and still end it with his firm belief that the things that happen aren't his fault because it's just not easy being a kid.
Each chapter in the book is one day in his life.  As a reader you start to feel sorry for Pip.  I found myself laughing, shaking my head, making the "that's not fair" face, and cheering all at different points throughout the story.  
The book is short, the humor is abundant and Pip is a fantastic character.  I would recommend this as an elementary read aloud for certain.  It would be fun for students to start or end the day hearing about Pip's adventures.