Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little: The Story
Nine-year-old Moxy Maxwell and her twin brother, Mark, have just one school assignment to complete during the summer – to read the book Stuart Little. While Mark reads Stuart Little as soon as school lets out and spends the rest of the summer learning to use a camera, Moxy procrastinates. Moxy likes to read, but she doesn't like being told what to do.Now, summer is almost over. By the time they enter fourth grade, Moxy and Mark are supposed to have read Stuart Little, but Moxy still hasn't read the book. She just keeps providing increasingly fanciful reasons for why she hasn't yet read the book when her mother asks about it.
The story and the illustrations (Mark's photos documenting Moxy's activities - and the results) cover Moxy's hilarious adventures as she finds ways to avoid reading Stuart Little until it is almost too late. When her mother loses patience and threatens "consequences," Moxy's response is to come up with "a fabulous, stupendous, near genius idea" that she is sure will solve all her problems. Instead, it's all downhill from there as her "near genius idea" results in lots of trouble for Moxy and lots of fun for the reader. At the end, when Moxy finally does begin to read the book, she's in for a big surprise. This is a appealing book for 8-11 year olds.
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little: The Author and Illustrator
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little is so well written and amusing that I was surprised to learn that it is author Peggy Gifford's first novel for children. Gifford earned her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and has a background as a writer and editor.The book's illustrator, Valorie Fisher, has written/illustrated a number of children's books, including How High Can a Dinosaur Count? and My Big Sister. Her challenge in Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little was to create black and white photographs that look like they were taken by a nine-year-old who is learning to use a camera but isn't very good at it yet. Fisher does an excellent job. The photos are amateurish but amusing and always add to the story.
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little: My Recommendation
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little is an excellent chapter book. The plot, characterizations, and the wrting are all first rate. Third to fifth graders will enjoy reading the 92-page book on their own. The book is also a good read-aloud for 7-10 year olds. The story may especially appeal to reluctant readers and to children who enjoy reading books about other kids their age. (Schwartz & Wade Books, An Imprint of Random House Children's Books, 2007. ISBN: 9780375839153)
