Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 1-3. Kline, the author of the popular Herbie Jones stories, has another successful series on her hands. This one is for younger children and features South School's class 2B. The five short stories star Doug, the narrator, and his best friend, Horrible Harry. They have a spat over their secret pals, participate in the class tribute to their favorite book, Charlotte's Web, and instigate a bomb-throwing contest featuring yellow snowballs. There's laughs aplenty in the short, snappy text--just the thing to turn on new readers to books. To be illustrated with black-and-white line drawings. --Ilene Cooper
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Best friends Harry and Doug triumph in each of the five scenarios in this sequel to Horrible Harry in Room 2B. They overcome an argument that arises when the class has to choose ``secret pals''; put on the best anti-smoking skit in the class; and lead the others in putting homemade spider webs up around the school in commemoration of Charlotte's Web. Despite the genuinely childlike situations it draws on, the book is a disappointment: too often the humor fizzles. The only laugh-out-loud moment comes when the principal volunteers to be Doug's assistant in a show-and-tell presentation; unbeknownst to Mr. Cardini, Doug plans to demonstrate how to spike hair. Other intended jokes fall flat or come at the expense of other classmates, giving a few of the stories a vaguely mean-spirited tinge. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 7-10. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-- Room 2B is every child's dream. In these five short, easy-to-read stories of classroom life, Harry, Doug, and their friends enjoy Christmas, performing anti-smoking skits, and reading together. (Teachers should love the idea of celebrating Charlotte's Web with an invasion of paper spiderwebs!) The teacher, the principal, and the librarian are caring, understanding, and adaptable. It's refreshing to find adult authority figures portrayed so warmly. The principal doesn't balk at volunteering as a model in the class speech lesson--even when Doug's demonstration turns out to be how to spike one's hair. Harry's demonstration is ``green slime,'' a kind of Silly Putty concoction made with cornstarch, water and food coloring. The recipe actually works, which will delight experiment-minded readers. For a slightly younger audience than the author's ``Herbie Jones'' series (Putnam), this is one school story which rates an A+. --Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, Ill. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
