Left behind

When Nan leaves for a weeklong cruise, Jasper's nervous tummy feels "pththth," like a leaky beach ball. He worries particularly about missing his Wednesdays with Nan, their games of Go Fish, and sharing jujubes. The week starts with Jasper accidentally stapling papers to his tummy, creating two holes and requiring multiple Band-Aids. Despite his worry, time passes as Jasper builds a cruise ship (and fights) with his best friend Ori, meets the new babysitter, visits the principal's office for doing a Very Dangerous Thing at recess, and captures an escaped hamster. Fans will relish the return of Jasper and his irrepressible spirit. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.

Gr 1–3—One of Jasper's favorite things to do is to spend Wednesdays with his Nan, riding the elevator up and down, playing Go Fish, and eating jujubes. When he learns that his grandmother is going on an Alaskan cruise for a week, he is worried that she might never come back. The worst part is that he has to stay with a baby-sitter on Wednesday. It's a busy week while Nan is gone, though, as Jasper accidentally staples his stomach, attempts to build a cruise ship with a friend, and takes the class hamster home for the weekend. Emerging readers will enjoy following along with the quirky, charismatic boy and his friends and family in this humorous adventure. Pencil illustrations add to the story's charm.—Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga Public Library System, OH [Page 124]. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Feeling left behind when his beloved Nan leaves for a week-long cruise, Jasper John Dooley realizes that he will be less lonely if he has his own adventures, which include a stapling mishap and a hamster escape.

Every Wednesday, Jasper John Dooley plays Go Fish for jujubes with Nan at her apartment. They ride up and down in the elevator as many times as he wants. And they use a trunk of old clothes for games of Dress Up Nan. So how can she go away on a cruise to Alaska for a week and leave him behind? Thinking about it makes Jasper feel funny. It's like all the air is seeping out through a hole in his belly. ?It just feels pththth.? After Jasper accidentally staples his belly at school and gets two more holes, one Band-Aid alone isn't enough to keep the air inside him all week --- it takes thirty-four Band-Aids to patch him up! Will Jasper find a way to survive his time apart from Nan? This title from the chapter book series by Caroline Adderson beautifully and age-appropriately conveys how it feels to love someone dearly, and to miss them terribly. It would make an excellent starting point for classroom discussions or writing assignments about these emotions. With its engaging and entertaining story, it will also be a favorite for independent reading time. Jasper John Dooley is a quirky and memorable character who is funny and just a bit irreverent. And Adderson's depictions of life in early elementary school are spot-on: particularly hilarious are the capitalized descriptive names, such as when Jasper gets in trouble for ?doing a Very Dangerous Thing at recess.?

Jasper John Dooley's beloved Nan is leaving on a cruise for a whole week! He feels so pththth. All he can think about is Nan missing out on their Wednesday card game, and whether it's raining where she is, too, and if she will ever come back. But each day something happens, from a stapling mishap to a hamster escape, and Jasper realizes that waiting for someone to return from an adventure takes forever ? unless you're having an adventure, too. Jasper John Dooley: Left Behind is the second in a series of chapter books featuring a charismatic and funny central character. An only child with active, loving parents (and a most impressive lint collection), Jasper John Dooley is a true original.