August 15, 2011
In the third in the 101 Ways to Bug series, a group of middle-schoolers encounters a bullying high-school golf-team member and a series of first-love misadventures.
"Sneeze" Wyatt, who is unbecomingly plagued by serious hay fever, has just returned from a summer-long vacation to discover that: a) while he once merely admired his friend Hayley, now he loves her; b) she has a severe crush on a hunky new Hawaiian member of the high-school golf team, Cullen—who doesn't know she exists; c) Sneezes's best friend Hiccup—who is wracked by hiccups when stressed—loves martial-arts star Joonbi; and, d) Joonbi seems to truly adore Sneeze. Sneeze, tapping into a Cyrano de Bergerac concept, begins to write e-mails to Hayley, supposedly from Cullen, a plan sure to eventually fail. Fortunately, the dialogue that constitutes most of the narrative and drives the plot is largely believable. Less expedient is the lack of significant character development and the numerous references to events that occurred in the two previous volumes in the series. Readers that come upon this work first will find many of the allusions mystifying and might need a score card to keep track of the numerous walk-on characters.
With a mildly humorous presentation and the all-too-familiar concept of young teens exploring unrequited love, this average effort joins a crowded field. (Fiction. 9-12)(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
October 1, 2011
Gr 6-8-Steve "Sneeze" Wyatt, eighth grader and aspiring inventor, is having one heck of a year. Now that he's taking a few classes at the high school, things are becoming very complicated with friends and enemies alike: he's in love with Hayley, who, in turn, is in love with his high-school friend Cullen; he and best friend Hector (aka "Hiccup") are having spats; and a varsity golfer is bullying him. On top of that, his Nice Alarm was rejected at the Invention Convention(R), which has put a damper on his ambition, and his hapkido class is interfering with his job at Gadabout Golf, which he loves. With a unique cast of characters (including supportive parents) and plenty of conflict and humor, this is a good choice for reluctant readers, including those who haven't read the first two books.-Laurie Slagenwhite Walters, Peachtree Montessori International, Ann Arbor, MI
Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2012
In this third 101 Ways to Bug... book, Steve "Sneeze" Wyatt and his friends face the eighth-grade struggles of first love. While Steve falls for Hayley, she falls for the new kid (and golfer) Cullen. A modern-day Cyrano de Bergerac twist only complicates matters. There's not much new here, but Wardlaw's take on those awkward first-love moments will appeal to the previous books' fans.
(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
August 15, 2011
In the third in the 101 Ways to Bug series, a group of middle-schoolers encounters a bullying high-school golf-team member and a series of first-love misadventures.
"Sneeze" Wyatt, who is unbecomingly plagued by serious hay fever, has just returned from a summer-long vacation to discover that: a) while he once merely admired his friend Hayley, now he loves her; b) she has a severe crush on a hunky new Hawaiian member of the high-school golf team, Cullen--who doesn't know she exists; c) Sneezes's best friend Hiccup--who is wracked by hiccups when stressed--loves martial-arts star Joonbi; and, d) Joonbi seems to truly adore Sneeze. Sneeze, tapping into a Cyrano de Bergerac concept, begins to write e-mails to Hayley, supposedly from Cullen, a plan sure to eventually fail. Fortunately, the dialogue that constitutes most of the narrative and drives the plot is largely believable. Less expedient is the lack of significant character development and the numerous references to events that occurred in the two previous volumes in the series. Readers that come upon this work first will find many of the allusions mystifying and might need a score card to keep track of the numerous walk-on characters.
With a mildly humorous presentation and the all-too-familiar concept of young teens exploring unrequited love, this average effort joins a crowded field. (Fiction. 9-12)(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)