Review: Jasper John Dooley: Star of the Week by Caroline Adderson (ARC)

Jasper John Dooley: Star of the Week. by Caroline Adderson, illustrated by Ben Clanton. March 2012. Kids Can Press. 128 pages. ISBN: 9781554535781

Jasper John Dooley has been waiting all year to be star of the week in his classroom, and now finally it’s his turn! This week, his schedule will be very full - Show and Tell on Monday, Family Tree on Tuesday, Science Experiment on Wednesday, Talent on Thursday, and a special snack and compliments from his classmates on Friday. As the week begins, however, Jasper realizes that being star of the week is harder than it looks. No one understands his show and tell (a collection of lint), his family so small, it’s more like a twig than a tree, and he forgets about the science experiment altogether! Will he make it through the week, or will his star be taken away?

Jasper is a really fun character, sure to appeal to boys in Pre-K to 2nd Grade who are ready for short chapter books. His unusual interests, silly mistakes, and his friendship with his best friend, Ori, make him very easy to relate to, and the story just breezes right by as the reader becomes more and more invested in his success as the star. Especially funny is his creation of a wooden doll named Earl, to serve as his baby brother after Ori’s mom gives birth to a new baby. I also love the concept of “getting the lates,” Jasper’s name for being late to school, and the way he and Ori turn the phrase “over the hump” into a game where they literally jump over humps in a blanket.

Jasper John Dooley: Star of the Week is a nice transitional book for kids who are finished with easy readers but not yet ready for series like Alvin Ho and Calvin Coconut. The Jasper John Dooley series compares well, in terms of reading level, to Nate the Great and Mercy Watson, and in terms of content to Marvin Redpost, Horrible Harry, and My Weird School.

I received a digital copy of Jasper John Dooley: Star of the Week from Kids Can Press via NetGalley.

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat. 

NOTE ADDED 10/26/12: This book was nominated by Jennifer Donovan for the 2012 Cybils Awards in the Easy Reader/Early Chapter Book category. I am a first-round panelist in this category, but this review reflects my opinions only, not those of any other panelist, or the panel as a whole. Thanks!