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Big Whopper

Name: Big Whopper
Author: Patricia Reilly Giff
ISBN: 9780553494693

by Patricia Reilly Giff

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Overview

The author of the beloved Kids of the Polk Street School series introduces a new generation of readers to a multicultural group of kids who enjoy all the activities of an after-school center.

It’s Discovery Week at the Zigzag Afternoon Center! Everyone writes their discoveries on a big sheet of paper in the hallway. But Destiny Washington can’t think of anything new to discover. Before she knows it, Destiny has told a BIG whopper. And snooty Gina, who’s great at discovering things, knows all about it. Destiny has to find a way out of the whopper. In the end, she makes the best discovery of all.

In this delightful new series, award-winning author Patricia Reilly Giff introduces readers to a quirky, lovable group of kids, capturing all the excitement and surprises of new friends and after-school fun.

Synopsis

The author of the beloved Kids of the Polk Street School series introduces a new generation of readers to a multicultural group of kids who enjoy all the activities of an after-school center.

It’s Discovery Week at the Zigzag Afternoon Center! Everyone writes their discoveries on a big sheet of paper in the hallway. But Destiny Washington can’t think of anything new to discover. Before she knows it, Destiny has told a BIG whopper. And snooty Gina, who’s great at discovering things, knows all about it. Destiny has to find a way out of the whopper. In the end, she makes the best discovery of all.

In this delightful new series, award-winning author Patricia Reilly Giff introduces readers to a quirky, lovable group of kids, capturing all the excitement and surprises of new friends and after-school fun.

About the Author, Patricia Reilly Giff

Patricia Reilly Giff is the author of many beloved books for children, including the Kids of the Polk Street School books, the Friends and Amigos books, and the Polka Dot Private Eye books. Several of her novels for older readers have been chosen as ALA-ALSC Notable Books and ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults. They include The Gift of the Pirate Queen; All the Way Home; Water Street; Nory Ryan's Song, a Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Honor Book for Fiction; and the Newbery Honor Books Lily's Crossing and Pictures of Hollis Woods. Lily's Crossing was also chosen as a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book. Her most recent books are Number One Kid, Eleven, Wild Girl, and The Storyteller. Patricia Reilly Giff lives in Connecticut.

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Editorials

School Library Journal

Gr 2–4—This series kicks off with a spunky introduction to the students at Zelda A. Zigzag School. Mitchell and his sister, Angel, are the new kids. He's not too sure about some of his schoolmates or the Afternoon Center that they attend, but he's sure about one thing: he wants to win a medal on prize day. Mitchell goes on nature walks, swims, paints, and gets homework help at the center, and worries that he may not be Number One at any activity. On prize day, however, he gets a big surprise. In Big Whopper, the Afternoon Center kids set out to list all of their discoveries. Everyone can think of at least something with the exception of Destiny, who, in desperation, makes up a "discovery" about a famous ancestor. Soon, she is in over her head, trying to find her way out of her big whopper of a lie. When Destiny comes clean, she finds out that she is good at making discoveries after all. Readers new to chapter books will love these quick-paced, fun stories. Spot illustrations and a generous font size add to their approachability. It won't take long for the kids of Zelda A. Zigzag School to become favorites.—Amanda Moss Struckmeyer, Middleton Public Library, WI

Children's Literature - Denise Daley

It is Discovery Week at Zigzag School and the students who attend the school's Afternoon Center will be taking an after-school trip to the Discovery Museum on Thursday. To prepare for this school trip everyone has to discover new things. Anything that they learn or see for the first time counts as a discovery. The problem is that Destiny doesn't make any discoveries. The other kids are discovering new words and how things work but Destiny can't seem to make any discoveries of her own. In an effort to keep up with the other kids, Destiny tells a lie. It's not just any lie; it is a whopper of a lie. Of course, she realizes that it is a whopper and she knows that she needs to tell the truth, but the longer that it goes, the more difficult telling the truth becomes. With the help of an understanding adult, Destiny discovers that it's easy to tell the truth and her friends soon learn that, too. This positive and uplifting story highlights some of the struggles that younger kids commonly have and it teaches them the value of honesty. The "Zigzag Kids" will surely become another popular series written for emerging readers by the award winning author Patricia Reilly Giff. Reviewer: Denise Daley