Sparks

Publishers Weekly

Ten-year-old Todd Foster narrates McNamee's (Hate You) poignant, convincing novel about a boy who has been promoted from a special-needs fourth-grade class, where he knew all the answers, to "the real fifth-grade." Here he faces some daunting challenges: he is afraid that he will flunk the "trial period" and be sent back to "Needs"; he must deflect the cruel taunts of his classmates (who call him "Mr. Retardo" and "Brain-Dead"); and he sorely misses his best friend, Eva, with whom he is afraid to be seen. Todd's earnest narrative reveals his heartrending determination to make the grade academically, his torn feelings about leaving Eva behind and his fragile self-esteem; his sense of humor belies his inherent intelligence ("Math hour goes on forever, like it's multiplying itself. I wish it would divide itself so it would be over already"). Scenes of Todd's family around the breakfast table or in front of the television balance tension with the laughter that cuts through it. In the end, Todd triumphs on several fronts, including academically and personally, but it's his journey to get there that readers will most enjoy. Ages 8-12. (Aug.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-Todd Foster, aka Gump, Mr. Retardo, Basket Case, and the Drooling Idiot, was in a special-needs class where he was the smartest kid in the room, but now he is back in a regular fifth-grade program and trying to succeed. But he just cannot seem to catch a break, to "grow a brain." His sister taunts him, his classmates tease him, and his teacher is doubtful of his staying power. Todd is overwhelmed by the constant assault of jeers and bad grades, and his parents appear to be oblivious to his struggle. The only person on his side is Eva, a former special-needs classmate. She is a happy, giving soul who likes Todd as he is, yet he shuns her for fear of further ridicule from others. Things pick up for him with an assignment on the life and times of Ota Benga, a Pygmy tribesman who was on display at the Bronx Zoo in 1906. Todd ultimately succeeds by using his imagination and applying himself to the task at hand. While on this high, he reclaims Eva as his friend and surmounts the insults. McNamee crafts a warm and humorous story about a boy's struggle to overcome his learning difficulties and his own self-doubt. A solid choice for any reader, but especially reluctant ones.-Alison Grant, West Bloomfield Township Public Library, MI Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Todd Foster's fifth-grade classmates call him a range of insulting nicknames from Gump (after Forrest Gump) to Retardo. Todd discovers that being promoted from the Special Needs classroom, where he was the smart kid, to the regular fifth-grade classroom has drawbacks. In addition to the humiliating name-calling and the difficult subject matter that Todd struggles to master, there is the issue of his best friend Eva from Special Needs. Now that he is in the big leagues, can Todd afford to be seen with the sometimes overly exuberant Eva in her rose-colored glasses? Although prone to wistfulness about the kinder, gentler Special Needs classroom, Todd is determined to make it in the regular fifth grade. When Todd's imaginative history paper earns him a grade of B, his best grade ever, he realizes that Eva is the one he wants to share the good news with and decides to make amends for having spent the first two months of school avoiding her. Good-natured Todd faces his limitations with equanimity and humor, but not without a certain amount of frustration, as when he reacts to his teacher giving him four weeks to bring his grades up with the comment, "I've spent my whole life being an idiot. What can I do in four weeks?" McNamee (Nothing Wrong with a Three-Legged Dog, 2000, etc.) succeeds in making Todd an endearing and believable character. This sweet story sparkles with wit and warmth. (Fiction. 8-11)