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Allergic to Birthday Parties, Science Projects, and Other Man-Made Catastrophes by Lenore Look
x_librarian's review against another edition
2.0
I was disappointed with the constant "playing Indians" that occurred throughout the book, particularly as Look never addressed how such activities are distressing to living Native Americans and can be particularly damaging to children.
Normally I find the Alvin Ho books to be funny, but my discomfort ruined anything humorous that might have been in the book.
Normally I find the Alvin Ho books to be funny, but my discomfort ruined anything humorous that might have been in the book.
protoman21's review against another edition
4.0
Another great addition to the Alvin Ho series. His character is so fun and quirky that you can't help but love him. He's a real kid and that shines through in so many ways. Look finds the perfect blend of silly and real by having the situations Alvin finds himself in be very real, but Alvin's imagination runs so wild that we get silly fantasies about what is happening and what might go wrong flashing through his head. I much prefer this scenario to the too typical pure absurdity found in other juvenile fiction. Look is obviously someone who knows children and how they play and think.
ikuo1000's review against another edition
2.0
Once again, Lenore Look brings us a funny and quirky book about Alvin Ho, a second grader trying to make his way in a world full of scary things.
As always, I love the way Lenore Look casually incorporates multiculturalism and diversity. Alvin just happens to be Chinese-American, and his classmates include Nhia, who is Cambodian, and Flea, who wears an eye patch and has a limp.
In fact, it is because Alvin Ho books are usually so inclusive that I am especially disappointed that this particular book featured Alvin pining for a Deluxe Indian Chief outfit, "complete with a huge feather headdress that makes you look like a giant bird!" The book does not in any way show any intent to insult Native American Indians, but in this day and age of cultural diversity, I would think the author and the publisher would know better than to perpetuate racially insensitive play. Would the author have been okay writing about a white boy who pined for a Chinese play outfit, complete with a conical rice hat and a fake Fu Manchu mustache?
That aside, the rest of the book does make for an entertaining story. Alvin faces his fears and learns "to do the right thing". My actual rating is more like 2 1/2 stars; I thought most of the writing was better than "ok", but I can't say I "liked" it because of the bit about playing Indians. Without the racial insensitivity, I would have given the book 4 or maybe even 5 stars.
As always, I love the way Lenore Look casually incorporates multiculturalism and diversity. Alvin just happens to be Chinese-American, and his classmates include Nhia, who is Cambodian, and Flea, who wears an eye patch and has a limp.
In fact, it is because Alvin Ho books are usually so inclusive that I am especially disappointed that this particular book featured Alvin pining for a Deluxe Indian Chief outfit, "complete with a huge feather headdress that makes you look like a giant bird!" The book does not in any way show any intent to insult Native American Indians, but in this day and age of cultural diversity, I would think the author and the publisher would know better than to perpetuate racially insensitive play. Would the author have been okay writing about a white boy who pined for a Chinese play outfit, complete with a conical rice hat and a fake Fu Manchu mustache?
That aside, the rest of the book does make for an entertaining story. Alvin faces his fears and learns "to do the right thing". My actual rating is more like 2 1/2 stars; I thought most of the writing was better than "ok", but I can't say I "liked" it because of the bit about playing Indians. Without the racial insensitivity, I would have given the book 4 or maybe even 5 stars.
abigailbat's review against another edition
4.0
Another installment in the paranoid adventures of Alvin Ho, terrified second grader. This has the same humor and appealing illustrations as the previous books. Each book can standalone and this will please fans of the series. Hand these books to kids who like books about funny kids getting into scrapes (Ramona and Clementine come to mind...).
destinugrainy's review against another edition
3.0
Saya menunggu kelanjutan dari serial Alvin Ho sejak terakhir membaca buku yang kedua. Tapi sepertinya memang belum ada yang menerjemahkan lagi. Setelah mencari-cari ebooknya, akhirnya ketemu juga. Entah kenapa saya suka dengan tokoh anak kecil penakut dan absurd ini.
Kali ini Alvin Ho dan teman-teman sekelasnya sedang melakukan tour mengunjungi beberapa rumah milik penulis terkenal. Yang Alvin ketahui pemilik rumah yang juga penulis terkenal itu sudah meninggal ratusan tahun yang lalu. Bagaimana caranya mereka bisa berdiri dan menjadi pemandu dalam tour ini? Perasaan Alvin lantas tidak nyaman. Dia ketakutan. Apalagi ketika dia melihat ada beberapa Louisa May Alcott.Wow… sekarang Louisa sudah diklon menjadi banyak!!
Untunglah tour segera berakhir. Tidak lama kemudian Alvin mendapatkan undangan pesta ulang tahun dari Flea, teman sebangkunya. Padahal Alvin inginnya pergi ke pesta ulang tahun Hobson, anak laki-laki di kelasnya. Alvin mencari tahu bagaimana isi pesta anak perempuan, dan ia bertanya kepada kakaknya Calvin. Calvin menjelaskan jika pesta anak perempuan itu berisi jamuan minum teh dan lebih parahnya semua yang datang adalah anak perempuan. Alvin ketakutan tidak bisa berbuat apa-apa di pesta itu. Dia pun belajar pada sepupunya, Bucky. Sementara itu, untuk menghadiri pesta ulang tahun anak laki-laki, Alvin harus punya kostum kepala suku Indian. Bagaimana caranya agar dia bisa punya kostum itu?
Kelakuan Alvin yang konyol dan absurd membuat saya tertawa. Betapa polosnya pemikiran seorang anak, terutama Alvin yang memang memiliki keistimewaan “mutisme selektif”. Alvin masih sering ketakutan ketika berhadapan dengan orang banyak atau sesuatu yang tidak diduga. Alvin tidak suka kejutan. Dalam buku ini, kita bisa melihat bagaimana ayah dan ibunya Alvin berusaha membuat Alvin seperti anak biasanya. Meski kalau dari cerita sudut pandang Alvin, tetap saja lucu.
Kali ini Alvin Ho dan teman-teman sekelasnya sedang melakukan tour mengunjungi beberapa rumah milik penulis terkenal. Yang Alvin ketahui pemilik rumah yang juga penulis terkenal itu sudah meninggal ratusan tahun yang lalu. Bagaimana caranya mereka bisa berdiri dan menjadi pemandu dalam tour ini? Perasaan Alvin lantas tidak nyaman. Dia ketakutan. Apalagi ketika dia melihat ada beberapa Louisa May Alcott.Wow… sekarang Louisa sudah diklon menjadi banyak!!
Untunglah tour segera berakhir. Tidak lama kemudian Alvin mendapatkan undangan pesta ulang tahun dari Flea, teman sebangkunya. Padahal Alvin inginnya pergi ke pesta ulang tahun Hobson, anak laki-laki di kelasnya. Alvin mencari tahu bagaimana isi pesta anak perempuan, dan ia bertanya kepada kakaknya Calvin. Calvin menjelaskan jika pesta anak perempuan itu berisi jamuan minum teh dan lebih parahnya semua yang datang adalah anak perempuan. Alvin ketakutan tidak bisa berbuat apa-apa di pesta itu. Dia pun belajar pada sepupunya, Bucky. Sementara itu, untuk menghadiri pesta ulang tahun anak laki-laki, Alvin harus punya kostum kepala suku Indian. Bagaimana caranya agar dia bisa punya kostum itu?
Kelakuan Alvin yang konyol dan absurd membuat saya tertawa. Betapa polosnya pemikiran seorang anak, terutama Alvin yang memang memiliki keistimewaan “mutisme selektif”. Alvin masih sering ketakutan ketika berhadapan dengan orang banyak atau sesuatu yang tidak diduga. Alvin tidak suka kejutan. Dalam buku ini, kita bisa melihat bagaimana ayah dan ibunya Alvin berusaha membuat Alvin seperti anak biasanya. Meski kalau dari cerita sudut pandang Alvin, tetap saja lucu.
cluelesspoe's review against another edition
3.0
Probably the funniest of the 4 I've read so far, and the first time Alvin didn't annoy me.
lemonysnicket's review against another edition
3.0
Sometimes Alvin is annoying. Imagine having to deal with a child like that in real life and Calvin who's supposed to be older isn't even the sharpest tool in the shed, it's Anibelly.
corncobwebs's review against another edition
If there was anyone who could tell me how to survive a girls' party, it was my cousin Bucky. Her real name is Lizard Breath. She's a girl. She's eight-going-on-eighty-eight, which means she was born with a teacup in her hand and a purse on her elbow. She goes to an all-girls school, which is where no boys are allowed on account of they might ruin things.
I love Alvin's voice. I think he's hilarious - maybe a little too hilarious for a second-grader. And now that I've paid this book a compliment, I'm going to go ahead and list a bunch of issues I had with it. Which is weird, because I really did like the book. First, I'm really not sure what kind of kid I would recommend it to. It's definitely super-funny, but I think adults would actually get the most out of the humor; some of it may fly right over most kids' heads. I would peg the reading level as appropriate for 3rd-5th graders, but the protagonist is a 2nd grader. That's problematic, because my experience has been that, once kids start reading chapter books, they typically don't want to read about kids who are younger than they are. If anything, they want to read about older kids. Next on my list of grievances: I love that this series stars a Chinese-American character, because I think that diversity in children's books is really important. But then I felt like my "yay for diversity!" feelings were negated by the fact that Look has many of the characters (including Alvin) dressing up as and playing "Indians." Holy politically incorrectness! Finally, I feel like I've gotten the gist of the series after reading two books. Yes, Alvin is funny (love those Shakespearean insults!) and endearing, but I'm not sure I would get anything different out of reading other installments. Unless I was sick or feeling really depressed -- then I think another Alvin Ho book would hit the spot. Overall? This book was great for my own personal enjoyment, but I'm scratching my head in terms of what kind of kid I would give it to.
I love Alvin's voice. I think he's hilarious - maybe a little too hilarious for a second-grader. And now that I've paid this book a compliment, I'm going to go ahead and list a bunch of issues I had with it. Which is weird, because I really did like the book. First, I'm really not sure what kind of kid I would recommend it to. It's definitely super-funny, but I think adults would actually get the most out of the humor; some of it may fly right over most kids' heads. I would peg the reading level as appropriate for 3rd-5th graders, but the protagonist is a 2nd grader. That's problematic, because my experience has been that, once kids start reading chapter books, they typically don't want to read about kids who are younger than they are. If anything, they want to read about older kids. Next on my list of grievances: I love that this series stars a Chinese-American character, because I think that diversity in children's books is really important. But then I felt like my "yay for diversity!" feelings were negated by the fact that Look has many of the characters (including Alvin) dressing up as and playing "Indians." Holy politically incorrectness! Finally, I feel like I've gotten the gist of the series after reading two books. Yes, Alvin is funny (love those Shakespearean insults!) and endearing, but I'm not sure I would get anything different out of reading other installments. Unless I was sick or feeling really depressed -- then I think another Alvin Ho book would hit the spot. Overall? This book was great for my own personal enjoyment, but I'm scratching my head in terms of what kind of kid I would give it to.
sandphin's review against another edition
4.0
Another great Alvin Ho book! I would give it 5 stars except I wish that she hadn't used a Native American costume as a plot device. Otherwise, totally wonderful and charming. I am recommending these books to everyone I know.