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A review by abigailbat
The Infamous Ratsos by Kara LaReau
4.0
I'm glad I saw this on Betsy Bird's list of 2016 chapter books because I never would have picked it up on my own and I'd have missed an unexpectedly touching story.
The Ratso brothers have to be tough like their dad. And being tough means you have to act tough and do things so that others will see how tough you are. Things like taking a kid's hat on the playground. But somehow their tough acts always get turned around into nice things for other people, like when they take that kid's hat they realize that that kid had swiped the hat from a smaller kid and now the Ratsos are heroes who stood up to a bully! What will the Ratsos do when their dad finds out all the "soft" nice things they've been doing around the neighborhood?
This early chapter book hit the right notes for me. It's funny how every "tough" thing they try somehow gets turned around into something kind for someone. And the book really ends on a touching note when their dad finds out what they've been doing.
This book has a lot to add on classroom discussions about citizenship and about bullying or being kind. It might be a great tool to use one on one with kids who are acting out because of situations at home.
The Ratso brothers have to be tough like their dad. And being tough means you have to act tough and do things so that others will see how tough you are. Things like taking a kid's hat on the playground. But somehow their tough acts always get turned around into nice things for other people, like when they take that kid's hat they realize that that kid had swiped the hat from a smaller kid and now the Ratsos are heroes who stood up to a bully! What will the Ratsos do when their dad finds out all the "soft" nice things they've been doing around the neighborhood?
This early chapter book hit the right notes for me. It's funny how every "tough" thing they try somehow gets turned around into something kind for someone. And the book really ends on a touching note when their dad finds out what they've been doing.
This book has a lot to add on classroom discussions about citizenship and about bullying or being kind. It might be a great tool to use one on one with kids who are acting out because of situations at home.