The Adventures of Charlie - Book Review
Dateline: 2/14/02
by Ann Zeise & Friends
Here are some reviews of a book series called The Adventures
of Charlie that a bunch of cousins and their mothers want
to recommend to you.
First one of the moms wrote to me:
My sister homeschools her 6 children and has had wonderful
results with a book series by Rae Lowery. My daughter checked
both books out (even though she HATES to read) and couldn't put
them down until she was finished.
The series is very homeschool friendly, and one of the main
characters is homeschooled. The series is called The Adventures
of Charlie and the books are as follows:
The Case of the Pack-Rat Park (ISBN 1891429256, UPC
9781891429255)
The Case of the Lost Kid (ISBN 1891429264, UPC 9781891429262)
The publisher is Armadillo Publishing Corp.
The main character is an 11 year old, self-appointed detective
named Charlie. About once on every page she uses a large word
that has a hilarious footnote definition at the bottom of the
page. The books are witty, wholesome, well written, and suspensful.
There is a line a mile long at the library to check them out.
I pointed out that probably no one would take my word for
some books I hadn't read, but might believe it if her daughter
and her cousins would write what they liked about the books.
Here are the reviews by the youngsters.
My name is Margaret and I am 12 and I read a book that is
the best book I have ever read. It is about a girl that is smart,
which is a switch! Her name is Charlie which is short for Charlotte
but she goes by her nickname. Her best friend's dad gets fired
even though he didn't steal anything and Charlie spends the night
in a storage unit to find out who is the real thief. I like the
part about the dog always scaring her but she goes ahead with
her plans anyway. It makes me feel like I could be brave if I
needed to help my friend.
My name is Ashley. I am 9 years old. And I like the second
Charlie book better than the first one because Charlie's friend
has my name too! I like how Charlie helps people because she
really cares about them. She uses big words but then she tells
you what they mean.
My name is Launi, and even though I am 16 I still liked the
Charlie books. You can tell they are a kids book but I liked
that the chapters are only about 3 pages long and the end of
each chapter always makes you want to start reading the next
chapter. I read both books in about 4 hours and I can't wait
to read her next one. I think Charlie (the girl in the book)
is a lot like me. She tries to be a good person but she is so
curious it gets her into trouble. Like Curious George.
My name is Lee and I am 15. I was reading the packrat park
book to my cousin who is only 7 because the words were too big
for him, but then I was so interested in it I kept reading after
he had to go to bed. I dont really like to read but this was
a very good book and I want to read it until I am done. I want
to know who stole the money!
I am 7 and I like charlie because she's funny. Love Trevor
Unfortunately, I can find no reference to these books or their
author on the web or in the major book sellers online. The books
may only be available in library collections or through a used
book resource.
The key to getting hooked on reading, as these folks point
out, is to find an author that intrigues your kids with mystery,
delights them with a good sense of humor, and keeps even the
older children awake far into the night, not daring to put the
book down until they find out if and how the good prevail and
the bad get their just punishment!
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