Make Like a Tree and Leave

From Publishers Weekly Matthew Martin, the irrepressible hero of Everyone Else's Parents Said Yes! , returns to wreak further mischief and mayhem. Ages 9-12. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From School Library Journal Matthew Martin and the rest of Mrs. Stanton's sixth-grade class first appeared in Everyone Else's Parents Said Yes (Delacorte, 1989). The year of fun and growth continues here, as a social project goes awry; Matthew begins to appreciate girls, especially Jill; his mother becomes resigned to his need for junk food; and his sibling war with Amanda cools a bit. Concern for an elderly neighbor, Mrs. Nichols, brings the class together as they fight to save her land from development. Danziger has skillfully transferred her eye for situations and her ear for dialogue into storytelling for a slightly younger group than her earlier books. As a sequel, there are some minor details here that are out of sync with the first book. There is a contradiction about when Martin's parents really met. The other is that Mrs. Nichols, who is so important to the class, is not mentioned in the first book. Children familiar with both books are sure to notice both incidents; otherwise, this is a good example of sequel writing. The classroom is Avi's Romeo and Juliet -- Together (and Alive) at Last! (Orchard, 1987) two years earlier, and Matthew has much in common with Betsy Byars' "Bingo Brown" (Viking). Readers are sure to appreciate the humor as well as the trials and tribulations of Matthew's further adventures. --Therese Bigelow, Hampton Public Library, VACopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.