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Dodger and Me
Dodger and Me
Author: Jordan Sonnenblick
What would you do if your best friend was: — 1. Imaginary? — 2. An oversize blue chimp in surfer shorts? (Potentially embarrassing, but hey, no one else can see him . . . right?) — 3. Proposing a plan to help you improve your life? — 4. Did we say imaginary? — 5. Driving you crazy?!?! — Now you have an idea of what Willie Ryan’s life is like whe...  more »
PBS Market Price: $8.09 or $4.19+1 credit
ISBN-13: 9780312561222
ISBN-10: 0312561229
Publication Date: 3/3/2009
Pages: 192
Edition: 1
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Rating:
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1

5 stars, based on 1 rating
Publisher: Square Fish
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
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GeniusJen avatar reviewed Dodger and Me on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Theresa L. Stowell for TeensReadToo.com

DODGER AND ME is the first book in a new series by Jordan Sonnenblick .

In this book we meet Willie Ryan, self-proclaimed wimp. The fact that Willie is definitely a wimp is immediately evident when he becomes the reason his baseball team loses the first game in the championship series. One might think it is bad enough that Willie can neither catch nor hit a ball, but Willie has more wrong with his life.

To start, his mother is so overprotective that a simple nosebleed becomes an emergency of epic proportions. If that is not bad enough, his best friend has moved away and asked Lizzie, a British student at his school, to keep an eye on him. Lizzie takes this request very seriously and follows him everywhere, even to the big game where she embarrasses him by cheering him on despite his horrendous playing ability.

Tired of always following the rules and getting nowhere, Willie takes a shortcut home. Though he imagines his mother's warnings to stay on the beaten path, Willie cuts through the woods. He comes to a meadow where everything is blue, everything but the McDonald's bag that someone left lying in a stream. Always conscientious, Willie picks up the bag to dispose of it. To his shock, Dodger, a huge blue chimpanzee, appears in front of him.

Dodger sets on a course that is supposed to make Willie's life better. Dodger is going to make Willie's mother less domineering, he is going to make Lizzie go away, and he is going to make Willie a baseball star. Unfortunately for Willie, Dodger's version of wish granting is a little more hands-on than the traditional genie's. Thus follows a series of delightful antics that will make readers of all ages laugh.

The story shows a clear difference between what we think we want and the reality of that desire in a lighthearted way. Though the plotline is a bit predictable, readers will enjoy seeing how Dodger twists Willie's simple wishes into slapstick solutions. Sonnenblick uses laughter to show original ways to overcome or accept issues that many middle schoolers struggle to overcome on a daily basis: loneliness, athletic prowess, bullying, and the true meaning of friendship.

DODGER AND ME is such an enjoyable trip that readers will look forward to reading the next installment in this delightful series.


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