Short Stories Books

Can the way we see the world impact the way we are treated?
Do we allow ourselves to be bullied because we lack courage, confidence and compassion?

One thing for sure is that we can never change another -- we can only change ourselves. This simply told and insightful look at bullying is a thought-provoking must-read for bullied, bullies and bystanders. Our girls love it.

Anyone who has been teased knows the pain of feeling different. When Rosa hears children chanting, "Here comes Rosa Redhead. She's a little Squarehead..." she retreats to the forest where she discovers the gifts of Courage, Confidence and Compassion, which change her life forever. This exceptional book that teaches children to understand the differences in people was written by Peggy O'Neill who is a 3'8" tall person.

"Once upon a time there was a little girl names Rosa who lived in a small town nestled against a lush emerald forest. She loved playing in the woods with her animal friends. They didn't mind that she looked different from the other children-her head was shaped like a square." -From the book

With school bullying on the rise, it's no secret that children can be cruel-especially to children who are viewed as "different". In Little Squarehead, Rosa learns to cope with the stares of adults and the taunts of children. Her sense of rejection keeps her isolated from others until one day she runs deep into the forest, and cries beside a glistening stream. "Why do I look so different?" she asks in despair. As her tears fell, a mist arises from the water and a sweet, musical voice comforts her, assuring Rosa that all will be well.

The voice beckons her to the edge of a crystal pool, encouraging Rosa to look at her reflection. Rosa is shown a vision of her true self that begins to transform how she sees herself-and eventually, how she sees others.

Rosa visits the secret pool three times, and the voice unveils three powerful gifts that Rosa has within her: courage, confidence, and compassion.

The author of Little Squarehead, certified psychotherapist Peggy O'Neil, is no stranger to prejudice: she's 3'8" "little person" whose motto is WALK TALL - BE BIG ON THE INSIDE. With wisdom and verve, O'Neil conveys the powerful message that how we see ourselves can literally alter our lives. When we see our true selves-and our precious diamond heart-we act with courage, walk in confidence, and relate with compassion. This revelation can literally change our world, especially as children (and adults!) understand and embrace the message presented in Little Squarehead.

Artist Denise Freeman brings a uniquely personal touch to the story, weaving colorful paintings of 15 types of roses that grow in her neighborhood. There's a key at the end of the book so you can find the different types of roses, as well as play Hide & Seek to find the clever images hidden throughout the book.

Celebrating diversity and promoting compassion, Little Squarehead delivers a timely message about beauty within-and how we can find it in both ourselves and others.

Note: this book was a finalist for ForeWord Magazine's Best Children's Book 2002.

Pleasant illustrations. Suitable for 4-7 year-olds. A simple tale of learning heart-centeredness that helps to overcome a physical distinctiveness that was inviting teasing and rejection by peers.

While the story is a little facile, suggesting that a positive attitude will overcome all obstacles, its basic message is a healthy one, as in all of the books published by Illumination Arts.

Rosa is a lonely young girl, who suffers from being different than other people. For Rosa's head is shaped like a square, hence, Little Squarehead. She is teased by her classmates, and people about town, young and old, daily. But one day she runs deep into the forest to be alone, and there she encounters a mystical pool of clear water, where she is amazed to see that there is a diamond in the reflection of her heart. She is quickly told by a gentle voice that "This diamond mirrors the beauty that shines within you," and finds self-confidence within herself.

I love finding books that will lift the spirits of a child who has been picked on or teased, and I feel that Peggy O'Neill's LITTLE SQUAREHEAD is the absolute best book on this subject, for it presents the situation in a clear, easy light, that will be understood by even the youngest child. The wonderful prose is delightful, while the illustrations keep you turning the pages at a rapid rate to see what lies beyond. This is a magnificent book that is a must have for all.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Great book for my purposes -- to use in a pre-school music class.

This book is absolutely adorable!!! A very sweet valentine book with fun, colorful pop-ups and a sweet valentine poem!! Such a great book!!!

I bought this book for my son this past Valentine's Day. He had gotten Halloween Bugs in October and had enjoyed that one so much I thought I would be good for him to have another.

Since my son is 2 we had to explain to him that you do not pull the flowers out. Once we got past that, he seemed to be content with leaving the pop-ups in the book. When we got finished reading it the first time he demanded that we read it again. Even after the tenth time in a row he did not get tired of it. I find I have to hide it sometimes in order to not have to read it 20 times in the same sitting, but it never gets old watching him enjoy it so much.

I bought this book years ago for my now 9 yr old,. Now my 3 yr old has rediscovered all of Carter's books & loves them. She is a girly girl & is usually afraid of bugs but these bugs are so cute, she loves them. Of course as with most pop-up books,it is short & fragile-not for the very young to play with on their own. But it is a must-have for anyone with kids.

The cutest valentine book ever! The pop ups are wonderfully designed and it is a real attention getter! My only complaint is that the book isn't longer!! I would love to see more!

Christopher Meeks teaches creative writing, has three full-length plays produced in Los Angeles to his credit, and is the author of four non-fiction children's books. "The Middle-Aged Man & The Sea" is an anthology of thirteen short stories by this accomplished author, many of which have been previously published in such literary journals as 'Rosebud', 'Clackamas Literary Review', and the 'Southern California Anthology'. These are original, articulate, engaging stories which examine life in America from the unique perspectives of ordinary people searching for their share of the promises held out as part of the American dream. Meeks' writing style is characterized by an ability to create identifiable characters that will hold a haunting familiarity for the reader, along with imaginative but realistic and original scenarios which play out succinctly in the short fiction format. "The Middle-Aged Man & The Sea" is highly recommended, highly entertaining, and highly rewarding reading.

Not since reading John Cheever's short stories have I encountered a writer able to map the shifting landscape of mid-life, mid-loss characters as well as Chris Meeks.

Meeks specializes in compressed fiction, almost contemporary parables really, where a taken-for-granted moment can abruptly empty into oblivion. A magician who doesn't pander to applause, Meeks stands in the shadows, performing one feat after another. His tone is steady yet eerie, as though something is "not right with this picture," and he proceeds to whisper just what it is -- from a character unable to rid himself of the scent of jasmine, to a husband who arrives home and finds his wife has fled, making him the ghost of his own life.

Reading The Middle-Aged Man & The Sea, one can feel the inexorable floating just below the surface of words, of things, of silence. Meeks' characters inhabit a great loneliness: themselves.

A fine collection of short stories, The Middle-Aged Man & The Sea left this reader with that uncanny feeling one gets standing in front of a Hopper painting, thinking, Look, you can see the solitude. Meeks holds it forth in words.

I was glad to find this collection by an author I remembered from Rosebud Magazine. Although I'd read a couple of the stories there is plenty here I'd never seen. I like the way these stories draw you in and then punch you in the stomach, or make you laugh, or make you realize how close we are to tragedy. If "Nine Stories" by Salinger is your kind of thing you'll probably like this book.

I'll admit that I'd started reading THE MIDDLE-AGED MAN AND THE SEA during an evening, becoming so engrossed in its chapters that I'd wanted to finish it off in one sitting. I couldn't -- Fairies and Dreamland were calling -- but that was the sole reason I hadn't.

Middle-aged Man is *that* compelling. Meeks has this uncanny ability to thrust you right into the center of his characters' sundry dilemmas, desires, and demands -- as if you're standing right there next to them, or sitting one bar stool over listening to their wonderful chats about wine, their musings about the wisdom of the next Shuttle launch, or their ebullient waxing about the velveteen smoothness of Breyer's coffee-flavored ice cream.

As an unrepentant reader, I simply crave books like Middle-aged Man. In general, I want my hard-copied prose to move me. I wish it to twist up my emotions up like a high-tensile spring, then tossing it hither-tither; only at the end to liberate it majestically, like the former occupation of Czechoslovakia: glorious, unencumbered, and free.

I'll only give you a smattering of Meeks' prosaic samples to whet your appetite:

"...a man who ran a steakhouse, but looked like he could run the country."
"...Californicated"
"...Plan your work, and work your plan."

Punctuated. Polished. Perfect!

Like I said, this is merely a smattering.

Within a compact 145 pp, Meeks manages to cram in a delectable smorgasbord of witty metaphors, sage middle-aged reflections, and the wisdom of a well-loved and well-lived man who possesses a depth well-beyond the deceptive chimera of a finite number of earth-years.

As I happily breezed through this read, pondering the magnitude of Meeks' mantra, I couldn't help but let a part of my mind drift towards what I staunchly felt was more than a handful of captivating film ideas. Producers? String a few of these stories together, and you've got the makings of the next MAGNOLIA. I digress...

I guess I can speak for most readers who are fatigued with all the spoonfed jujeune runaround which seems to adorn the spic-and-span oaken shelves of our box-store book emporia.

What we desperately need is more gritty, more hard-hitting, more so-viscerally-real-it-smarts copy that Meeks skillfully dishes up in this astounding collection of tales.

I'll certainly be keeping my eyes out for more from this scribe. In other words, count me in. Big time.

Christopher Meeks, author of several children's books as well as a playwright, has put together an interesting collection of short stories in 'The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea'. Meeks is a good storyteller, and draws on the ordinary and mundane and combines it with the sublime and esoteric in new and fascinating ways.

In the first story, there is a new look on envy and keeping up with the Jones, as a couple visits their neighbours for an Academy Award party, but find the grass-is-greener life in that house isn't in fact the perfect bliss one might hope for; in another story (the one that gives title to the collection), an ordinary fishing trip turns into a psychological trip as significant revelations are made that leave the characters at a want for words.

Most of the stories look toward a darker impulse, a foreboding or ominous presence, or some other indication of limitation and mortality. 'The Scent' explores in some ways the psychological power of the sense of smell, but also the ways in which decay comes into our lives on a larger level. One can get from these stories a sense of love and sense of loss, a feeling of hope and the stab of despair. A remarkable aspect of these stories is their subtlety - the stories don't jump out with neon signs signifying meaning, but rather let the meaning seep into the more-ordinary tasks and situations of life.

Meeks is a good narrative writer, equally adept at description as well as a conversation and explanation. Each story has engaging characters who are familiar, yet with significant attributes that make them interesting to follow. I kept finding myself wanting more from each story, which is the mark of good writing for me, that the well has not run dry.

I look forward to further writings by Christopher Meeks.

If you are familiar with Mike Gordon, then you know what to expect... lots of word play, unexpected imagery, and plot in a very loose sense of the word. A great little volume for the absurdist-minded among us. Illustrations and photos, too!

This is pretty much my favorite book. I so wish I could write like he does. The names he comes up with are hilarious, and no sentence ends the way you think it's going to. It's nice to see some other positive reviews here, because everyone I show this book to thinks I'm a nut. Not because they don't like the book, but because they are stupid. So basically, if you don't like this book, it's not because the book is bad, it's because you are stupid.

Few people in the world have the imagination of Mike Gordon. While reading through his collection of daydreams and short stories one can't help but imagine just what goes on inside his head. In a time where it is difficult, if not impossible, to be original Mike Gordon has achieved just that. These motley tales take you to the outer limits of your mindscape and push you to think in ways you never thought possible.

Mike Gordon is able to capture the essence of the adjective. His wordings are the greatness of spike. Where can grammar go, from where Mike Gordon has taken us all? Its another plane. A minute piece of the past. Chilling realizations speak of its chime towards bone curdling flies. A time Lost? I truly think not. The emotional highpoints captured in the embrace between Winchester and Buggyboo brought a tear. And besides, does the "Corner" really exist. Figment. Figment is a part of life that cannot be avoided. A fig on the other hand creates love. Newtons of my youth spoke of a willing plea. A plea for literature. This literature is captured in the pleas of Mike Gordon. The many pleas thereof. Some are hard to replace, but for a book to stand alone, it must prioritize. Priorities are a necessity for a book to understand.

hence the title of this review, i proclaim this book to be extremely funny. mike gordon's sense of humor is very unique, which is a very good thing. let me share a little story. a few days after buying this book, i was driving a long distance with a friend, and she decided to read the book aloud. i almost drove off the road a few times due to the tears (of laughter) distorting my vision. finding a copy of this book may be difficult, but its well worth the struggle. so in closing, i recommend this book. indeed.

My son has ALL the Mr.Putter and Tabby books (which I highly recommend!), but this one is his favorite. These books are so sweet and funny and the illustrations are just tremendous!!

This was the very first Cynthia Rylant book I purchased for my 7 year old daughter and after reading it together several times, I bought all of the other Mr. Putter and Tabby books. It is easy to read, and very, very funny. The illustrations are great, very entertaining and whimsical. Thoroughly enjoyable!!!

This is another winner from the "Mr. Putter and Tabby" series. Old Mr. Putter and his old cat like to sit and watch the snow, but they must act soon if they want to think of something to give their nice neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry, for Christmas. Knowing her unlikely fondness for fruitcake, the intrepid pair decide to bake her one that wouldn't "break her toe if she dropped it." After much ado, they finally succeed in their effort, and fall asleep on Christmas morning in Mrs. Teaberry's house, having just delivered the cake. In the end, Mr. Putter goes home with "a very nice toaster that sang 'America the Beautiful' when the bread popped up." This gentle, subtle humor runs throughout the book and goes well with the colorful, expressive illustrations. Mr. Putter's persistence in trying to bake a cake is admirable. Furthermore, like many good Christmas books, this one shows the importance of giving. A fine book for kids who are just beginning to read.

The Mr. Putter and Tabby series are the sort of books that I would have loved to have when I was a beginning reader. I know that I would have read them over and over again to no end, even once they began to fall apart from constant use. That's why I am so glad that Mr. Putter and Tabby are around now while my youngest brother is learning to read. The non-repetitious (words are repeated, but not enough to become explicit), non-rhyming storytelling contained within the books makes them a pleasure to read continually, unlike many other easy-reader books. And in my opinion, the Mr. Putter and Tabby books are a step in front of Ms. Rylant's Henry and Mudge collection, due to the fact that, in their own way, they create an appreciation for the elderly as the reader comes to love Mr. Putter, the aging main character whose only companion is his cat, Tabby.

In Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake, Christmas is soon approaching, and Mr. Putter must decide what to give Mrs. Teaberry, his fruit-cake-loving next-door neighbor. Mr. Putter does not understand how anyone could enjoy a fruit cake, and so he sets out to make Mrs. Teaberry a "light and airy" cake for Christmas, one that "could not break her toe if she dropped it." Young readers will follow along with Mr. Putter and his good cat Tabby as they try to make Mrs. Teaberry's cake, from start to finish. Mishap prevails, leaving you to wonder if they will ever get through in time. It all adds up to a cheery Christmas story about giving and the saying, "It's the thought that counts!"

Mr. Howard's cartoon-style illustrations greatly enhance this wonderful story, which is written in such a format to be used as either a 3-chapter book for the beginning reader, or a bedtime story that is longer in length. Either way, the Mr. Putter and Tabby books would be a great find for emerging readers' shelves. Like having a kindly old grandpa next door, they only make life richer!

A delightful Christmas story that emphasizes giving of oneself and pokes a little fun at commercialism. Mr. Putter is as "light and airy" (or light and HAIRY as my five-year-old points out in chapter 4) as ever. Mr. Putter teaches us that we are never too old to learn!

i enjoyed this book. i was in the book store one day and it caught my eye so i flipped through it, and i'm glad i did. its about a little girl who comes from korea and moved to north america. she goes to school and doesn't want to tell the class her name because it is different, so she says she doesn't have a name, so her classmates make a name jar for her and put in names that she can use. then she gets a letter from her grandmother who is still in korea saying how much she loves her and in the letter was a seal with her name on it. after getting this she is once again proud of her name and goes back to school and tells her class mates her real name and what it means (i apologize if i got some of the details mixed up it was a while back that i read it). this book was a tear jerker for me. i'm not korean, nor have i had major problem with my name (though people often mispronounce it when reading it), but the struggle for the acceptance of one's self and one's own difference in comparison to others is something we all go through, and this story successfully displays that struggle and overcoming that struggle in a simple way. i think its a good way to get children to understand that though they are different, they will be accepted by someone, and opens them up to other cultures at the same time. worth the read.

Today Room 10 in Oxnard, Sheltered Immersion First picked to hear "The Name Jar".
It's not the easiest pick for a second language learner one year into English. It's a longer text and not patterned and predictable. But what it offers is something very tangible, the experience of going into a new cultural context, experiencing school, having a name that is loved and chosen by family and then confronting others who tease you for it, also encounter those unable to pronounce your name and seem unable within their context to respect your name as who you are and value its meaning. At least at first.

So my class had the legs to listen as Unhei's story was told.They know the feeling. She comes from Korea with a block wrapped in silk that says her name(from Grandmother). She highly values this block and all it represents. On her first bus trip to school which she is doing alone(hum) she is teased about her name and feels the sting of total humiliation by students on the bus. At school she does not reveal her name and that piece where teacher assists and does reveal it oddly blanks out. I accept the need for this in the tale, but it's just not exactly what happens. In time students bring in a jar to hold suggested names for her, they are concerned about a nameless girl.She can't explain her fear of rejection of her name either of course.It's too complex and too personal. Meanwhile she is sharing at home that she wants an "American name" which is distressing to her mom. She considers the names and makes an American friend who eventually overhears her true name at the Korean Market. I suppose I expected the friend to out her, but he just takes her jar away and after an exhaustive search she shares her real name, how it looks from her chop and she and her friend are on their way to understanding. A few things about respect for school, writing systems are shared from the perspective of a Korean child, but not as much as I expected.
Why this story was appropriate today for our class was simple, my student teacher had shared the meaning of his name. Both parts of his name are to me hard to pronounce and they have interesting meanings. Unhei's name means "grace". That's an interesting concept to talk to children about all around. Anyway I felt I wanted to return to what he shared about the "meaning" of names and will follow up tomorrow by looking at the student names and what they mean, how they say them. Refining our ear and our respect for each person.Also I sent letters home for parents to explain why they chose their child's name. At the beginning of the year we learn to read and write all our names and this extends that into the part that allows me to personalize and help create respect for one another. I think the book is a quiet one, as relevant for dominant culture as those that experience name issues at the hands of those speaking in the dominant tongue but through good instruction it serves all students in consideration of the importance of respect for honoring the first gift we really are given after life, our name.

Unhei is starting school in America. Although she has a lovely Korean name that means "grace," she thinks maybe she would like a more American sounding name. Her classmates make a name jar and offers suggestions. This story is affirming of the multicultural experience. When Unhei complains about her name, saying that she doesn't want to be different, her mother counters, "You are different, Unhei....That's a good thing!" Choi superbly illustrates her own story. The characters, though simply painted, have expressive faces.

Yangsook (Rachel) Choi has written AND illustrated another illuminating book. Unhei has moved from South Korea with her family to America; she has brought her clothes, bags, and a name "chop" stamp from her grandmother. Her schoolmates cannot pronounce her name on the bus, so she doesn't reveal her name to her classmates. Is it good to be different? Should she embrace her difference? In America she can still eat seaweed and kimchi; she can shop at Kim's Market and Fadil's Falafel. But maybe a name of Amanda, Miranda, Daisy, or Tamela would be better than Unhei (Yoon-hye). The kids at school put name suggestions in a jar on her desk, but on the day she will choose her name, the jar has disappeared. Who took it? What will Unhei decide to do? Did Mr. Cocotos her teacher have a hand in this? Will all the kids want to choose a new name? A must read for every elementary school.

I love this book because it reinforces the idea that people have a right to their given names and that they have a right to expect people to learn how to pronounce them. I work with many Chinese, Korean and Japanese students and it is common for these kids to feel the obligation to change their name, allow teachers and students mispronounce them if they do use their given names, and their parents often tell them to get used to it rather than teaching them to assert themselves and expect people to learn how to pronounce them. If the child feels that they have a right to their name, the keep it, teach people how to pronounce it and feel better about themselves. If they change it, the given name still pops up on paperwork, people still mispronounce it and they are always trying to hide it away before it pops up again. Accepting your name and teaching people how to pronounce it, provides people with empowerment and a sense of some control over their lives. It helps a lot in the acculturaltion process.

All I can say is that is a wonderful book! My kids and I enjoyed it very much!!!

Eight stories designed for bedtime reading or relaxing newly independent readers will find appeal in a wide age range. From a flying pie to elves on shelves, A Necklace Of Raindrops And Other Stories is packed with whimsical scenarios and fun moments.

I am thrilled to see this book back in print after so many years. I read it when I was a kid and even after 3 decades I still remember the story of the girl who gets a magic necklace of raindrops and the story of the cat and his wishing mat made out of a gray dress. The new illustrations are nice and I like the fact that it is in hardback, because it will last longer.

My copy was inscribed to me when I was six, in between Dr. Seuss and the Phantom Tollbooth. Looking at it again now, I marvel that it was only eight stories. Bits of them have stuck in my mind ever since: the necklace of raindrops, each with a special power, the girl who had to be washed with her dress on and hung out on the line to dry so it wouldn't shrink past her, the train station in the desert, the cat who ate the yeast, the quilt and the camels and the traffic lights from Beirut. Get a copy and wear it out, then read Joan Aiken's other marvelous books.

I happened upon this book once when I was in grade school. It made such an impression on me that I have searched for it ever since. It was a wonderful journey of exciting adventures. Making me feel like I had left my life behind and embarked on an incredible expedition. The fun and adventurous stories take the reader around the world. Fun and suspense are around every corner.

This is a beautiful and touching story. By the way, this book was originally written in Portuguese, the author is part of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. This story was inspired by her baby daughter, whose skin was actually very white but different from her brothers who had darker skin and loved her very much. This story shows that skin color doesn't matter and we can love one another despite of our differences in any level.

My daughter is African and Mexican American, so we love books that celebrate African/Latin heritage and this does it beautifully. The illustrations and the rythm of the writing are so well matched. This is one of our favorites.

This book is great. The illustrations are awesome and the story is beautiful. I bought it to read to my foster children. It's basically about a white rabbit who meets a young black girl and wants to know what he can do to be black and beautiful like her.

A very sweet story.. beautifully illustrated! As a bilingual mom of a 5 month-old baby, I enjoyed reading this book. Although the title suggest a book in Spanish, it's actually beautifully written in English.

A beautiful, dark-skinned little girl who lives near the seaside is the inspiration for this utterly charming tale about differences and the acceptance of others. Nina Bonita has "eyes like two shiny black olives", hair that is pitch black and curly and skin that is "dark and glossy like a panther in the rain". When her mother arranges her hair into tiny braids, she looks like a princess of Africa or "a fairy from the Kingdom of the Moon".

One day a white rabbit, with pink ears and dark red eyes, inquires, "What is your secret? What makes your skin so dark and pretty?" Since she doesn't know what to say, Nina Bonita answers that when she was a baby, black ink spilled on her. The rabbit pours ink all over himself and, sure enough, he is black... for a while. Then the rain washes all the ink away. Nina says, "I drank lots of hot coffee" and the rabbit drinks so much coffee that he can't go to sleep, but he doesn't turn black; "I ate lots of blackberries", so he does, but he doesn't turn black, although he does get a terrible stomach ache. The rabbit is very discouraged, at a loss of an explanation until Nina Bonita's mother exclaims, "She looks just like her grandmother!"

The riddle is solved! The rabbit suddenly understands that if he marries a black rabbit, they will have bunnies in all shades of black, white and gray. And that's exactly what happens, baby bunnies in every shade. The softly-colored illustrations of Nina's seaside life reflect the subtle nuances of a tale of color and differences, imaginatively written with great wisdom, a simple lesson about acceptance. Luan Gaines/2006.

This book will have you laughing all the way through. although it is a fiction book, it has real life feelings and actions. It is about a kid who fell in a river, got unconshious, got a concushin, and is trying to remember what happend. The book tells all of the totaly halarious and outragious things that he did before the axcidend. o yea, he has an alein living in hes nose named norbert

My friend Candace Johnson is reading this book. I've been interested to read it, but she just is a slow reader. She says it's funny, but she hasn't even gotten half way! But it's supposed to be really funny!

If you like or love funny, fantasy, science fiction and unpredicable books, then I have the book for you. The book is called Nose From Jupiter by Richard Scrimger. It's about a boy named Alan that has an alien(or someting like that)that is from the plant Jupiter living in his nose. Yup, his nose. The alien's name is Norbert. This is a really funny book and is also good.The only bad thing about this book is that it is to long. You will have to keep reading to the next chapter to find out what will happen. On a scale of one to ten, I would give it an eigth.

I bought this book for my two sons aged 9 and 11. To get them started, I read the first chapter. Well, that was me hooked. I had to read the whole book aloud. For the next week, each night I had to read more than the usual length.
I found myself crying with laughter at the alien forcing the little boy Allen out of his usual routine and behaviour. There are some hilarious moments as Norbert the Alien gets Allen into tricky situations he would normally avoid.
The alien helped Allen sort out bullies and also to understand his mum and dad. All of these life lessons are given in such a positive way.
My sons were invited to a birthday party and they asked if they could buy the 'alien up the nose book' for their friend - this one is a winner for kids and parents.

Alan Dingwall is a real kid: he's worried about bullies, wonders if his parents care about him now that they're divorced, and envies his overweight friend's apparently happy family. Alan struggles at math, and dreads the school bell that means the school population has to find a way out of the school without running afoul of the "Cougars" - the school bullies.

Life is tough - and real - for Alan, and Scrimger pulls no punches.

Then an alien, Norbert, takes up residence in Alan's nose, and things go quickly awry in Alan's balanced (if somewhat sad) world. Norbert is quickly mistaken for "Squeaky" - Alan's new nickname as the school's suddenly gifted ventriloquist. As Squeaky starts tossing bon-mots aplenty around the school, Alan finds himself unwittingly insulting the bullies, telling girls how he really feels, and being - just this once - the life of the classroom.

What's heartening about this tale is not really the antics of the alien in Alan's nose - though certainly the humour is a blast and it's enjoyable to the extreme. What got my real vote was the true-to-life child frustration that Scrimger wove into the plot. Alan worries that his father doesn't care about him anymore, and that his mother is just too busy to really pay attention. He's a witty kid, and very smart (in non-math ways), and I doubt anyone would have any trouble empathising with Alan's world.

The balance of humour and real-life in this book is nothing short of artful, and kids will appreciate not being spoken down to in this tale. Snap it up, and be prepared for an eventually triumphant novel that will touch on some real emotionality.

'Nathan