Alvin Ho - full of laughs and fun stories

I love a book that will make you laugh out loud, and then will make you and your child laugh out loud again a week later when you remember reading it together. The Alvin Ho series does just this. These are perfect read-alouds for 1st graders, and great for 3rd graders on their own.

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things
by Leonore Look
illustrations by LeUyen Pham
NY: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2008. 192 pages.
ages 6 - 9

Alvin Ho is an Asian-American second grader who is afraid of everything— elevators, tunnels, girls, and, most of all, school. He’s so afraid of school that, while he’s there, he never, ever, says a word. But at home he’s a very loud superhero named Firecracker Man. This first book in the series is full of everyday adventures in short, illustrated chapters. One day, Alvin is trying to grow taller and is left stranded by his siblings during stretching exercises that leave him upside down in a tree where he remains forgotten until his mother spots his empty seat at dinner. Another time, Alvin decides to bring his dad's beloved childhood Johnny Astro toy for show-and-tell, and suffers the consequences when it's broken. The funniest episode of all, in my mind, was the chicken-pox episode. Alvin one funny little guy.

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters
by Leonore Look
illustrations by LeUyen Pham
NY: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2008. 192 pages.
ages 6 - 9

Alvin is still getting into mischief and wriggling his way out of sticky situations in the second book in this series: Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters. While it didn't tickle me as much as the first in the series, it was a fun read. In the second chapter, Alvin receives a package at the front door.

I ripped open the kit right there in the driveway. Inside, there were pencils, stickers, handcuffs, and handcuff key, a rope, a Houdini's Greatest Escapes DVD and a gold card.

"Alvin Ho GOLD MEMBER OF HOUDINI-IN-A-BOX do it yourself escapes"

Calvin whistled. 'Dude!' he said.

How great would it be for a second-grader to get a Houdini-in-a-box kit?! Funny situations turn into funnier situations, as the kids make a straight jacket and then Alvin volunteers to be trapped inside his sister's time machine. I liked how Lenore Look was able to turn funny situations into more poignant ones. Alvin got really, truly scared as his sister left him trapped in the box and forgot about him.

My dad isn't a superhero, but he can pull me out of anything, even from long, tangled boa constrictors that were squeezing the last wheeze out of me.... "You're my best friend, Dad. You saved my life."

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters has more touching moments like these. It isn't full of quite as many laugh-out-loud moments as the first in the series. But it will still make kids happy reading it. It would make a good family read aloud, especially talking about how Alvin learns to be brave during his camping trip.

I really like how Alvin's Chinese-American culture is simply a part of who he is. His favorite meal is vegetable wontons and noodles. His grandfathers are GungGung and YehYeh. His culture is not a pivotal part of the story, it's just part of the texture that makes Alvin feel like a real kid.



The review copies came from my local public library. The first Alvin Ho is now available in paperback. Find them at your local public library, an independent bookstore, or on Amazon.