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Publisher:
iUniverse |
Release
Date: December 2002 |
ISBN:
0595256775 |
Awards:
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Format
Reviewed: Trade Paperback |
Buy
it at Amazon |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Children/ Early Teen / Fiction / African American |
Reviewer:
Sharon Hudson |
Reviewer
Notes: |
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Scooter and the Galactic Starship
By Douglas
Robinson
Scooter
is a 10-year-old with a problem. The latest greatest video game
is about to burst on the scene and he just has to have it. One big
thing is stopping Scooter from achieving his goal--money. The game
costs an astonishing amount of money and his allowance doesn’t
cover the cost, further compounding the horror of horrors to all
children. His mom and dad have decided at this critical moment to
make Scooter accountable. His mother said that she would buy him
nothing else until his birthday, so if there is any hope of getting
this game on its first day of issue Scooter will have to buy it
himself. Scooter and the Galactic Starship is a charming
book that details the adventure Scooter goes on to get this game.
Wonderfully
written, Scooter comes to life throughout the book. We can all relate
to that fateful day when our parents told us that we would have
to save and get whatever we wanted right then for ourselves. As
an adult reading this book, I wanted to say to the father, a compulsive
spender, “Go ahead; he’s working so hard for it,”
but I know that attitude wouldn’t teach Scooter anything.
As an adult remembering back to childhood, I know that my mom was
right; I would appreciate it more if I worked for it. This is an
excellent book for teaching the value of money with a theme that
children can relate to today.
The
characters are well-developed, easily understood and multi-dimensional.
This is a refreshing read for children as well as adults. This is
a story with down-to-earth morals and common sense. Mr. Robinson,
the author, should continue writing children’s books, for
his first entry deserves a follow-up. I would suggest continuing
with Scooter as the main character in a theme series. Scooter will
stick with me for a little while and I’d be interested in
reading any of his further adventures.
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