Michael Delaney

I loved this book about two friends who are in competition with a rival about who can solve the mystery of their town; someone put a pumpkin on the flagpole in town during the election for town mayor! When Bennet gets paired with his rival, Elizabeth, for a class project, they wind up being assigned to work together to solve the "whodunit" mystery and eventually become friends instead of enemies.

If you can get past the title, this is actually a pretty entertaining book. It can help slightly older children understand the importance of political platforms and how they can change the outcome of a major election (hopefully in less obtrusive ways than Bennett & Pete did).

Another adorable story that involves animals and a family--just like most young readers out there. Between the fantasy and the realistic fiction parts, it's sure to appeal to and enjoyed by many. In fact, it was voted the # 1 of 2010-2011 Florida Sunshine State titles.

Subject Area: Language Arts
Genre: Fantasy
Critique/Summary:
This book tells a story from pets' perspective. Because the animals can all talk to each other (some can even read!) this book is an example of fantasy. However, the circumstances, setting, plot, etc. are all fit more into the realistic fiction genre. The events are not extremely out of the ordinary. The time and setting are not made up by the author.
(Stars for plot)
Age: intermediate