May 1, 2015
Gr 2-4-The safety patrol squad at South School is in need of three more cadets-"students who are responsible, do their work, and are kind to others." Third grader Horrible Harry, whose future dreams include becoming a detective for the Los Angeles Police Department, decides to apply and succeeds in becoming the perfect citizen...for one week. Unfortunately, Harry is not chosen for the squad. South School's excitement continues as the spring book raffle is underway. Readers receive one ticket for every book read. Yet when Doug notices fellow safety cadet Mary tampering with classmates' tickets, he believes something is afoot. He teams up with his good friend Harry to uncover the "possible raffle ticket fraud in Room 3B." Terrific narration is provided by Johnny Heller. VERDICT This work would be a great classroom resource for many character-building discussions points: being a positive role model, honesty, the error of jumping to conclusions, and the multiple faces of bullying. Additionally, series fans will enjoy revisiting the familiar characters.-Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OH
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