A review by thatjamiea
The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo by Judy Blume
4.0
I suddenly got this wild idea that I would read Judy Blume's entire bibliography this summer. I realized that while there were many of Blume's titles that I loved, there were many I had never read and decided to just do it. I've been in a monstrous reading slump and figured Blume's short, easy reads would be what the doctor ordered.
I'm reading the books in chronological order of release date because I can and "The One in the Middle is a Green Kangaroo" came first. Published first in 1969, it is the story of a boy named Freddy who feels the weight of being his family's middle child. He is neither big and important or young and cute. All of his clothes are hand-me-down and when his baby sister is born he must share a room.
Freddy decides to do something to set himself apart and becomes the star of the school play and then he doesn't mind being in the middle so much anymore.
This book is nearly 40 years old, but I read it aloud to the girls and it didn't feel dated or old fashioned. It was just the right book for kids who may feel overshadowed by their older or younger siblings.
This book would be a great transitional book for early readers. My middle daughter is going into third grade but reads above her grade level. She liked this story, but at only 50 pages this book really wouldn't be a challenge for her at all. I'm thinking first grade students would get the most out of this book, but it would also be a great read aloud choice as it can be read, in totality, in about 20-25 minutes.
I'm reading the books in chronological order of release date because I can and "The One in the Middle is a Green Kangaroo" came first. Published first in 1969, it is the story of a boy named Freddy who feels the weight of being his family's middle child. He is neither big and important or young and cute. All of his clothes are hand-me-down and when his baby sister is born he must share a room.
Freddy decides to do something to set himself apart and becomes the star of the school play and then he doesn't mind being in the middle so much anymore.
This book is nearly 40 years old, but I read it aloud to the girls and it didn't feel dated or old fashioned. It was just the right book for kids who may feel overshadowed by their older or younger siblings.
This book would be a great transitional book for early readers. My middle daughter is going into third grade but reads above her grade level. She liked this story, but at only 50 pages this book really wouldn't be a challenge for her at all. I'm thinking first grade students would get the most out of this book, but it would also be a great read aloud choice as it can be read, in totality, in about 20-25 minutes.