A review by jessalynn_librarian
Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time by Lisa Yee
4.0
Chapter book - realistic
For 5th-7th grade
Stanford is looking forward to basketball camp, until he flunks English and spends the summer in school, being tutored, and making unexpected friends in this funny story.
If Stanford doesn't pass English, he can't play on the best basketball team in seventh grade. Which is how he finds himself in summer school instead of at basketball camp, and why the obnoxiously smart Millicent Min is his English tutor. Any reluctant reader will empathize with Stanford's situation. He doesn't feel good about getting an F on his Holes essay ("Holes is a book. It was written by a writer.") but that doesn't mean he wants to spend time reading - even if getting good grades is what will make his mother happy. Readers of Yee's earlier book, Millicent Min, Girl Genius, will enjoy reading the flip side of that story, this time getting Stanford's perspective with plenty of the same humor - if a little grosser. In order to make friends with Emily, Millicent hides the fact that she's a genius, and when Stanford gets a crush on Emily, he's happy to play along and pretend that he's the one tuturing Millicent. This pretense adds to the humor of the book, as does the subplot with Stanford's grandmother - and the fact that Stanford secretly knits to relieve stress.
The chapters are generally quite short, the writing is clear and direct, and the characters are always entertaining, making this a good choice for reluctant readers, in addition to the themes and humor that will make it appealing to middle school boys. Yee also depicts three generations of a Chinese American family, incorporating that perspective into the story in subtle and realistic ways.
The Horn Book's review sums up the plot neatly while highlighting the story's combination of humor and heart. School Library Journal has a slightly clunkier plot summary, but does point out the book's boy-friendly aspects.
For 5th-7th grade
Stanford is looking forward to basketball camp, until he flunks English and spends the summer in school, being tutored, and making unexpected friends in this funny story.
If Stanford doesn't pass English, he can't play on the best basketball team in seventh grade. Which is how he finds himself in summer school instead of at basketball camp, and why the obnoxiously smart Millicent Min is his English tutor. Any reluctant reader will empathize with Stanford's situation. He doesn't feel good about getting an F on his Holes essay ("Holes is a book. It was written by a writer.") but that doesn't mean he wants to spend time reading - even if getting good grades is what will make his mother happy. Readers of Yee's earlier book, Millicent Min, Girl Genius, will enjoy reading the flip side of that story, this time getting Stanford's perspective with plenty of the same humor - if a little grosser. In order to make friends with Emily, Millicent hides the fact that she's a genius, and when Stanford gets a crush on Emily, he's happy to play along and pretend that he's the one tuturing Millicent. This pretense adds to the humor of the book, as does the subplot with Stanford's grandmother - and the fact that Stanford secretly knits to relieve stress.
The chapters are generally quite short, the writing is clear and direct, and the characters are always entertaining, making this a good choice for reluctant readers, in addition to the themes and humor that will make it appealing to middle school boys. Yee also depicts three generations of a Chinese American family, incorporating that perspective into the story in subtle and realistic ways.
The Horn Book's review sums up the plot neatly while highlighting the story's combination of humor and heart. School Library Journal has a slightly clunkier plot summary, but does point out the book's boy-friendly aspects.