A review by debz57a52
Please Write in This Book by Mary Amato

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This is a quick early chapter book, in the same family tree as Wimpy Kid and iFunny. It tells the story of a handful of students in a classroom, who share a journal in the Writing Corner. There are 6-7 students, by my lazy count, who write or draw in the journal, although I assume the teacher's class is bigger, but they all have very easy-to-discern personality traits, which come across in their writing and drawings. There is also a straightforward story arc: the kids are excited, the boys and girls make fun of each other, and then they decide to work together.  The kids share typical elementary humor, with lots of talk about snot and farts and smelly feet, but there is also solid elementary level writing, with none of that silly intentional misspelling that other kids book series employ. Altogether, I'm not the intended audience, but I recognize the value of such a book, especially if teacher ls want to recreate the idea of a whole-class journal in their classroom.