Don't Wear Polka-Dot Underwear with White Pants: (And Other Lessons I've Learned)
Nobody listens to Mandy Berr, especially not her mother. Even though Mandy explained that the white pants her mom picked out were nothing but trouble, she had to wear them anyway, and now, after an unfortunate playground incident, she is saddled with the nickname “Polka Dot.” That is just one of the many inconveniences the put-upon second-grader encounters as she barrels through life with her attention-stealing siblings—a gross three-year-old brother and damp baby twins—not to mention a teacher who does not understand that Mandy is destined to play George Washington in the class Presidential Pageant. Though Mandy walks the very fine line between childish single-mindedness and outright brattiness, debut novelist Gutknecht has nevertheless created a charming and realistic heroine who charges fearlessly into situations, learning lessons along the way (lessons that she helpfully collects for readers at the end of the story). The engaging, humorous writing will appeal to fans of Judy Moody, Junie B. Jones, and Ramona the Pest. Grades 2-4. --Magan Szwarek--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.