Danny's Doodles: The Jelly Bean Experiment
Gr 1–3—Danny and his new neighbor, Calvin, must navigate Mrs. Cakel's strict fourth-grade class. Danny becomes the subject of the new boy's jellybean experiment. After devising a hypothesis and a control, Calvin fills Danny's pockets with the candy to see if it attracts friends. This experiment, his reluctance to socialize with classmates or play baseball, and his stories about his father "the spy," make Calvin an outcast. It is with Danny's help that Calvin learns to make friends. The doodles throughout the book are silly and engaging--providing a nice complement to the colorful characters. A great read for children who are ready for short chapter books, this title could also be used as an introduction to a unit on the scientific method.—Erica Thorsen Payne, Meriwether Lewis Elementary School, Charlottesville, VA